CHANGZHOU, China, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's Olympic champion Chen Long defeated Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia 21-16, 12-21, 23-21 here on Tuesday to move into the second round of the 2019 BWF China Open badminton tournament.
Fifth seed Chen won the first set, but was stunned by six consecutive points from Lee in the second, which set up a decider.
Chen made the early running in the third set, leading 16-10 until Lee replied with five points in a row. The rest of the match ebbed and flowed, finally ending with a narrow victory for Chen after he lost two match points.
Chen's victory comes after he was defeated by Lee in July's 2019 Indonesia Open, which was their first meet on the international stage.
"Last time I lost against Lee but winning today gives me confidence," Chen said, "I prepared well because I didn't want to lose again with scores like 20-22 or 21-23."
Chen now faces a second round tie against Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei.
