12-03-2025
Denmark's Axelsen suffers shock defeat in All England first round
BIRMINGHAM, England, March 12 (Reuters) - Dane Viktor Axelsen's quest for a third All England title ended on Wednesday as he lost 21-19 13-21 21-11 to Taiwan's Lin Chun-Yi in a big first-round upset on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old Axelsen, one of the favourites to win the tournament, told Danish TV2 he would take a break from the sport.
"I didn't have the best feeling out there. I think it'll be a while before I'm back on court," he said.
"I don't want to go into details. I think a longer break is ahead for me."
India's two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also made a surprise early exit, bowing out i19-21 21-13 21-13 in the women's singles first round to Kim Ga-Eun of South Korea.
Olympic champion An Se-Young of South Korea eased past China's Gao Fang Jie 21-16 21-14.
