Men’s singles world number one Viktor Axelsen progressed to the quarter finals of the Japan Open after a well fought win over Japan’s Kenta Nishimento 21-13, 21-17.

With the Tokyo audience trying the best for their home player to cause the biggest of upsets, Axelsen showed great fight to prevail in straight sets.

It was a much tougher outing for Spain’s Carolina Marin in her three-set win over Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong. Despite quickly taking the first set, Chochuwong responded well by taking a tight second set. However,the deciding set showed Marin’s prowess return and swiftly adverted any chance of the under-dog taking down the Olympic champion. Marin moves into the quarter-finals winning 21-11, 21-23, 21-11.

The only other European win came in the women’s doubles, as Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva continue their momentum after making quick work of American pair Emily Kan and Isabel Zhong 21-11, 21-7. That win brings them one step closer to a fourth title of 2018.

See also: Siblings succeed in Sofia

Seeds fall

Even with a few European victories, there were some disappointing defeats for our seeded players. The most notable being Denmark’s men’s doubles fifth seeds Mathia Boe and Carsten Mogensen.

After winning a tight and entertaining first round yesterday, they lost a one set lead and fell 14-21, 21-17, 21-12 to Dutch unseeded pair Jelle Maas and Robin Tabeling.

The Danish pair looking strong and solid after securing the first set. But it was their opponents that reacted best, as Maas and Tabeling moved into a comfortable 13-8 lead. Once Boe and Mogensen regrouped, clawed back the deficit, many people were expecting this match to be over.

But when it got to 17-17 it was the unseeded pair that recaptured their momentum and win the next four points to take the match to a decider.

After an early exchanged of leads, Maas and Tabeling produced a strong finish and completed a well-deserved upset.

Elsewhere in the men’s doubles, Danish eighth seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen slipped up in their 21-16, 21-15 defeat to Chinese Taipei pair Chen Hung Ling and Wang Chi-Lin.

After edging the opening set, Astrup and Rasmussen looked set to win the second set after moving into a commanding 11-5 lead. But that lead was quickly turned over as that was the end for Astrup and Rasmussen’s campaign.

It was a similar story for English pair Chris and Gabrielle Adcock in the mixed doubles, as the seventh seeds could not quite hold their nerve in their 23-21, 21-18 defeat to Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti. With both pairs looking strong in the first set, it was all about winning the crucial points. Making the most of that were Jordan and Oktavianti who narrowly took the first set. But in the second set, it saw the Adcock’s show their experience and ranking to be on the verge of levelling the match.

Sadly, the English pair barely won a few points after that,the lead was then lost as well as the match.

See also: Boe and Mogensen edge opening-round thriller

Also making a departure were Dane’s Rasmus Gemke in the men’s singles and women’s doubles pair Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen.

Gemke fell 21-16, 21-18 to Japanese number one and tournaments third seed Kento Momota. After comfortably losing the first set,Gemke fought back well in what was a tight second set. But despite momentarily taking the lead, Momota showed his strength and sealed the straight sets win.

Another Danish defeat against Japanese competitors were Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen in the women’s doubles. A slow start in both sets against the tournaments eighth seeds gave Fruergaard and Thygesen a tough hill to climb and eventually exited the tournament in straight sets 21-17, 21-13.

For a full list of the draws and results, click here.