Justin off to winning start in Macau
The world No. 45 was in control throughout as he brushed aside India's Sathish Kumar Karunakaran 21-12, 21-19 in the Super 300 tournament's opening round.
He now has a 2-1 head-to-head lead over the world No. 52, having also beaten the Indian at the Swiss Open in March.
It was a much-needed confidence booster for Justin, who has struggled for rhythm in recent months with three first-round exits in his last four World Tour starts.
The 21-year-old will look to go at least one step better than his last appearance in Macau, where he fell in the round of 16.
Standing in his way will be India's seventh seed Ayush Shetty — a familiar rival. The two are tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head, with Justin winning their most recent clash at the Thailand Open in May.
In the men's doubles, seasoned campaigners Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong continued to defy the odds, beating Taiwan's Lai Po Yu–Tsai Fu Cheng 21-18, 21-15 to check into the second round.
Azriyn, 32, and Wee Kiong, 36, a Rio Olympics silver medallist, have been on a decent run of form lately, having reached the quarter-finals of the Japan Open and the last 16 at the China Open last week.
Their recent surge also propelled them two spots up the world rankings to a career-high No. 23, making them the fourth-best ranked Malaysian pair.
In mixed doubles, national No. 2 Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin battled hard to overcome Indonesia's Bobby Setiabudi – Melati Daeva Oktavianti 21-14, 16-21, 21-17, while Wong Tien Ci – Lim Chiew Sien bowed out after going down 18-21, 21-11, 21-19 to China's Cheng Xing–Zhang Chi.
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