14 July, 2023
Rory Easton and Zach Russ suffered a last 16 defeat at the 2023 YONEX US Open in Iowa.
The men’s doubles pair bowed out in a 21-16, 21-15 loss to Chinese Taipei’s Hsiang Chieh Chiu and Ming-Tse Yang in the second round.
Easton and Russ held their own throughout the 27-minute match but were unable to topple their opponents.
The Englishmen took an early lead in the opening game, going 10-8ahead before Chiu and Yang found their feet and surged ahead to take the first.
And despite a rallying effort halfway through in the second game, Easton and Russ fell to defeat.
The English duo had earlier beaten Ireland’s Joshua Magee and Paul Reynolds 24-22, 21-13 in the round of 32.
The two sides were locked in an intense first battle, with Easton and Russ narrowly coming out on top before cruising through the second game and taking the overall victory.
A second round appearance in Iowa saw the two go one step further than their recent first round loss at the YONEX Canada Open.
