The second day of the LI-NING Hong Kong Open 2025 brought solid openers and big wins from European players, including the much-anticipated return to court for Viktor Axelsen.

One of the highlights came from Line Christophersen, who won against Pusarla V. Sindhu, eighth seed. The two had previously faced each other five times, with Sindhu winning all matches. But this time, the Dane stepped up. After losing the first game 15-21, she took the lead halfway through the second, winning it 21-16 before taking the decider, 21-19.

Christo Popov, seeded sixth, brought another great result. He fought for 1 hour and 15 minutes against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting – the match lasted exactly the same as their last clash, at the All England 2024, but this time the result was different. The French player won the match, 19-21, 21-17, 21-19.

Also through to the second round are Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova/Yevheniia Kantemyr, who at the end of the day secured a great win against Hong Kong’s Hung Ho Yan/Wong Yan Lam Yanes in three games, 15-21, 21-16, 21-19.

Overall, it was a successful day for most of the Danish players. Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt, Julie Dawall Jakobsen, Jesper Toft/Amalie Magelund, Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch, and Rasmus Gemke all won their matches today and are therefore advancing to the second round.

They join Ben Lane/Sean Vendy, who yesterday had already secured their spot in the second round.

We also witnessed a special moment today: the long-awaited return of Viktor Axelsen. After six months away recovering from surgery, Axelsen was back on court. Playing against Kodai Naraoka, currently ranked ninth in the world, the Dane tried his best but couldn’t quite find his usual rhythm and speed, losing 15-21 7-21. Nevertheless, it was great to see him back, and it’ll certainly be exciting to follow his progress in the next tournaments.

You can see all of today’s results here, and check the order of play for tomorrow here.