Liam Pitchford and his partner Jonathan Groth were edged out in the first preliminary round of the China Open Men’s Doubles today.
Pitchford and his Danish partner were up against Portuguese duo Tiago Apolonia & Joao Monteiro and twice led before being beaten in a deciding game as their opponent won three points in a row from 8-8.
Pitchford is seeded 15th in the Men’s Singles, with every player in the world’s top 16 present in Shenzhen. He will begin his campaign in the round of 32 on Thursday, against Zhou Qihao of China, the world No 63.
The match on table 2 will be streamed live at 9.55am UK time on Thursday. Click here to watch.
The winner is likely to face Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.
Result
Men’s Doubles
Preliminary Round 1
Tiago Apolonia & Joao Monteiro (POR) bt Liam Pitchford (ENG) & Jonathan Groth (DEN) 3-2 (7-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8)