Lee Cheuk Yiu competes against local hero Viktor Axelsen for a finals spot at the VICTOR Denmark Open 2021.#BWFWorldTour #DenmarkOpen2021 #RaiseARacket pic.twitter.com/2fwWS1pMs6
— BWF (@bwfmedia) October 23, 2021
Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3153481/denmark-open-lee-cheuk-yiu-comes-short-against-local-hero-viktor Hong Kong
Denmark Open: Lee Cheuk-yiu comes up short against local hero Viktor Axelsen
- No repeat of 2019 Hong Kong Open for world No 17 as Danish Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion sets up final with top seed Kento Momota
- Great day for Japan in Odense as Chinese shuttlers stumble, including shock defeat for mixed doubles pair Wang and Huang
Unseeded Lee Cheuk-yiu in action at the 2021 Denmark Open. Photo: Badminton Photo
Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk-yiu could not repeat his performance from the 2019 Hong Kong Open as he lost to Tokyo 2020 Olympic singles champion Viktor Axelsen at the Denmark Open.
The unseeded Lee had beaten the Danish superstar on his way to winning the Hong Kong tournament in their only previous meeting but he was never close to doing so again in Odense, where his resistance lasted a mere 34 minutes.
Local hero Axelsen beat the world No 17 in straight sets – 21-9, 21-11 – to move on to a final with top seed and world No 1 Kento Momota of Japan.
Momota, who was absent from the 2020 edition of the tournament, beat Tommy Sugiarto, also in straight sets – 21-7, 21-12.
It took just 38 minutes for the 2018 and 2019 Denmark Open champion to win against the unseeded Indonesian and move on to the final.
Momota’s win capped a good day all round for Japan at the World Tour Super 1000 event at Odense Sports Park.
Fourth seeds Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino beat Olympic mixed doubles champions Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping in their semi-final.
They came back from losing the first set to beat the Chinese duo – 16,21, 21-17, 21-17 – and move on to meet Thai second seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the final.
The Thais came back to beat third seeds and 2019 champions Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti of Indonesia in three sets.
Play of the Day | Semifinals | Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino take the opening match of the semifinals in spectacular fashion .#HSBCbadminton #BWFWorldTour #DenmarkOpen2021 pic.twitter.com/123CHkJ559
— BWF (@bwfmedia) October 24, 2021
Elsewhere, second seed Akane Yamaguchi beat Chinese sixth seed He Bingjiao in the women’s singles 23-21, 22-20.
The Chinese shuttler dropped game point in their opener and went on to lose five straight points to hand momentum to 2016 champion Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi will play fifth seed An Se-young of South Korea in the final, after she held on to best Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 21-13, 12-21, 21-16, while it will be Japan against hosts Denmark in the men’s doubles.
Kento Momota goes through to meet Viktor Axelsen for tomorrow’s final at the VICTOR Denmark Open 2021.#BWFWorldTour #DenmarkOpen2021 #RaiseARacket pic.twitter.com/ngzmQMDiK8
— BWF (@bwfmedia) October 23, 2021
Eighth seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen face the unseeded Japanese duo Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
China’s only hope of a title is in the women’s doubles where Huang Dongping and Zheng Yu play second seeds Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan of South Korea.
Huang and Zheng beat Thai fifth seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in their semi, while the South Korean duo beat compatriots and third seeds Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong.