Hong Kong pair Angus Ng and Lee Cheuk-yiu feature at German Open, as badminton world tour resumes in Mulheim
- World’s top players return to court with both reigning Olympic singles champions, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Chen Yufei of China in action
- Hong Kong’s Ng Tsz-yau tested Covid-19 positive in Slovakia tournament and is now under quarantine
Shuttlers Angus Ng Ka-long and Lee Cheuk-yiu will go up against the world’s best, as badminton world tour resumes at the German Open in Mulheim on Tuesday.
Despite being a level 300 tournament with a total winning purse of US$180,000, top players from all over the world have been attracted to the city in the North Rhine-Westphalia area after the 2021 World Championships in Spain in December.
This season began with two tournaments in India in January but most of the big names in badminton chose to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But with three tournaments in a row, the German Open, followed by the all-important All England Open and the Swiss Open, and with many European countries adopting a live-with-Covid attitude players are returning to the court.
“There is no need to do any Covid-19 test when you get on a plane in Europe as long as you have had three jabs,” said Hong Kong’s head coach Tim He Yiming, who now has more than 10 players in Europe.
“But we have already told the players to keep a good personal hygiene to avoid getting infected or your trip may end suddenly.”
Reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, and Kento Momota of Japan, will head a men’s singles field that also includes other top 10 players, such as Anthony Ginting and Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia and Ng.
