KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's World No. 47 Ainaa Amani Ampandi came back from a set down to beat Egypt's world No. 69 Amina El Rihany in the first round of the US$75,000 China Open at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre today.
Ainaa won 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6 in 35 minutes, and will face compatriot and second seed S. Sivasangari for a place in the quarter-finals.
World No. 9 Sivasangari, who won the London Classic in April, got a first round bye.
But three Malaysians bowed out in the opening rounds. World No. 39 Aifa Azman put up a good fight against former world No. 3 Joelle King of New Zealand before losing 11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 13-15.
King, 36, will face national No. 2 and world No. 30 Rachel Arnold in the second round.
K. Sehveetrraa lost 11-5, 11-9, 11-6 to Nour Aboulmakarim of Egypt.
In the men's competition, national champion and world No. 68 Addeen Idrakie put up a gritty fight against world No. 48 Leung Chi Hin of Hong Kong before going down 2-11, 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11.
National chief coach Ajaz Azmat said that Aifa played well, but she was unlucky to lose to veteran King in the tie breaker in the fifth seed.
"Addeen also gave his best, but he, too, lost in the fifth set," he added.