Hong Kong — Two of badminton’s biggest names, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, made early exits at the 2025 Hong Kong Open, shocking fans and reshuffling expectations for the tournament.
Highlights of Viktor Axelsen vs. Kodai Naraoka in the 2025 Hong Kong Open 1st round:
Returning to action after nearly six months sidelined by back surgery, former World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen looked out of rhythm in his opening match. The reigning Olympic gold medalist fell 15–21, 7–21 to Japan’s fifth seed Kodai Naraoka in just 37 minutes. Despite holding a 6–0 head-to-head advantage over Naraoka prior to this encounter, the Danish star struggled to regain momentum and fitness after his layoff.
“I’m still adjusting to the intensity of match play,” Axelsen told reporters. “The good news is, I didn’t feel any pain physically, which is encouraging moving forward.”
Meanwhile, in an all-Malaysian showdown, 23rd-ranked Leong Jun Hao delivered the performance of his career by defeating former Malaysian No. 1 Lee Zii Jia 21–16, 21–16. The convincing straight-game victory marks Leong’s first win over Lee in four attempts.
Leong will now face fellow Malaysian youngster Justin Hoh, who also advanced by beating France’s Thomas Popov 21–12, 21–17 in another impressive showing. Their matchup guarantees Malaysia at least one men’s singles quarterfinalist.
Malaysia’s strong start continued as independent shuttler Aidil Sholeh also advanced to the Round of 16. Aidil overcame a slow start to defeat Taiwan’s Chi Yu-Jen 15–21, 21–18, 21–15. He next faces French sixth seed Christo Popov, who edged out Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting in a thriller.
Elsewhere, Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen and China’s Li Shifeng both won convincingly in their respective matches. Former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore also cruised through, while Hong Kong’s top hopes Ng Ka Long and Lee Cheuk Yiu were both eliminated, leaving the host nation without a men’s singles contender.
In women’s singles, Malaysia’s Letshanaa Karupathevan fell short in her opener, losing 22–24, 16–21 to Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang. The former world champion P.V. Sindhu of India also suffered a surprising defeat to Denmark’s Line Christophersen, while top seeds Wang Zhiyi (China), Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Thailand), and Ratchanok Intanon safely progressed.
