Summary Olympic champion Li Xuerui suffered a stunning defeat in the first round of the All-England Open.
BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Li Xuerui, the Olympic and the defending All-England champion, suffered a stunning defeat on Wednesday when she lost in the first round of the All-England Open.
Li, widely regarded as the sport s outstanding woman player after her triumph at the London Games seven months ago, went down 21-18, 21-18 to Bae Yeon Ju, the world number 13 from South Korea.
The Chinese player did not blame either the wind drift or having to face such a high quality opponent in the first round for her defeat. "It was personal performance issues, too many mistakes, nothing else," she said.
Li s defeat opens up a better chance of her Chinese compatriot Wang Yihan, the number three seed and former All-England champion, reaching the final again in the top half.
