Calgary: The 2023 Canada Open commenced with much excitement, drawing the attention of badminton enthusiasts across North America. However, Denmark’s top-ranked men’s singles player, Viktor Axelsen, made the decision to withdraw from the competition, citing the need for recovery and high-quality training following his recent participation in the Indonesia Open and European Games. Axelsen expressed his regret to Canadian badminton fans but assured them of his future return.
Below is Viktor Axelsen’s social media post about his withdrawal from Canada Open:
”
Hi guys.
I will unfortunately not to be going to Calgary for Canada Open as originally planned.
I’ve pushed my body over the last 4 weeks in order to get ready and perform at Indonesia Open and European Games and my body tells me that recovery followed be high quality training is what is needed over the next few weeks.
Sorry to the Canadian badminton fans – I’d wish I could just keep going and had been looking forward to compete in Calgary! But I’ll see you all next time and will be looking forward to going back to Canada soon 🙏”
Hi guys.
I will unfortunately not to be going to Calgary for Canada Open as originally planned.I’ve pushed my body over the last 4 weeks in order to get ready and perform at Indonesia Open and European Games and my body tells me that recovery followed be high quality training…
— Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) July 3, 2023
With Axelsen’s absence, the men’s singles category now presents an open field for other talented players to seize the opportunity. Competitors such as the second-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand, the third and fourth-seeded Kodai Naraoka and Kenta Nishimoto from Japan, the fifth-seeded Li Shifeng from China, and even the unseeded Kenta Momota from Japan are all eyeing the men’s singles title.
On the tournament’s opening day, only a few matches took place, primarily in the men’s and women’s doubles divisions. The top-seeded pair of Takuro Hoki/ugo Kobayashi delivered an impressive performance, defeating Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, ranked 55th in the world, with a commanding score of 21-14, 21-13 in just 31 minutes. They now look forward to facing the twin duo of Lee Fang-Chih and Lee Fang-Jen from Chinese Taipei.
Several highly ranked men’s doubles pairs also advanced in the tournament, including the third-seeded duo Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen from Denmark, the fifth-seeded Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin from Chinese Taipei, the sixth-seeded Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan, and the seventh-seeded pair of Akira Koga and Taichi Saito from Japan.
However, not all top-seeded pairs had a smooth start in the men’s and women’s doubles categories. The eighth-seeded men’s pair of Ayato Endo and Yuta Takei from Japan faced an unexpected defeat against Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei from Chinese Taipei, with a score of 12-21, 21-19, 16-21.
In the women’s doubles division, the eighth-seeded Japanese pair of Rui Hirokami and Yuna Kato also experienced a loss in the first round. They were defeated by Hsu Ya Ching and Lin Wan Chin from Chinese Taipei, ranked 34th in the world, with a score of 14-21, 16-21.
Amidst the action, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi made their mark by advancing to the second round of the 2023 Canada Open, demonstrating their skill and determination.
As the tournament progresses, spectators eagerly await the performances of talented athletes vying for success in various categories.
