The second day of the Paris Open proved to be controversial ©Xavier Servolle/WKF

European champion Rafael Aghayev of Azerbaijan crashed out of the Paris Open at the qualification stage as his men’s under 75kg contest with France's Davy Dona ended in controversial circumstances on the opening day of kumite action in the World Karate Federation (WKF) Karate1 Premier League here today.

In a bout that was the day’s main talking point, Dona was adjudged to have been too physical after Aghayev appeared to be dazed when he was caught in the face by the Frenchman and was subsequently disqualified.

Dona was enraged at the decision, greeted by jeers from the crowd inside the arena, though Aghyaev was also declared unfit to continue and was therefore unable to press ahead with his campaign.

A lengthy delay followed as the judges deliberated before they eventually agreed on the decision, forcing both men out of the tournament.

European bronze medallist Luigi Busa of Italy is due to face Thomas Scott of the United States in the gold medal bout tomorrow.

Men’s under 60kg world champion Douglas Brose of Brazil also suffered a shock defeat as he went down to battling Spaniard Matias Garcia Gomez.

The Spaniard could not capitalise on his success, however, as he lost to Firdovsi Farzaliyev of Azerbaijan, who will take on Ukraine’s Ihor Unich for the gold medal.

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France's Alexandra Recchia put home advantage to good use as she beat reigning world champion Serap Oczelik of Turkey ©Denis Boulanger/FFKDA

Turkey’s Serap Oczelik was another world champion to be knocked-out as she was comfortably beaten 2-0 by defending Paris Open champion Alexandra Recchia of France in the under 50kg weight category.

The Frenchwoman’s victory in one of the standout ties of the day provided the knowledgeable home crowd with something to celebrate.

They will be hoping she can secure a second straight title at the Karate1 Premier League opener when she meets Italy’s Silvia Sassano tomorrow.

Recchia’s compatriot Alizee Agier, the world under 68kg champion, could not follow suit, however, as she fell to a 4-1 loss at the hands of Switzerland’s Elena Quirci, silver medallist at the 2015 European Championships in Istanbul.

Quirci built on that surprise victory over one of France’s best hopes for a medal by progressing to the final, qualifying to meet Vassiliki Panetsidou of Greece.

Turkey’s Enes Erkan finally managed to buck the trend of early exit from world champions as the men’s over 84kg star, a bronze medallist here last year, safely negotiated the elimination round with a series of fine displays on the mat.

He will now clash with Azerbaijan's Shahin Atamov of Azerbaijan for the Paris Open crown after the 2013 World Combat Games gold medallist also impressed on his way to the gold medal bout.

Finals across all 10 men’s and women’s kumite weight categories, as well as the men’s and women’s individual and team kata gold medal matches, will bring the opening stop on the Karate1 Premier League calendar to a close.