Son is the highest ranked men’s player in Auckland and the world number nine enjoyed a comfortable start to the tournament by defeating New Zealand’s Xiao Yang.

The South Korean claimed the opening game 21-5 and remained equally dominant in the second, which he claimed 21-3 to wrap up the contest in just 18 minutes.

Japan’s Riichi Takeshita, who won his second New Zealand Open title in 2013, brushed aside Australia’s Anthony Joe in his opening tie of the tournament.

A difficult year has seen Japanese player drop to 135th in the world, but he showed signs that his form is improving again by sealing a 21-13, 21-12 victory.

“Anthony made it difficult for me because he is left-handed and his smash was good,” Takeshita said.

“This made the match a bit more difficult for me but I hope to be able to win this tournament for the third time but it will be tough.

“There is no extra pressure on me because of the past, the pressure is more for the players from China or Korea because they are much higher ranked.”

South Korea’s Lee Dong Keun, the third seed, defeated Australia’s Ashwant Gobinathan 21-5, 21-13 on a day when all the men’s matches were settled in straight sets.

The final day of qualification for the women’s tournament also took place, with New Zealand’s Kelly Stern among those advancing to the main draw.

She overcame her 14-year-old compatriot Tamara Otene 21-8, 10-21, 21-19 to progress, while fellow Kiwi Vicki Copeland defeated another local player in Catelyn Rozario 17-21, 21-14, 22-20.