Badminton: Big scalp for Shirley

New Zealand's Daniel Shirley helped claim a significant badminton scalp at the Japan Open in Tokyo last night.

Shirley and his partner Joanne Quay, of Malaysia, beat Denmark's world No 5 pairing of Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 21-16 21-15 in the first round of the US$180,000 ($276,410) tournament.

It is just the third tournament outing for Shirley and Quay.

Shirley had been considering his career options following the retirement of his New Zealand mixed doubles partner, Sara Runesten Petersen, who he partnered to a Commonwealth Games silver medal in Melbourne in March.

Quay is a former world junior mixed doubles champion.

She and Shirley combined for the first time last month in the Hong Kong Open where they reached the quarterfinals.

They then comfortably won the Australian International title.

- NZPA