Viktor Axelsen, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik out of Japan Open

Newly crowned men’s world champion Viktor Axelsen has withdrawn from the Japan Open starting in Osaka on Tuesday (30 August).

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik – the new men’s doubles champion who won Malaysia’s first ever world badminton title – also pulled out of the event coming immediately after the BWF World Championships in Tokyo with Chia suffereing from a right-shoulder injury.

Olympic champion Axelsen, who stormed to his first world title since 2017 without dropping a game, took to Twitter to explain his decision. The Dane says he “played through some pain” in Tokyo and is taking a break in order to “respect my body”.

“Disappointed to tell you all that I unfortunately won’t be able to compete this week in Osaka”, said Axelsen, who was replaced in the draw by Brice Leverdez of France.

Leverdez won his first-round match against Heo Kwang Hee of the Republic of Korea 21-17, 9-21, 21-16.

Chia/Soh, who won Olympic bronze last year, had their place taken by Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang of China.