The SANDS CHINA LTD Macau Open 2025 kicked off today with the qualification rounds, where some Europeans had to fight for a spot in the main draw.

Among those who didn’t make it through were Azerbaijan’s Keisha Fatimah Azzahra, Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko, and Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen. The Dane had a strong start, securing a win in the qualification round of 16, but fell in three games to Korea’s Kim Byung Jae.

Other Danes did secure a spot in the main draw. Amalie Schulz had one of the most dramatic wins of the day in a one-hour clash against Chinese Taipei’s Liang Ting Yu. After taking the first game 21-19 and dropping the second 13-21, the decider went all the way, with Schulz taking the third 30-28. Tomorrow, she will face Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei, currently ranked seven spots above her. Schulz won their only previous encounter in straight games, back in 2022.

Also in qualification, the much-awaited return of Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje got off to a promising start. The Danes looked sharp in their first match together in the tour in over a year, securing a solid win against Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh/Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn. The first game was close until the mid-game break, after which Christiansen/Bøje pulled away to win 21-16. They had a more dominant in second game, closing it 21-15. Their next opponents will be Korea’s Lee Jongmin/Chae Yu Jung.

The main draw began later in the day with a few doubles matches. England’s Annie Lado/Estelle Van Leeuwen were in action but lost to Thailand’s Tidapron Kleebyeesun/Nattamon Laisuan, 15-21 12-21.

Tomorrow, the tournament goes into full gear with the main draw. You can see the order of play here.