The newly crowned All England Open champion praised Lakshya Sen, saying the young Indian fastener is an “amazing talent” and he will only grow from here after Sunday’s men’s singles final in Birmingham. Axelsen defeated Lakshya 21-10, 21-15 to win his 2nd title at the prestigious Super 1000 event.
Viktor Axelsen and Lakshya Sen had trained together in Dubai ahead of the World Tour Finals last year after the Danish lock moved bases. Axelsen addressed Lakshya’s team and said he knew them very well.
Axelsen had advanced to the final of the world’s oldest badminton tournament on Sunday after losing to Lakshya at the German Open earlier this month, but he avenged the defeat with a flawless performance in the final. The reigning Olympic champion reaffirmed his status as number one in men’s singles, winning another major title after last year’s grand prize at the Tokyo Games.
Lakshya Sen had the support of the Birmingham crowd who gathered behind the youngster as Axelsen cheered on his fiancé and daughter from the stands. At the end of the game, the two Shutters swapped jerseys in a heartwarming gesture.
“The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, with many people cheering for Lakshya.
“Great player, young guy… Obviously I know him very well, I know his team around him, all good guys. I wish them all the best, hopefully we’ll have many more good matches,” said Axelsen after his win. as quoted by The Field.
GREAT STAGE EXPERIENCE
Discussing the final, Lakshya praised Axelsen’s defense and said the solid Dane didn’t allow him to carry out his plans.
“I also feel like I played well. Like I said, he was really solid in defense. There was a lot of pressure before the game but once I got on the pitch it was another game for me,” said he.
Despite the defeat, Lakshya should draw plenty of confidence from his dream run at the European circuit. Lakshya will rise to the top of the men’s singles rankings after his consistent performance in the new season.
Lakshya said the experience of the last few months has given him the confidence to take on the big names on the circuit.
“I feel like I’ve played really good badminton since the pandemic. I have consistently played at the highest level and I must continue to do so.
“I think now I know what it’s like to play on the big stages… the tournaments are coming along and you have to be physically and mentally prepared for any game which is going to be tough. It gives me a lot of confidence,” said Lakshya.
After last year’s World Championship bronze medal, Lakshya started the new season with his first Super 500 title at the Indian Open.
Lakshya had beaten Olympic champion Axelsen (German Open), Olympic bronze medalist Anthony Ginting (All England), world champion Loh Kean Yew (India Open), world bronze medalist Anders Antonsen (All England) and last year’s champion Lee (All England) had all the tools to to make it count on Sunday but the Danish star brought his game to Birmingham.
