Ling Ching shocks fourth seed, Justin flops at Canada Open
World No. 43 Justin, touted as Malaysia's next big hope in men's singles, fell to Taiwan's world No. 71 Wang Po Wei 25-23, 21-10 in the opening round, a result that underlined growing concerns over his inconsistency on World Tour.
World No. 87 Ling Ching produced a stunning comeback to shock fourth seed and world No. 31 Line Christophersen of Denmark 12-21, 21-18, 21-18, marking one of the biggest wins of her career and sending her into the second round of the women's singles.
Justin was one of four Malaysians handpicked to compete in the back-to-back North American Super 300 tournaments, with many top contenders opting to skip the swing.
But the 21-year-old failed to capitalise, having only reached the second round of the US Open last week.
Against Po Wei, Justin held the upper hand in the first game and led 19-16, even holding game point at 21-20 and 22-21 but failed to close it out.
The missed opportunity appeared to affect his morale, and he faded in the second game.
To lose in such fashion, especially to a lower-ranked opponent in a favourable draw, is a wake-up call for the former junior world No. 1.
In contrast, 21-year-old Ling Ching showed grit and composure to come back from a game down to take out Christophersen - a former European Championhips' silver medallist and a regular on the World Tour.
The win sends a strong signal of her potential at the senior level.
At the US Open, Ling Ching had also defeated world No. 32 Hsu Wen Chi of Taiwan in the first round.
Elsewhere, world No. 98 Eogene Ewe received a walkover from Japan's world No. 40 Takuma Obayashi and will face Germany's world No. 81 Matthias Kicklitz next.
The 20-year-old is bidding to reach his second World Tour quarter-final after the Vietnam Open Super 100 last year.
K. Letshanaa also continued her solid form by brushing aside American Ishika Jaiswal 21-13, 21-5.
The 21-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 45 this week, will take on India's Shriyanshi Valishetty in the second round as she eyes back-to-back quarter-final appearances.
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