His status as world No. 16 does not spare him from complicated draws and Alex Lanier noticed this at the Kumamoto Masters, a Super 500 category tournament which is being held this week in the south of Japan. The Frenchman had inherited a big number with Li Shi Feng (world No. 9) and the Chinese did not lie to the hierarchy.
Lanier pocketed the first round but could not continue his momentum. Dominated by the Chinese (19-21, 21-6, 21-13), he did not have a happy reunion with Japan, where he won the Super 750 tournament in August. Two Frenchmen will still compete in the round of 16 in Kumamoto since the Popov brothers did not give up in the first round, in line with their joint final at the Hylo Open.
