Chinese shuttlers Chen/Jia retire from Denmark Open

ODENSE, Denmark - Top seeded women's doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan retired from the Denmark Open on Tuesday due to injury.

Chen was injured in the Uber Cup final last Saturday and Jia also felt uncomfortable with her left foot. The pair decided to retire while trailing 5-1 in the first set to Danish duo Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn.

"We are here because we hoped to have a try, but if we cannot play 100 percent, we'd rather quit," said Jia. "We don't want to force ourselves to make things worse."

Also on Tuesday, Chinese shuttler Huang Dongping progressed in both the mixed and women's doubles first rounds.

Huang and Zheng Yu overpowered Danish pair Christine Busch and Amalie Schulz 21-6, 21-9 in the women's doubles round of 32.

Having won the Tokyo Olympics, Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup, 26-year-old Huang maintained her strong form in Odense by later winning the mixed doubles with Olympic partner Wang Yilyu against the Dutch pair of Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek, 21-6, 21-7.

"I'm feeling a bit tired but I believe I can rally on with good quality," said Huang. "I had tough training to prepare for these kinds of challenges. I want to see how far I can go."

Fellow Chinese Olympian Du Yue, who missed the Uber Cup, also made it through to the women's doubles second round, joining Li Wenmei to outclass France's Margot Lambert and Anne Tran 21-18, 21-15.

"It feels like I haven't played for a long time. I was a bit slow in the first set," said Du. "I had experiences of playing both doubles matches. I know how to prepare properly."

Winning the crucial match in the Uber Cup final as a newcomer, 21-year-old Li hoped to progress further in the Denmark Open with Du.

"Many players feel exhausted after consecutive tough games, and so do I," Li said. "But this is what we need to get through, to overcome difficulties. We're fully prepared."

Elsewhere, the 20-year-old pair of Di Zijian and Wang Chang suffered an early exit after losing to Indonesian duo Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana 21-6, 21-19 in the men's doubles.