Ajay Jayaram falls at first hurdle in China Masters

Changzhou, China: After a splendid performance at the inaugural Indian Badminton League (IBL), Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram today suffered a shock defeat against lower-ranked Chinese Yuekun Chen in the opening round of the China Masters here.The world number 24 Indian, who had beaten the likes of world number 13 Wing ki Wong in Guangzhou, before defeating world no 5 Tien Minh Nguyen twice and world number 9 Jan o Jorgensen in the IBL, could not recreate the magic at the Olympic Sports Center Xincheng Gymnasium.[caption id="attachment_1103461" align="alignleft" width="380"]The Mumbai-based shuttler, who had played for champions Hyderabad HotshotsL, lost 14-21 21-23 to world number 30 Chen. AFP[/caption]The Mumbai-based shuttler, who had played for champions Hyderabad HotshotsL, lost 14-21 21-23 to world number 30 Chen in a 36-minute men's singles here.Jayaram could not play his natural game as Chen dominated the nets and didn't allow the Indian to come any closer in the first game.In the second game, Jayaram recovered from 0-4 down to move to a 10-7 lead at one stage. However, Chen was not ready to give up so easily and after a tough fight, it was the Chinese who had the last laugh.Jayaram will next play in the Japan Open.PTI