Fifth seed Srikanth Kidambi of India was the most notable casualty in the first round of the men’s singles draw as action continued today at the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan in China ©Getty Images

Fifth seed Srikanth Kidambi of India was the most notable casualty in the first round of the men’s singles as action continued today at the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan in China.

Kidambi lost 16-21, 20-22 to Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, the world number 51, in a match that lasted 44 minutes at Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium.

Rhustavito’s reward is a second-round meeting with Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh, who battled back to beat Macau’s Pui Pang Fong 21-23, 21-11, 21-9.

The two other seeded players to crash out of the men’s singles at the first hurdle were sixth-ranked Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and eighth-ranked Jonatan Christie, both from Indonesia.

Ginting suffered an 18-21, 21-18, 23-25 loss against Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus, while Christie fell to a 21-18, 19-21, 10-21 defeat at the hands of Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto.

Elsewhere, top seed and defending champion Kento Momota overcame South Korea’s Lee Dong-keun 21-18, 21-17.

Second seed Shi Yuqi of China also won in straight sets, beating Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew 21-12, 21-13.

South Korea's Sung Ji-hyun was the only seeded player in the women's singles draw to suffer elimination today ©Getty Images
South Korea's Sung Ji-hyun was the only seeded player in the women's singles draw to suffer elimination today ©Getty Images

The only seeded player to be knocked out of the women's singles draw was eighth-ranked Sung Ji-hyun of South Korea.

She lost 15-21, 21-16, 19-21 against China's Cai Yanyan.

Top seed Chen Yufei of China comfortably beat Vietnam's Thi Trang Vu 21-8, 21-12, while second seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan defeated South Korea's Kim Hyo-min 21-12, 21-17.

Action in Wuhan is due to continue tomorrow.

The finals are scheduled for Sunday (April 28).