Denmark Open: China’s ‘disappointed’ top seeds Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan pull out of women’s doubles
- Chinese pair retire at 5-1 down in opening set of first round against Danish duo Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn in Odense
- Huang Dongping progresses in women’s and mixed doubles, as Du Yue returns to action after skipping Uber Cup
Chinese badminton hopes suffered an early blow at the Denmark Open, as women’s doubles top seeds Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan retired from their first-round match on Tuesday.
Chen had suffered an injury during the final of the Uber Cup at the weekend, where China beat Japan to reclaim the women’s team title.
Danish duo Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn had been leading 5-1 in the opening set in Odense against the Chinese pair, who admitted their disappointment at such a quick exit.
“We are here because we hoped to have a try, but if we cannot play 100 per cent, we‘d rather quit,” Jia was quoted as saying by Chinese state news agency Xinhua. “We don’t want to force ourselves to make things worse.”
It was not all bad news for the Chinese contingent in Odense, though, with Huang Dongping continuing the remarkable run of form that has seen her win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Sudirman Cup, and the Uber Cup.