Former champion Sourabh Verma made a positive start at the USD 500,000 Chinese Taipei Open, progressing to the second round with a straight-game win over Japan's Kazumasa Sakai in men's singles here on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, the reigning national champion, overcame world number 44 Sakai 22-20 21-13 in 38 minutes to set up a likely clash with top seed and local favourite Chou Tien Chen in the second round.