KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 6 Lee Zii Jia suffered a shocking first round defeat at the Japan Open today, going down in straight games to rising French star Alex Lanier.
In what appeared to be a winnable match, Zii Jia lost 21-18, 21-13 in just 41 minutes.
Zii Jia was initially supposed to play against China's Weng Hong Yang, but due to a spate of top players withdrawal, he was redrawn to play against Lanier.