Badminton News: The retirement of world number one Viktor Axelsen from the Indonesia Masters World Tour Super 500 tournament has expanded the men’s singles competition.

The Dane, who won the Malaysian Open and recently finished runner-up at the Indian Open, announced via Twitter yesterday that he had decided to skip the encounter which started today in Jakarta.

“I can’t wait to play Istora in front of the amazing Indonesian fans as usual, but my body isn’t ready for another week of competition,” Axelsen tweeted.

The Dane is fresh off his 13-game winning streak which ended with Thailand’s world No. ‘Indian Open Sunday.

It was Kunlavut’s first victory over Axelsen after losing their previous six encounters in consecutive matches, including last year’s World Championship final in Tokyo.

The loss coupled with Axelsen’s decision to withdraw from the Indonesian Masters gave his rival new hope.

The main beneficiary of his absence could be world No. 3 and local favorite Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, who is set to face Axelsen in the quarter-finals.

Other players now eyeing the title are Kunlavut, co-hosts Jonatan Christie (#4), Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan (#5), Kodai Naraoka of Japan (#6) and Loh Kean Yew of Singapore (#4). 7). ).

Meanwhile, independent player and world No. 2 Lee Zii Jia must step up his game for any chance of going far after being knocked out in the early rounds of the Malaysian Open and Indian Open 2023.

Zii Jia competed in qualifying in the first round. If he wins, he will face Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long and will likely meet Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the quarter-finals.

Ng Tze Yong will open his campaign against Danish veteran and world number 34 Hans-Kristian Vitthinghus in their first match on the international stage.

Article tags: Victor Axelsen, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Indonesia Masters 2023

Published by Ligaolahraga.com at https://www.ligaolahraga.com/badminton/viktor-axelsen-mundur-persaingan-indonesia-masters-kian-terbuka