TOKYO, Sept 19: Two-time champion Peter Gade’s final appearance in the Japan Open badminton tournament ended in a first-round defeat to Hu Yun of Hong Kong on Wednesday.

The second-seeded Dane, who came back from a left-wrist injury, lost to the China Masters finalist 11-21, 20-22, in the men’s singles event.

Another two-time Japan Open champion, top seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, eased aside Anand Pawar of India 21-13, 21-9, while 2008 champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia lost to Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 21-14, 17-21, 18-21.

Sixth seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark bowed to Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai 22-24, 16-21, and fifth seed Kenichi Tago of Japan lost to Malaysia’s Chong Wei Feng 21-8, 16-21, 17-21, but other seeds safely went through.

Athens Olympic gold medallist Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, seventh seed, whipped Kashyap Parupalli of India 21-18, 21-18, while Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam, eighth seed, outclassed Brice Leverdez of France 21-19, 21-19.

In the women’s competition, seeded players 2007 champion Tine Baun of Denmark, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk and Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, South Korea’s Bae Yeon-Ju and Sung Ji-Hyun, and Japan’s Ai Goto advanced.

But seventh seed Gu Juan of Singapore fell victim to Japan’s Minatsu Mitani 16-21, 17-21.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding): Men’s singles: First round: 1-Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) bt Anand Pawar (India) 21-13, 21-9; Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) bt Suppanyu Avihingsanon (Thailand) 21-13, 19-21, 21-19; Chong Wei Feng (Malaysia) bt 5-Kenichi Tago (Japan) 8-21, 21-16, 21-17; Ajay Jayaram (India) bt Wong Zi Liang Derek (Singapore) 21-14, 21-14; 3-Simon Santoso (Indonesia) bt Hsu Jen-hao (Taiwan) 21-15, 21-11; Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (Thailand) bt Chan Yan-kit (Hong Kong) 21-17, 12-21, 21-15; 7-Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) bt Kashyap Parupalli (India) 21-18, 21-18; Akira Koga (Japan) bt Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Denmark) 13-21, 21-15, 21-13; Wong Wing-ki (Hong Kong) bt Rajiv Ouseph (England) 21-11, 21-17; Kazumasa Sakai (Japan) bt 6-Jan O Jorgensen (Denmark) 24-22, 21-16; Boonsak Ponsana (Thailand) bt Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Indonesia) 14-21, 21-17, 21-18; 4-Sho Sasaki (Japan) bt R.M.V. Gurusaidutt (India) 21-18, 21-15; Daren Liew (Malaysia) bt Sai Praneeth (India) 17-21, 21-15, 22-20; 8-Nguyen Tien Minh (Vietnam) bt Brice Leverdez (France) 21-19, 21-19; Takuma Ueda (Japan) bt Chou Tien-chen (Taiwan) 21-16, 21-6; Hu Yun (Hong Kong) bt 2-Peter Gade (Denmark) 21-11, 22-20.

Women’s singles:First round: 1-Tine Baun (Denmark) bt Sannatasah Saniru (Malaysia) 21-11, 21-10; Busanan Ongbumrungpan (Thailand) bt Chan Tsz-ka (Hong Kong) 21-14, 21-19; 6-Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Thailand) bt Nicole Grether (Canada) 21-10, 18-21, 21-9; Nichaon Jindapon (Thailand) bt Eriko Tamaki (Japan) 23-21, 21-6; 4-Bae Yeon-Ju (South Korea) bt Charmaine Reid (Canada) 21-11, 21-9; P.V. Sindhu (India) bt Kaori Imabeppu (Japan) 21-18, 17-21, 21-13; Minatsu Mitani (Japan) bt 7-Gu Juan (Singapore) 21-16, 21-17; Eriko Hirose (Japan) bt Yip Pui-yin (Hong Kong) 11-21, 21-12, 21-13; Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand) bt Shizuka Uchida (Japan) 21-16, 21-11; 5-Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan) bt Yuki Fukushima (Japan) 21-14, 21-18; Tee Jing Yi (Malaysia) bt Pai Hsiao-ma (Taiwan) 16-21, 21-14, 21-12; 3-Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) bt Sayaka Takahashi (Japan) 21-12, 19-21, 21-19; Cheah Lydia Li Ya (Malaysia) bt Yui Hashimoto (Japan) 21-19, 21-19; 8-Ai Goto (Japan) bt Fu Mingtian (Singapore) 21-9, 21-19; Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) bt Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 21-19, 21-10; 2-Sung Ji-Hyun (South Korea) bt Simone Prutsch (Austria) 21-6, 21-16.—AFP