The VICTOR China Open 2024 has kicked off with some tough first-round battles.
France's Christo Popov gave it his all in a nail-biting match against Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei, pushing it to three games before narrowly missing out on a win, 14-21, 21-12, 19-21. Christo, alongside his brother Toma, faced an early exit in men’s doubles.
Other European contenders like Mia Blichfeldt and the Ukrainian pair Oleksii Titov/Yevheniia Kantemyr also concluded their Super 1000 journey prematurely.
On a brighter note, the day also brought some uplifting victories. Dane Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt, coming off a strong quarterfinal finish in Hong Kong last week, started her China campaign with a straightforward win.
The doubles events saw some successes for Europeans; England’s Ben Lane / Sean Vendy overcame Malaysia’s Low Hang Yee / Ng Eng Cheong in a thrilling three-gamer, 18-21, 21-19, 21-15. Likewise, the Danish pairs of Mads Vestergaard / Christine Busch and the eighth seeds Rasmus Kjær/ Frederik Søgaard, as well as the Ukrainian duo of Polina Buhrova/ Yevheniia Kantemyr have all secured wins.
High stakes in tomorrow's China Open matchups
There’s plenty more action coming tomorrow. Viktor Axelsen will rematch Lei Lan Xi, whom he defeated in the recent Hong Kong final. Other matches to look forward to include Kim Astrup/ Anders Skaarup Rasmussen seeking redemption after their early exit in Hong Kong, and Toma Junior Popov back in singles play after today’s exit in the men’s doubles.
Additionally, Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour returns to the court for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympics, adding an element of anticipation to the matches to come on the second day at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou, China.
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