Olympic champion Axelsen reaches last eight at badminton Hong Kong Open

HONG KONG, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Denmark's Viktor Axelsen fought off tenacious challenge in the first set to beat Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei in the second round of the Hong Kong Open badminton championships on Thursday.

Second-seeded Axelsen, playing his first tournament after retaining the Olympic champion in Paris, won 24-22, 21-6 to book a quarterfinal showdown against sixth seed Chou Tien Chen, also of Chin