The second day of the VICTOR Hong Kong Open had some important wins and big upsets in store for European players.
The path to recovery from an injury and surgery is never easy but Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss is showing that he’s on the right path to being in great shape as he has secured two huge wins. It was a tough match against Hong Kong’s Chow Hin Long and Lui Chun Wai, but Lamsfuss and his men’s doubles partner Marvin Seidel have secured the win in three games, 23-25, 21-15, 21-13.
In mixed doubles, Lamsfuss and Isabel Lohau have defeated third seeds Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek, 26-24 21-12. We had yet another big European showdown between Anders Antonsen and Toma Junior Popov. It was a close first game, but the Dane got to dominate and take the win, 26-24, 21-17.
Magnus Johannesen continues with his prominent fights in the World Tour. After his big result in the Orléans Masters as runner-up and having reached the quarterfinals in the Madrid Masters and Canada Open most recently, the Dane marches on in the Hong Kong Open with a win against Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, 21-11 21-14.
Christo Popov has also secured an important result by winning against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, 12-21, 21-17, 21-13. He will also be facing tough opposition in the upcoming match — Popov will play against Kenta Nishimoto for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Some of the top players have suffered tough defeats today. Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje, fifth seeds, are out after losing against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Lin Xiao Min, 16-21, 23-21, 21-23.
The biggest upset came from the match between top seed Viktor Axelsen and Chia Hao Lee, Chinese Taipei. After his important title win at the China Open just some days ago, the Dane fell short in his first round match in Hong Kong, losing in straight games to his opponent, 16-21 10-21.
Tomorrow, the action starts again at the Hong Kong Open at 3am (CEST) with the second round, where players will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals. You can watch it live on
BWF TV.