Tokyo: Unseeded Lee Chong Wei who launched bid for his unprecedented sixth Japan Open title got his campaign off to a winning start with two straight-sets victories on Tuesday.
Lee Chong Wei who currently ranked world No. 28, began his Tuesday with the first round of qualifying against Alistair Casey from Scotland. Lee was aggressive and relaxed when he eased past Casey 21-3, 21-3 in just 23 minutes.
Later in the day, Lee Chong Wei got back to the court for his second qualification match against 20-year-old Korean Heo Kwang-hee. In the first set, after the score was tied at 3-3, Lee reeled off the next four points to widen his lead. Lee then raised his level to establish an 8-5 lead before finished the first set with 21-10. Both Lee and Heo went back and forth early in the second set, but Lee started to pull away after 7-7, opened up a commanding lead and sealed a 21-12 win to advance to the main draw.
Lee will play Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the first round of Japan Open main draw on Wednesday. Other star players such as Lin Dan, Chen Long, Carolina Marin, Saina Nehwal and Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong will also be playing in the first round.
