Top seed Viktor Axelsen withdraws from Singapore Badminton Open, cites fatigue!
(Loh Kean Yew and Victor Axelsen training in Dubai in Sep 2021. Photo Credit : Kean Yew)
5 July 2022 - World No.1 and top seed for the Singapore Badminton Open 2022, (SBO) Viktor Axelsen has withdrawn from the July 12-17 tournament.
In an official statement to the Singapore Badminton Association by the Danish badminton federation (Badminton Denmark) Head Coach Kenneth Jonassen wrote: “Viktor is withdrawing from the Singapore Open 2022 due to fatigue of playing back to back tournaments. He will now turn his focus to the BWF World Championships in Tokyo.”
Through a story on his Instagram account, the 28-year-old Dane shared: “When I woke up this morning, my body and my head was telling me that it’s time to rest and recharge before I step on the court again. I need some days off to rest, celebrate my recent wins with my family and then build up towards new goals.”
(Denmark's Viktor Axelsen. Photo Credit : Victor's Facebook Page)
Having started his winning streak at the YONEX All England Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England in March 2022, Axelsen has gone on to clinch the top spot at the 2022 European Championships, DAIHATSU Indonesian Masters, EAST VENTURES Indonesian Open and most recently, at the PETRONAS Malaysian Open against World No.2 Kento Momota.
The news of Axelsen’s withdrawal follows an earlier announcement made by fellow Dane and World No.3 Anders Antonsen, who cited an undisclosed injury as his reason for pulling out of the matches in both Malaysia and Singapore.
Big names still to play at SBO
Although disappointed by the news of Axelsen and Antonsen’s withdrawals, the organisers, Singapore Badminton Association (SBA), assured badminton fans of exciting games to come.
“It is unfortunate that Viktor has had to pull out. He would have been a player that the fans would have loved to see in action. Although we will be missing both him and Anders Antonsen, the SBO still boasts a stellar field of close to 25 of the world’s top ranking players.
“Some of the names set to light up the Singapore Indoor Stadium include World No.2 women’s singles player Tai Tzu Ying and World No.4 men’s singles player Chou Tien Chen. Fans can also look forward to our very own world champion Loh Kean Yew as he bids to do well on home soil,” said SBA Chief Executive Officer Alan Ow.
Set to play to a record crowd of 6,000 spectators, the Singapore Badminton Open will also see the likes of women’s doubles Chinese World no. 1 Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan as well as mixed doubles Thai World No. 2 Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai take the stage in Singapore.
(TeamSG's Loh Kean Yew. Photo Credit : Sport Singapore)
Favourable draw for Kean Yew in men’s singles
With the Singapore crowd still waiting for a local men’s singles champion since Wee Choon Seng’s 1962 triumph, the Singapore faithful will be hoping that Loh can at least be the first Singaporean since Ronald Susilo in 2002 to make the men’s singles final.
His chances have been boosted by the withdrawal of Denmark’s World No.3 Anders Antonsen. The Dane’s absence means that Kean Yew will not face any seeded player until the semi-finals, should he make it to the final four. But to progress that far, he will first have to get the better of France’s Brice Leverdez, and then most likely Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto – who beat the 24 year old in their only BWF World Tour meeting in 2019.
Kean Yew, who crashed to a shock first-round exit at the hands of Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu at the Malaysia Open lastweek, will be looking to the SBO as a springboard to a return to form. He said: “Although the results could have been better, I feel I am slowly getting back to my best after spending some time out with Covid in March. The next few weeks will be a busy period, with four tournaments in a month. It will be a good test for me and I look forward to the challenge.”
Tai hoping to win a hat-trick of SBO titles
Equally hopeful of a good run in Singapore is Chinese Taipei’s World No.2 women’s singles player Tai.
The 28-year-old, a two-time SBO winner, is the top seed in the women’s draw. But before she can make it a hat-trick of Singapore titles, she would first have to contend with a quality field that includes World No.4 Chen Yu Fei of China, World. 7 PV Sindhu of India and World No.8 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
Said Tai, who comes into the SBO in good form after bagging the Super 1000 Indonesia Open title last month: “I got my first title in Singapore, it's a place that is full of memories. I am happy that I can go back to Singapore, a meaningful country to me, after so many years.”
Tickets start from $5 for children and $30 for adults
Singapore Badminton Open 2022 takes place from 12 - 17 July 2022 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets are selling out fast, with season passes and a number of single-day passes to certain match days, including the semi-finals and finals, have sold out.
Fans can still choose to purchase single-day tickets to other match days. Single-day tickets start from $5 for children and $30 for adults.
Tickets will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster here.
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Events & Programmes
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Topics
[BlogPost 164749641842 NSG 2024 Netball: Senior Div Girls League 3 Preliminary Round 2, BlogPost 163985727414 Beyond the Field: Exciting Sports Careers for Non-Athletes, BlogPost 164438712123 NSG 2024 Badminton: Senior Div Girls Quarter-Finals, BlogPost 164238055490 Evergreen Aleksandar Duric Still Making Headlines at 53, BlogPost 164170080646 NSG 2024 Rope Skipping: Junior Div Girls Freestyle Team Finals, BlogPost 162884973666 Move and Rest Better With Data From Your Own Body, BlogPost 163393049482 Life Comes Full Circle For Serangoon Garden Secondary School's Fahrish Khan, BlogPost 163258797651 Making Golf a Sport for All, BlogPost 162512222328 NSG 2024 Sepaktakraw: Senior Div Yuhua Primary School vs Qihua Primary School, BlogPost 162233592997 Gritty Lions Suffer Loss to China, BlogPost 162089384371 On Your Mark, Get Ready, Go Running, BlogPost 161670652697 Lions' Excellent Showing Against China, BlogPost 161435270031 Ogura Optimistic for Exciting Clash against China, BlogPost 161127614758 The Future of Basketball in Singapore: Why 3x3 is Here to Stay, BlogPost 161033673012 The Active Lifestyler's Guide to the New ActiveSG Delta Sport Centre, BlogPost 161128356680 Grand New Champions Crowned at WTT Singapore Smash 2024, BlogPost 160844835218 NSG 2024 Table Tennis: C Div Boys Pool Round, BlogPost 160210745115 NSG 2024 Basketball: Senior Div Girls Tampines Primary School vs Frontier Primary School, BlogPost 159881180544 Whirlwind Return to Women's Football, BlogPost 159633541417 Singapore Smash to Elevate a New Legacy, BlogPost 158983580420 NSG 2024 Rugby: B Div Damai Secondary School vs Peirce Secondary School, BlogPost 159003960202 SFA Fiesta: Kicking off 2024 to a Roaring Start, BlogPost 158830735126 NSG 2024 Football: B Div Girls Preliminary Round Meridian Secondary School VS Bowen Secondary School, BlogPost 158536989718 Team Nila Volunteers Recognized At Awards Ceremony, BlogPost 158270107806 NSG 2024 Hockey: B Div Boys Preliminary Round Raffles Institution VS St. Hilda Secondary School, BlogPost 157966862615 NSG 2024 Floorball: B Division Preliminary Rounds Kick Off!, BlogPost 157562433712 What Is Safe Sport?, BlogPost 157559446197 Sengkang Secondary: Cultivating Well-Rounded Footballers, BlogPost 157368261167 New National Training Centre for Cricket at West Coast Ground, BlogPost 155340164987 Active Ageing with Joey Bonifacio, BlogPost 155930815517 Inaugural Singapore Youth League kicks off from 24th February 2024, BlogPost 155340164727 Bukit Canberra : the Coolest Spot in the North, BlogPost 155368905255 How Padang Fandi Inspired Ayden to Chase his Dream, BlogPost 154755572826 Ageing Backwards with Elizabeth Cheang, BlogPost 154094657315 Running For Fitness, BlogPost 153318636178 Excitement Builds for FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2024, BlogPost 153198644247 World's Top Four Confirmed for 2024 HSBC Women's World Championship, BlogPost 149413941770 Cultivating Your Kids’ Interest in the Outdoors, BlogPost 149413941163 Making Sport More Appealing for Our Kids, BlogPost 149412549409 Solo Or Team Sport – Choosing the Best for Your Child, BlogPost 151197478798 Former Lions Stalwart Baihakki Khaizan Sheds Light on New Accreditation to Elevate Grassroots Football and Youth Development, BlogPost 80703591291 New Year, Fitter You! Here are the top 3 workouts for the New Year, BlogPost 81171151456 7 Reasons Why Sports are Great for Children’s Mental Health, BlogPost 80542065330 17 Best Yoga Classes & Studios in Singapore [+ Rating & Prices], BlogPost 149404351798 From Brush to Lens: A Student's Journey in the World of Art and Sports Photography, BlogPost 149402825063 The Benefits of Active Parenting, BlogPost 149397832009 Sweden Claim 9th Straight Gold at the Women's World Floorball Championship, BlogPost 149397831449 Lion City Sailors Win 2023 Singapore Cup, BlogPost 148511324266 Pitch Perfect with Jonathan Teo, BlogPost 148511724402 Seniors: Increase your flexibility bit by bit with these stretches]