World number 15 Chetan Anand was seen unable to counter-attack the fit Singaporean Ashton Chen Ong Zhao, succumbing in straight games in the first round.
By Tarek Hafi. Photo: Badmintonphoto (live)
From the start, the yellow-clad Chen impressed with his fluidity on court, retrieving most of the shots with ease. The 14th seed in Paris, from India, looked clueless on how to rule the match against a confident Chen, who was coming back from his two years of military service, which turned out to provide a training edge: “I prepared quite well for the World Championship. As I’ve just finished my national service in Singapore, I was able to train on a daily basis.
“For me the National Service, didn’t really helped me to be fitter,” Chen said, when asked how the national service affected his condition, “because I was mainly doing some simple job but I think it builds up mental strength. I guess I am now stronger than I was three years ago.”
Relieved of any duties, Chen intends now to reach the top level, now able to keep up with constant training, indicating precociously another tough challenge to the top players in the world for the future years.
The Singaporean youngster will now face an easier task in the hand of Canada’s Stephan Wojcikiewicz, until a promising tough battle against the world number four, Chen Jin.
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