Jakarta: The 2023 Indonesia Open kicked off its first day at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta on Tuesday and already featured an array of exciting matches. Danish men’s singles top seed, Viktor Axelsen, made a triumphant return from his hamstring injury as he dominated his first-round match against China’s Weng Hongyang, securing a straight-set victory and his place in the top 16.
Highlights if Viktor Axelsen vs. Weng Hongyang in the 2023 Indonesia Open first round:
In a commanding display, Axelsen, currently ranked as the world number one, defeated Weng Hongyang, ranked 25th in the world 21-12, 21-8. Weng Hongyang struggled to match Axelsen’s skill and was unable to mount a significant challenge.
Axelsen, who has previously clinched two consecutive Indonesia Open in 2021 and 2022, will meet Wang Tzu Wei from Chinese Taipei next. Wang cruised to victory in his first-round match against Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, winning comfortably 21-12, 21-9.
Unfortunately, some notable men’s singles players faced early exits from the tournament. Japan’s former world No. 1 Kento Momota, who recently recovered from a back injury, experienced a surprising defeat in the first round against Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long. Momota lost 8-21, 15-21.
Malaysian World No. 21 men’s singles player Ng Tze Yong, fell short against the World No. 6 Shi Yuqi of China, losing 7-21, 21-17, 13-21.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s World No. 7 men’s doubles pair, Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi, showcased their resilience as they narrowly defeated the Indian duo M.R. Arjun/Dhruv Kapila. After a fierce hour-long battle, Ong/Teo emerged as the winners with a score of 12-21, 21-6, 22-20. Ong/Teo will face the Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin of Indonesia in the second round.
In other matches of the tournament, the Malaysian team faced a challenging start on the first day. Players such as Goh Jin Wei in the women’s singles, Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Jemie Lai, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei in the mixed doubles, as well as Vivian Hoo and Lim Chiew Sien in the women’s doubles, were defeated in their respective matches.
On the other hand, Chinese mixed doubles pairs including Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping, as well as Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin, all secured victories in their first-round matches.
