Viktor Axelsen of Denmark competes during the men's singles round of 16 match between Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Alex Lanier of France at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Chu Yan/Xinhua)
SHENZHEN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark made an early exit from the 2025 BWF China Masters, losing 20-22, 21-15, 21-13 to France's seventh seed Alex Lanier in the second round on Thursday.
"I didn't have high expectations of myself, since my body is recovering rather slowly," Axelsen said.
"I'm not in pain, just extremely tired. Two consecutive days of three-game matches have drained me physically," he added.
China's Olympic champion Chen Yufei continued her confident return from injury, defeating Denmark's Line Christophersen 21-18, 21-10. "My foot felt better than I expected, so I was able to move more freely and focus on executing my tactics," Chen said. Second seed Wang Zhiyi of China also advanced, beating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-15, 23-21.
World No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea progressed to the quarterfinals after defeating Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt in straight games.
In the men's singles, Thailand's third seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn overcame China's Lu Guangzu 22-20, 21-17. "I'm really happy. It was an exciting match, and my opponent Lu is a great player," Vitidsarn said. "I still need to learn more from top players, and I will do my best in every match."
China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang suffered a setback in the men's doubles, falling 16-21, 21-15, 21-18 to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri despite a strong start. Their compatriots Ren Xiangyu and Xie Haonan rallied to beat Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 15-21, 21-12, 21-9.
"We need to reduce simple unforced errors, especially at crucial points," Liang said.
In the women's doubles, Chinese pairs Jia Yifan/Zhang Shuxian and Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning advanced with straight-game wins. In mixed doubles, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping came from behind to defeat their opponents 16-21, 21-7, 21-10, while Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin and Guo Xinwa/Chen Fanghui also secured comfortable victories. ■
Alex Lanier of France competes during the men's singles round of 16 match between Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Alex Lanier of France at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Chu Yan/Xinhua)
Viktor Axelsen of Denmark competes during the men's singles round of 16 match between Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Alex Lanier of France at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Chu Yan/Xinhua)
Alex Lanier of France reacts during the men's singles round of 16 match between Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Alex Lanier of France at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Chu Yan/Xinhua)
Viktor Axelsen of Denmark competes during the men's singles round of 16 match between Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Alex Lanier of France at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Chu Yan/Xinhua)
