Chen Yufei of the Chinese mainland triumphed over Japan's Hina Akechi with scores of 25-23, 19-21, 21-16 in the women's singles first round at the Orleans Masters in Orleans, France, on Wednesday. This win marks her first World Tour match victory since the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Initially, Chen struggled to regain her form, missing several key plays in the first game. However, she managed to clinch it after a tight contest. In the second game, Chen faced challenges, committing a series of errors that led to her loss in that round.
Determined to improve, Chen bounced back in the third game, starting strong with a 7-2 lead. Although Akechi responded with a 9-3 run, Chen regained control by outscoring her opponent 7-3. Despite a couple of mistakes towards the end, Chen secured four consecutive points to advance to the round of 16.
Other notable matches on the day included Lin Hsiang-Ti of Chinese Taipei defeating Han Yue of the Chinese mainland 21-19, 7-21, 21-19. Gao Fangjie of the Chinese mainland made a comeback to beat Denmark's Line Christophersen 21-23, 21-15, 22-20, while Chinese No. 2 seed Wang Zhiyi swept Indonesian Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi 21-13, 21-8.
On the men's side, the sole participant from the Chinese mainland, Wang Zhengxing, was eliminated in the first round by Denmark's Rasmus Gemke with scores of 21-15, 14-21, 21-10.
Reference(s):
Shuttler Chen Yufei takes 1st win after return at Orleans Masters
cgtn.com
