Odense: The Yonex Denmark Open Super Series Premier badminton tournament kicked off on Tuesday at the Sports Park in Odense, central Denmark. World number one Lee Chong Wei has withdrawn from the tournament as he seeks to recover from a hectic schedule. Japan’s world number four Kenichi Tago has also pulled out due to injury.
The tournament, offering 600,000 U.S. dollars in prize, has attracted 284 players from all around the world.
Local hero Viktor Axelsen will face the ominous task of meeting defending champion Chen Long in the first round of the men’s singles; meanwhile, Lin Dan of China will take on Chou Tien Chen in the first round, and will face the other Danish hopeful, Jan O Jorgensen in the second round.
Defending women’s singles champion Wang Yihan as well as women’s singles top seed Li Xuerui will have a challenging road to the final. They would need to fend off threats from Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu of India, and a possible showdown with reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain before securing a spot in the final.
