Lin, Lee win All England openers

LONDON: China’s Lin Dan and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei eased through their opening matches at the All England Open but women’s third seed Ratchanok Intanon crashed out.

Two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan talked up how much the tournament meant to him after beating Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 21-19, 21-16 on the opening day in Birmingham on Wednesday.

Four-time champion Lee, Lin’s great rival, beat Brazil’s Ygor Coelho 21-15, 21-17. Lee is the top seed following the withdrawal of Viktor Axelsen.India’s Kidambi Srikanth, the third seed, lost the first set against France’s Brice Leverdez but recovered to win 7-21, 21-14, 22-20. In the women’s draw, Canada’s Michelle Li found her best form to shock 2017 runner-up Intanon, of Thailand, 21-15, 14-21, 21-19 in 66 minutes.

Women’s top seed Tai Tzu-ying, from Taiwan, was tested by India’s Saina Nehwal but came out on top 21-14, 21-18 in an entertaining match.