BIRMINGHAM (England), March 7: Defending champion Pullela Gopichand of India bowed out on the first day of the All England badminton championships Wednesday, losing 3-7 7-1 8-7 7-4 to Malaysia’s Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.

The second round victory against such a high-profile opponent marked a major advance for the 20-year-old Hashim who is ranked 23 in the world.

It was the first time since 1989 that a defending All England champion had gone out on the opening day when traditionally two rounds are played.

Gopichand’s triumph in 2001 thrilled India, a country which has enjoyed little sporting success in recent years.

But after a comfortable first round victory earlier in the day on Wednesday, he struggled to cope with the after-effects of a stress fracture in the foot suffered in December, which meant he only resumed playing two weeks ago.

Earlier, Denmark’s Peter Rasmussen, the 1997 world champion who had to qualify for the first round after long spells out through injury, was beaten 5-7 7-1 7-0 7-4 by Malaysia’s Ismail Saman.—Reuters