Defending champion Viktor Axelsen is set to face a formidable test on his return to competitive badminton with a first round matchup against fifth seed Kodai Naraoka at LI-NING Hong Kong Open 2025.

This marks the two-time Olympic gold medallist’s first outing in half a year, following a back injury that sidelined him after a Round of 32 exit at the All England in March. It also forced the 31-year-old to miss last month’s World Championships in Paris.

Although Axelsen is yet to lose to Japanese No.1 Naraoka after six career meetings, the Dane will be looking to shake off rust and reassert his dominance on the court having been away from it for a long time.

Meanwhile, Chou Tien Chen, originally slated to face Axelsen, has moved up to Position 1 on the draw following the withdrawal of top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Chou now plays Wang Zheng Xing.

Other withdrawals and promotions are as follows.

Withdrawals

Men’s doubles: Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (fourth seeds), Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi

Women’s doubles: Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun

Mixed doubles: Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei (third seeds)

Promotions

Men’s singles: Su Li Yang

Men’s doubles: Kenya Mitsuhashi/Hiroki Okamura, William Kryger Boe/Christian Faust Kjaer

Mixed doubles: Chu Wing Chi/Yu Yi Kiu

Click here to view the updated draw.

LINING Hong Kong Open 2025 starts tomorrow, with the first qualification match scheduled at 9am Kuala Lumpur time (UTC +8).