Two of the current big names in badminton in Denmark suffered shock first
round defeats in the USD700,000 Yonex Denmark Open Superseries Premier in Odense on Wednesday.
Third seed Jan O Jorgensen saw only 57 minutes of action against Chinese youngster Shi Yuqi who won 21-16, 19-21, 21-14 while Australian Open winner Hans-Kristian Vittinghus fared no better in his first round against another Asian ace Son Wan-ho of Korea. Vittinghus suffered a straight sets 16-21, 15-21 in 45 minutes.
Asian shuttlers once again showed their might in the Superseries with world No 1 and top seed Lee Chong Wei moving into the second round although he was taken the full distance by Hong Kong Wei Nan before coming back from a set down in his 16-21, 21-19, 21-11.
Chong Wei, probably playing his last Denmark Open, took an hour in his victory – the same time as Denmark's hope Viktor Axelsen's 21-14, 22-24, 21-10 win over Korean youngster Jeon Hyeok-Jin.
Both, Chong Wei and Axelsen won medals in the Rio Olympics. The Malaysian won the silver while the lanky Dane took the bronze in the men's singles.
Denmark also suffered a first round defeat in the women's singles when Line Kjaersfeldt was beaten by China-born United States player Zhang Beiwen. Beiwen won 21-11, 21-16 on a day when top seed and world No 1 Carolina Marin struggled.
The Spaniard had to use all her experience to oust Denmark's newcomer Julie Dawall Jakobsen with a 21-13, 16-21, 24-22 win in 53 minutes.
No 3 seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan outplayed Hong Kong's Yip Pui Yin 21-11, 24-22 while No 4 Sung Ji-hyun breezed past Singapore's China-born Liang Xiaoyu 21-11, 21-15.
Also through to the next round are No 5 seed Tai Tzu Ying (Image above) of Taiwan who was too good for Bukgaria's Linda Zetchiri 21-16, 21-11 while No 7 seed Sun Yu of China stopped Korean Kim Hyo-min 21-9, 21-14.
Two Thai women player Porntip Buranaprasertsuk and Busanan Ongbamrungphan cleared their first round hurldles in straight sets. Porntip was an easy 21-12, 21-15 winner over Taiwan's Hsu Ya Ching while Busanan outplayed Russia's Ksenia Polikarpova 21-7, 21-14.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS (Selected)
Men's singles
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Wei Nan (Hkg) 16-21, 21-19, 21-11
Viktor Axelsen (Den) beat Jeon Hyeon-jin (Kor) 21-14, 22-24, 21-10
Shi Yuqi (Chn) beat Jan O Jorgsensen (Den) 21-16, 19-21, 21-14
Tian Houwei (Chn) beat Pablo Aiman (Spn) 21-13, 21-15
Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) beat Hu Yun (Hkg) 22-20, 21-5
Son Wan-ho (Kor) beat Hans-Kristian Vitinghus (Den) 21-16, 21-15
Marc Zwiebler (Ger) Qian Bin (Chn) 17-21, 21-18, 21-19
Anders Antonsen (Den) beat Hsu Jen Hao (Tpe) 21-10, 21-13
Vincent Wong Wing Ki (Hkg) Khoset Phetpradap (Tha) 21-14, 21-11
Rajiv Ouseph (Eng) beat Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) 21-18, 17-21, 21-17
Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) beat Lucas Claerbout (Fra) 23-21, 21-8
H. S. Prannoy (Ind) beat Chong Wei Feng (Mas) 21-13, 19-21, 22-20
Lee Hyun-II (Kor) beat Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) 14-21, 21-15, 21-15
Brice Leverdez (Fra) beat Zulfadli Zulkifli (Mas) 20-22, 21-12, 21-14
Ajay Jayaram (Ind) beat Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) 21-15, 21-16
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (Tha) B. Sai Praneeth (Ind) 21-17, 19-21, 21-15
Women's singles
Carolina Marin (Spn) beat Julie Dawall Jakobsen (Den) 21-13, 14-021, 24-22
Sayaka Sato (Jpn) beat Natalia Koch Rohde (Den) 20-22, 21-16, 21-13
Minatsu Mitani (Jpn) beat Kristina Gavenholt (Cze) 21-9, 21-11
Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Tha) beat Hsu Ya Ching (Tpe) 21-12, 21-5
Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) beat Ksenia Polikarpova (Rus) 21-7, 21-14
Kim Na-young (Kor) beat Kate Foo Kune (Mrs) 21-17, 21-19
Sun Yu (Chn) beat Kim Hyo-min (Kor) 21-9, 21-14
Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) beat Yip Pui Yin (Hkg) 21-11, 24-22
Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) beat Nitchaon Jindapol (Tha) 21-18, 21-23, 21-17
Zhang Beiwen (USA) beat Line Kjaersfeldt (Den) 21-11, 21-16
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat Linda Zetchiri (Bul) 21-16, 21-11
Sung Ji-hyun (Kor) beat Liang Xiaoyu (Sin) 21-11, 21-15
