Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Viktor Axelsen is human, after all. The odds were heavily in favour of the World No 1 from Denmark going into the summit clash of the India Open Super on Sunday. The 29-year-old was against an opponent who had failed to trouble him in six attempts. In fact, the Danish shuttler had never conceded a game against Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand going into the BWF Super 750 event.
But Kunlavut, who was blown away by Axelsen on the same stage during the World Championships last year, had other ideas. The World No 8, who’s making rapid strides on the tour, was in his element.
The 21-year-old was quick and mixed his shots intelligently and had Axelsen frustrated by the time the match had reached its climax. In the opening game itself, there were signs that Axelsen, unlike previous encounters, would have to work hard for a win. Kunlavut was mixing his game and forcing Viktor to do some leg work and make mistakes in the process. Axelsen was guilty of spraying the shuttle out of the play area on multiple occasions. Very soon Kunlavut had accomplished something he had never done before, winning a game against the two-time world champ.
There was a clear sense of urgency in Axelsen’s play at the start of Game 2. Playing with real intent, he was attacking his opponent on both sides of the court and managed to manufacture some winners. Axelsen was also using his height advantage to good use, smashing Kunlavut’s attempted shots on the back line.
It seemed like this could end up being another Axelsen fightback, a recurring theme that has helped him pocket titles all over the world. But Kunlavut had saved the best for the last. Like a beast awoken, he was on fire in the decider. He was relentless as Axelsen started cracking. Kunlavut also produced two cross-court smashes towards Axelsen’s weaker side to keep up the momentum and eventually get over the line, a line that many have attempted to reach but fallen short of for the most part in recent years.
“Overall, my attack and presence on the court were not the best. It is something that I have to do better next time,” Axelsen said, congratulating his opponent.
The fact that he was playing in his second final in a span of a week, was always going to be physically challenging. “This is competitive badminton. Even though I have done very well in recent times, you can’t expect to keep winning and winning. It is not how it works. I try to do my best every single time and today (Sunday), unfortunately, it wasn’t my time and it was Kunlavut’s time.”
Axelsen doesn’t have much time to reflect as he’ll be looking to give a strong response during the Indonesia Masters, which begins a few days later. Despite making things look effortless in recent years, the Olympic champion said it’s a constant fight behind the scenes.
“I just try to rest and prepare in the best way possible. I try to do my best every single day to keep my body in top shape but it’s not easy. All in all, you cannot expect players to keep performing week after week. That’s just how it is. There are so many tournaments on the world tour and the players’ health is something the individual players have to take care of.”
For Kunlavut, a three-time junior world champion, this success could be the start of something special. He had been grabbing attention with his performances on the court in recent times and this title could thrust him to greater feats in the days to come.
An Se Young triumphs
In the women’s singles final, South Korea’s An Se Young exacted revenge against familiar rival Akane Yamaguchi of Japan to walk away with the big prize. The 20-year-old won 15-21, 21-16, 21-12. World No 1 Yamaguchi had beaten the youngster last week during the Malaysia Open final.
Results (all finals): Mixed doubles: Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino vs Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping. (Win by walkover for Yuta/Arisa); Women’s singles: An Se Young bt Akane Yamaguchi 15-21, 21-16, 21-12; Women’s doubles: Nami Matsuyuma/Chiharu Shida vs Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan. (Win by walkover for Nami/Chiharu); Men’s doubles: Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang bt Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik 14-21, 21-19, 21-18; Men’s singles: Kunlavut Vitdsarn bt Viktor Axelsen 22-20, 10-21, 21-12.
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