december 9, 2022 13:41
Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup won a great victory over world champions Chia/Soh in two sets, while Viktor Axelsen had to suffer a three-set defeat to HS Prannoy.
Things were turned upside down today for Denmark at the World Tour Finals. Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup won, while Viktor Axelsen lost. For Astrup/Skaarup it happened on the back of a strong victory over world champions Aaron Chia/Wooi Yik Soh from Malaysia with 21-19, 23-21.
Neither the Danes nor the Malays had anything to play for in terms of advancing from Group B. Both had lost the first two group matches, and there was thus only third place to play for. But it was also worth 63,640 Danish kroner and more points towards the world ranking than fourth place, and thus economically as well as sportingly attractive to end up at.
The Danes seemed to be happy, who were motivated by it, as they played refreshingly in comparison to the two previous group matches through a tight set. It also resulted in a great duel on the match ball, where both Danes left the pitch with their arms above their heads as they won 21-19.
The second set was at least as exciting, and Chia/Soh even had two set points. But the Danes took two points in a row before, with the help of a challenge, they could decide the match 23-21.
– It was really, really important for us to come in and play good badminton. That we get a win, that’s perfect. It was cool that the boys held on in the second set even though they fell behind. Many thoughts may arise: “Oh no, now we’ll lose this one too.” But they still hung in, and I think that was really cool. It was really cool to see, says assistant national coach Thomas Stavngaard.
Read also: Axelsen continues at the World Tour Finals, while Astrup/Skaarup’s fate hangs in the balance
In terms of playing, Thomas Stavngaard was pleased that Astrup/Skaarup proved that they could play in the very difficult conditions that exist in the hall.
– The defeats have taken a toll on them, and it was great that they proved that they can handle the conditions in the hall against an Asian couple. It was so hard to control it in here, so you couldn’t just walk up and knock it down. After all, the balls could fly very far. But our middle ground succeeded. We stood closer together and got the ball down. But what succeeded the most was that they got a little joy out of it. They played for points and money, but above all they played for a good game to wash away the two previous games. So we had to go in and play good badminton, says Stavngaard.
The two men’s doubles constellations had met six times before today’s clash. The Danes had won two of the matches, just as they came out positively from the latest match against the world champions back in 2020 at the Spain Masters with 21-16, 24-22.
It is the third time in their career that Astrup/Skaarup come from the World Tour Finals with a victory in the group stage. In 2021 it was enough to reach the semi-finals, and in 2018 they did not advance from the group.
Click here to see more details from the final group matches at the World Tour Finals
Earlier in the day, Viktor Axelsen had to meet HS Prannoy from India. The match was unimportant to the Dane. He had previously qualified for the semi-finals as number one in the group. On the other hand, Prannoy had played out his chance for further advancement, but he still faced the possibility of beating the world number one for the second time in a row.
At the beginning of the match, it seemed to be a new day in the famous office for Viktor Axelsen. He slowly built up his lead over the course of the set. He was ahead 10-5 and 18-12 respectively before securing the first set 21-14.
The first duel in the second set was a warning of what awaited the world champion. Here the Indian shot Axelsen right in the forehead. Well, completely unintentionally, and the Dane also came back nicely and ahead 10-6. But after the stay, it was as if Viktor Axelsen lost his feeling and timing in the hall. He dropped six points in a row to fall behind 12-16 before losing the set 17-21.
Read also: Danish victory and defeat on the first day of the World Tour finals
With this, Axelsen had to go into his first three-setter since July, when he won over Jonatan Christie at the Malaysia Open (which he won), and the first three-setter in 17 matches.
It was a really close set, but Prannoy took the lead and controlled the game to a greater extent from there. This meant that he got a number of lifts, where he could use his powerful arm to smash the ball down and through Axelsen’s defence.
The men’s player of the year 2022 was just about to make a comeback from being behind 13-18, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. Axelsen therefore unfortunately had to see himself beaten for the second time in a row to the BWF Gala dinner’s Best Dressed Man, HS Prannoy, with a total of 21-14, 17-21, 18-21.
It was only the Danish world star’s third defeat of the season, and he has the opportunity to rise again already tomorrow in the semi-finals at the World Tour Finals. Who he meets depends on the draw, where lots are drawn among the runners-up in the two groups: Jonatan Christie and Kodai Naraoka.
Tags: Anders Skaarup, Kim Astrup, Thomas Stavngaard, Viktor Axelsen
Category: Elite, Front page, News
