Daren, the French Open champion and quarter-finalist of last year's All England, was ousted in the first round, losing 21-15, 19-21, 21-11 to China's World No 5 Chen Jin in 65 minutes.
But credit has to be given to Daren for his outstanding display in the second game as the Malaysian fought back 18-19 down and earned three straight points to force a third game.
Daren, who is the second highest ranked local player after World No 1 Lee Chong Wei, showed great fighting qualities but lacked the touches to finish off his experienced opponent.
Wei Feng, who achieved his career-high ranking of 17 on Feb 21, was no match for Danish shuttler Jan O Jorgensen as the World No 10 won 21-11, 21-14 in under one-hour.
Taufik, the former Olympic and world champion, who will retire after the Indonesia Open later this year, struggled as he was comprehensively beaten 21-16, 21-11 by Japan's Sho Sasaki.
The Indonesian had wanted to make an impact on the tournament in his last appearance but was no match for his opponent. Taufik has never won in Birmingham, reaching the final twice in 1999 and 2000.
National singles coach Rashid Sidek said Daren should have done better while Wei Feng played below-par yesterday.
"Daren was not patient at times but showed nerves of steel to win the second game. His opponent, Chen Jin used all his experience to subdue him in the third game," said Rashid yesterday.
"As for Wei Feng, the shuttler could not handle the fast attacking game of Jorgensen. He tried to play longer rallies but the Dane was well-prepared to handle the situation."
A disappointed Wei Feng, a semi-finalist in the Taiwan Open and the China Open, had wanted to prove his mettle as an upcoming shuttler.
"I could not find my rhythm throughout the match. I really wanted to go beyond the first round here but Jorgensen was just too good today (yesterday)," he said.
Independent shuttler Tan Chun Seang, who defeated German Dieter Domke and former world junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli in the qualifiers on Tuesday, lost 21-12-15-21, 21-15 to eighth seed Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam.
Chong Wei, meanwhile, has a clear path to the final following the surprise defeat of third seed Du Pengyu.
The two-time champion was drawn to meet the World No 3 in the semi-finals but the Chinese shuttler lost 21-17, 10-21, 21-18 to unseeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen while Olympic women singles champion Li Xuerui was also ousted in the first round.
Courtesy of New Straits Times
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