World number one Chen Long crashes out against Xue Song at unpredictable All-England Open
Chen becomes the victim of a second seismic shock in less than 24 hours in Birmingham as his title defence is upended in the second round
World number one Chen Long became the victim of a second seismic shock in less than 24 hours at the All-England Open when his title defence was upended in the second round.
It’s no secret that our relationship is so close. It is closer than with my parents – and I think that impacted on our performances
Chen was beaten 21-19, 21-17 by Xue Song, a Chinese compatriot who played tenaciously and thoughtfully but whose modest world ranking of 30 now makes it impossible, he believes, to qualify for the Olympics.
On Wednesday night, Lee Chong Wei, the world number two from Malaysia, had also been beaten by an unseeded player, falling in the first round to B. Sai Praneeth of India.
He was a little too inconsistent at the net and in mid-court – usually an area of great strength for him – and he was also often unable to force attacks home, perhaps because of the cool conditions.
Chen also tried to claim the result was not so surprising.
READ MORE: Malaysian ace Lee Chong Wei upset in opening round at All England Championships
“It can happen because the competition is so fierce,” he said. “It’s normal, it can happen.”