Olympic champion Chen bows out of French Open

Olympic champion Chen Long experienced a disappointing loss as he was beaten by Anders Antonsen in round 16 at the BWF World Superseries French Open here.

Chen got the upper hand in the opening game and won 21-15. However, Antonsen, who eliminated Chen's teammate Huang Yuxiang on Wednesday, led 5-0 early in the second, before finishing the game at 21-16 on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Chen built a 6-3 lead into the decider, only to concede three points in a row for a 6-all. He saved three match points but Antonsen secured his place in last eight at 21-16.

"I played aggressively and patiently in the first game. He played quite well at the start of the second game, and when I got back the game at 14-12, I didn't take that chance, which was a turning point of the match," Chen said.

"Also for the decider, when I led 6-3, maybe I played too cautiously," he added.

After finishing on podium at the World Championships in Glasgow, Chen was upset in consecutive tournaments, including his first round exit at China's National Games and the Denmark Open last week.

"I'm not in a good form now, just since the World Championships," admitted Chen, while looking at his poor performance in recent weeks from a positive view.

"Every time when you touch the bottom, it seems that you can expect to bounce back from it. I need to accept it," he said.

--IANS

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