The Dane was almost on the end of a huge upset as he dropped the opener before recovering to clinch a 19-21, 21-13, 24-22 victory at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon.

Jørgensen is the top seeded player in the men’s singles after Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei and China's Chen Long, the Olympic silver and gold medallists, were forced to withdraw.

A competitor from the host nation did manage to cause a surprise on day one of the competition as Hu Yun knocked out South Korean Son Wan-ho, seeded fourth, with a 21-17, 6-21, 21-16 triumph.

The success for the Hong Kong players had begun earlier on as Wong Wing Ki Vi overcame eighth seed Rajiv Ouseph from England 25-23, 14-21, 21-11.

While Jørgensen struggled, Olympic women’s singles champion Carolina Marin had no such problems as she swept aside Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong in straight games.

The Spaniard, the top seed in Hong Kong, was made to work hard for her victory, however, before emerging with a 21-18, 21-16 win in 47 minutes.

Marin was joined in the next round by India’s PV Sindhu, winner of the recent China Open and Olympic silver medallist, as she defeated Indonesian Hsu Ya Ching 21-10, 21-4.

Sindhu’s compatriot Saina Nehwal, the fifth seed and former world number one, is also through as she recorded a 21-18, 9-21, 21-6 triumph over Sayaka Sato of Japan.

Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi was another player to progress, cruising to a dominant 21-11, 21-10 victory over Indonesia’s Debora Rum Vehrenica in just 20 minutes.

In the women’s doubles, China’s Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan booked their place at the BWF Superseries Finals in Dubai next month by reaching the quarter-finals in Hong Kong.

The Chinese pair sealed their spot in the season-ending competition by beating compatriots Luo Ying and Luo Yu 21-14, 18-21, 21-16.

"Qualifying for Dubai has been a priority," said Chen.

"We have aimed for it for a long time now, and we’re very happy to make the grade."

Action in Hong Kong is due to continue tomorrow.