All England Open: Viktor Axelsen among defending champions to exit on day three
- Published
Two-time world champion Viktor Axelsen won the All England men's singles in 2020 and 2022
Defending champions, including two-time winner Viktor Axelsen, fell on a day of shock results at the All England Open.
Denmark's Axelsen, the reigning Olympic champion, was beaten 21-18 9-21 23-21 by Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong in the men's singles second round.
Earlier, the 2022 women's doubles champions, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan, were eliminated, before compatriots Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino - chasing their third successive title in Birmingham - exited the mixed doubles.
"It's one of the most special tournaments to me," said an emotional Axelsen. "It's one of the biggest on the circuit so I want to do well.
"And when you fail, it's tough."
British interest in the prestigious tournament also ended on day three, when England's Lauren Smith and Chloe Birch were knocked out of the women's doubles in a second round 21-9 21-10 defeat by Japan's former champions Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto.
There was defeat too for Scotland's men's doubles pairing of Alex Dunn and Adam Hall as they were beaten 21-17 21-17 by the Japanese fourth seeds.
Tournament schedule and BBC coverage
All times are GMT and subject to late change
Friday, 17 March
10:00-15:00 - Quarter-finals - Red Button, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app
15:00-20:00 - Quarter-finals - Red Button, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app
Saturday, 18 March
10:00-20:00 - Semi-finals (uninterrupted coverage) - iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app
10:00-14:30 - Semi-finals - Red Button, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app
17:30-20:00 - Semi-finals - Red Button, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app
Sunday, 19 March
10:00-15:00 - Finals - Red Button, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app