Viktor Axelsen opened up his 2019 with a straight game victory over Kazumasa Sakai (Japan) on day two of the Malaysian Masters.

The Dane romped to a 21-16, 21-5 over the World number 32 in the opening round in Kuala Lumpa as he continues his return from an ankle injury he suffered back in October.

The number five seed will fancy his chances of going far in this tournament especially after the shock exit from World number one Kento Momota. Momota bowed out at the first hurdle in Malaysia after defeat to his fellow countryman Kenta Nishimoto (Japan) 21-15, 14-21, 22-20 in one of the final matches of day two.

The win means that Axelsen will face his compatriot Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus tomorrow after his victory over Kanta Tsuneyama (Japan) 21-13,21-9 earlier today.

Leverdez just misses out

A valiant performance from Brice Leverdez was not enough to see him progress past the opening round in Malaysia.

The Frenchman battled for over an hour but eventually lost out to the number two seed Shi Yuqi, 21-9, 18-21, 25-23.

Leverdez who’s coming off a Semi-Final defeat in the Thailand Masters last week was a massive underdog for this clash but came up just short despite having two chances at game point.

Strong start for the Stoeva Sisters

Bulgaria’s Stoeva Sisters opened up their Malaysian Masters campaign with a comfortable win over Australia’s Setyana Mapasa and Gronya Somerville.

Gabriela and Stefani ran out 21-15, 21-18 winners over the Australian pair in their first competitive match of the new calendar year. They will face Korea’s Chang Ye Na and Jung Kyung Eun tomorrow.

The tournament in Malaysia continues tomorrow as we edge closer to finals day on Sunday.