SHENZHEN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Women's singles world No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea made a strong start to her campaign, defeating Japan's Natsuki Nidaira 21-13, 21-13 in the first round of the 2025 BWF China Masters here on Tuesday.

"Shenzhen gives me a very good impression," said An, who claimed the title here last year. "I just focus on taking one match at a time. If I can show what I've practiced in each game, the championship will naturally follow."

Japan's Akane Yamaguchi also progressed, cruising past Thailand's Supanida Katethong 21-17, 21-15.

The day's biggest upset came in men's singles, as Singapore's eighth-seeded Loh Kean Yew suffered an early exit against Irish qualifier Nhat Nguyen 20-22, 14-21.

The 2021 world champion was dissatisfied with his performance. "I couldn't focus on the match," said Loh. "My physical condition wasn't good enough to exert strength and maintain my usual rhythm."

There was better news for Chinese fans as Weng Hongyang delivered an impressive performance to defeat Japan's Kodai Naraoka 21-16, 21-9. "I kept a stable mentality and didn't rush," commented Weng. Another Chinese shuttler Lu Guangzu also advanced by overcoming Japan's Koki Watanabe.

A thrilling rematch of the World Championships final was staged in the men's doubles, where China's Chen Boyang and Liu Yi fell to South Korea's Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho 21-18, 19-21, 21-15 despite a strong start.

"We played better than at the World Championships, but their skills are still more solid," Liu said.

China's newly crowned women's doubles world champions Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning opened their campaign with a 21-11, 21-16 victory over Indonesia's Lanny Tria Mayasari and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi.

"We need to maintain our championship mentality here," Liu Shengshu said. "Our current goal is to avoid injuries and take good care of our bodies, then win the round of 16 match on Thursday." ■