New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn crashed out of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament in a day of upsets here on Thursday.

The 22-year-old defending champion, who has struggled to cope with expectations following his World Championship feat, was edged out 21-16 20-22 21-23 by Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in a second-round match that lasted an hour and 22 minutes.

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It was also curtains for All England champion Li Shi Feng after unseeded Japanese Koki Watanabe outwitted the third seeded Chinese 32-24 13-21 21-9 in a 71-minute clash.

"Today it wasn't a good performance from me. The last game there was pressure and I couldn't control things. The opponent played well and I need to learn again from every tournament," said world no. 8 Kunlavut.

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"I am getting better but I am not yet good enough. I still feel the pressure in the game and sometimes I'm not in control. He was good in his attack and was fast. I need to focus on myself, without thinking about others."

"Every player is fast and strong so I need to train hard and get more fit."

Talking about the upset win, World No. 18 Lee said: "I am happy and excited a bit to beat him. I have lost some tough matches and I always tried to get stronger and better.

"Now every player has a chance to beat top players. The Olympic is coming soon so that is the final target."

Koki Watanabe vs Li Shi Feng

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Watanabe came into the match with a 1-3 deficit but dished out a superb performance to outwit the Chinese.

"I was playing well but I got tired a bit in the second game but once I was back on the winning court, I stepped up the pace and looked at placements as my opponent is a tall guy," said Watanabe, who started playing the sport at the age of five after being influenced by his elder sister who was also a player. PTI

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