New Delhi: Two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen narrowly avoids a first-round exit as he defeats Taiwan’s Chi Yu Jen at the India Open (A Super 750 Tournament).
Axelsen, fifth in the world, struggled early in his first-ever encounter with World No. 31 Chi, who had taken game one 21-16. However, later down the line Axelsen regained control to secure the next two games 21-11, 21-13, advancing to the second round.
Highlights of Viktor Axelsen vs. Chi Yu Jen in the 2025 India Open first round:
Now, Axelsen will face Singapore’s Jason Teh Jia Heng, who defeated Takuma Obayashi of Japan 21-16, 21-16 in the first round.
Looking at the rest of the tournament, we see former world champion Loh Kean Yew who continued his strong showing by beating Taiwan’s Lee Chia Hao 21-15, 22-22, marking his second consecutive win over Lee. Now, Loh will face Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, who had bested India’s Priyanshu Rajawat in a hard-fought match 21-16, 20-22, 21-13.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Su Li Yang beat India’s HS Prannoy 16-21, 21-18, 21-12 to advance and France’s Christo Popov upset China’s Lei Lanxi 21-15, 21-18 as their head-to-head record grows to 2-3. Furthermore, Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie cruised past Taiwan’s Wang Tzu Wei 21-18, 21-15, while India’s Lakshya Sen fell to Taiwan’s Lin Chun Yi in straight sets, 15-21, 10-21 (his second consecutive first-round exit).
In women’s singles, reigning Olympic champion An Se-young opens with a strong performance over Taiwan’s Chiu Pin-Chian 22-20, 21-15, marking An’s 9th consecutive win over Chiu.
Fresh off her Malaysia Open title defense last week, An looks to claim back-to-back titles. As the otp seed and defending champion at the India Open, An will now face Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the next round-a rematch of last week’s Malaysia Open semifinal. An holds a dominant 9-1 head-to-head record against Ratchanok (including nine consecutive wins).
More on Women’s Singles, we see Japan’s rising star, 18-year-old Tomoko Miyazaki, continuing her impressive run by defeating Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong 21-5, 22-24, 21-9, who was in the semifinals at the Malaysia Open last week. Now, Miyazaki earns herself a spot in the Round of 16.
China’s Han Yue and Gao Fangjie also advanced, overcoming India’s Malvika Banson 20-22, 21-16, 21-11 and Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang Ti 18-21, 21-13, 21-14, respectively.
