'It was a warm-up match for me because the opponent was not so tough. But next match will be a tough one. I felt comfortable on the court today,' the Hyderabad-based shuttler said.

But it was Bhat's match that left the supporters disappointed. It was a see-saw contest and Bhat fought back strongly in the second game. The Indian also made a remarkable comeback in the third game from 4-11 down after the change of ends.

Bhat said: 'You can attack more from one side of the court. In the first game he attacked from the same side and then I won the second game. I shifted to attacking mode after the change of ends, but some errors crept in at crucial moments.'

Bhat even saved three match points, but lost his sole match point opportunity to go down in an hour long match.

A visibly upset Bhat threw down the racquet after the match. It was third time unlucky for Bhat against Hsien Hsieh.

'I deserved to win. I was feeling good about the match. This is the third time I am losing to him in a close battle. He is beatable and I was well-prepared for this match. I played safe in the last few points and that perhaps made the difference,' Bhat said.