BWF Japan Open 2023: Axelsen and Christie through to men's quarters, Chen Yufei suffers shock exit in women's singles
The two Olympic singles champions encounter different fates at the Japan Open in Tokyo, with men's gold medalist Axelsen reaching the last eight but women's champ Chen losing to Zhang Beiwen.
Badminton
World and Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen is safely through to the quarter-finals at the BWF Japan Open 2023 in Tokyo.
The men's singles top seed defeated Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21–19, 21–10 on Thursday (27 July) as he continues a strong injury comeback.
Denmark's Axelsen will next face Indian eighth seed H.S. Prannoy, who eliminated compatriot and former world number one Kidambi Srikanth, in the quarter-finals.
Also through to the last eight are Axelsen's fellow seeded players Naraoka Kodai and Shi Yuqi, who will face off in the next round, as well as Indonesia's Jonatan Christie and Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Christie set up a clash against world number three Kunlavut with a 21–15, 21–14 victory over People's Republic of China's Weng Hongyang.
Kunlavut, meanwhile, took down Japan's Nishimoto Kenta to set up a tasty Southeast Asian clash.
There was a huge surprise in the women's singles draw as Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China suffered a shock elimination.
USA shuttler Beiwen Zhang took out the third seed 21–17, 24–22 – the biggest name to fall on Thursday.
Zhang is the only unseeded player to reach the last eight, with the other seven seeds all having safely negotiated passage through to the quarter-finals.