Olympic champ Axelsen reaches semis at badminton Hong Kong Open

HONG KONG, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark beat Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei to reach the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open badminton championships on Friday.

Axelsen, playing his first tournament after retaining his Olympic crown in Paris, trailed 4-6 early on but soon proved too good for the sixth-seeded Chou, winning 21-15, 21-14 after 48 minutes.

The Dane ex