december 7, 2022 14:36
Anders Skaarup/Kim Astrup lost in two sets to Liu/Ou, while Viktor Axelsen picked up his 53rd win this year by beating Lu Guangzu 21-13, 21-11.
Anders Skaarup/Kim Astrup did not get the desired start at the World Tour finals in Bangkok that they had hoped for. The Danish men’s doubles lost 11-21, 19-21 to Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuan Yi from China, who were fresh off a tournament win at the Australian Open.
The Chinese seemed to play with a lot of confidence, juice and power, while the Danes trailed in the first set, which along the way resulted in an 8-1 lead for Liu/Ou before it ended 21-11 to the Chinese.
– There was a lot of wind in the hall, and it was difficult to play in from both sides of the pitch. So our agreement was that we should stand as far forward as possible so that we could poke the ball into their feet, but we will have a hard time with that in the first set. We put too much pressure on them and then they punished us, said assistant national coach Thomas Stavngaard after the match.
Click here and see more results from the first day at the World Tour Finals 2022
Skaarup/Astrup played themselves up in the second set, but it was still not enough. They trailed at the break 9-11, and managed to equalize at 18-18. The Chinese decided the match on their second match ball with a smash, which took the edge of the net and hit straight down on the Danes’ side. An unfortunate end to a close second set.
– They won points on a couple of net rollers, which was really annoying, but I think the second set was super good, and I also think we should win it. We dared to take chances, stand up and be uncompromising. We also played with more quality, but we continued to press them instead of poking the balls into their feet, and we probably should have been a bit cooler in the end, said Stavngaard.
The Danish boys get another chance for victory tomorrow when they meet “The Daddies” Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan, who today won 21-12, 21-15 over world champions Aaron Chia/Wooi Yik Soh. It will by no means be an easy task, as the Indonesians lead 6-1 in the head-to-head. Still, Astrup/Skaarup can believe in a victory, since they won 21-13, 21-15 in the most recent matchup.
Read also: Here are the Danes’ draws for the World Tour Finals
Back in 2018, the Danes also lost their first match in the group stage at the season finals. They still managed to reach the semi-finals and that scenario they can hope to repeat this year.
– It can be a very open pool. Tomorrow we have to play the same game, where we have to be uncompromising. We must dare to stand at the front, poke it towards the posts and away from their chairman. It’s not a game we’re used to, but we’re good at it, and we’ll probably succeed, says Thomas Stavngaard ahead of tomorrow’s game, which will be played around 11.30 Danish time.
Someone who will also be back on the pitch tomorrow is Viktor Axelsen.
Viktor Axelsen, who was named Men’s Player of the Year 2022 by BWF on Monday, was up against Lu Guangzu from China today. A player that the Dane was favorite to beat, as he had won them all in the previous four matches.
Read also: BWF names Viktor Axelsen as ‘Men’s Player of the Year’
But on the other hand, the world number 17 came with plenty of confidence on the back of a final place at the Australian Open, where he beat Lee Zii Jia, who is not at this year’s season finals in Bangkok, among other things.
It was a somewhat difficult start to the match, where it didn’t quite work for the world number one. During the set, Axelsen just had to play his way into the hall, where the wind played its part, and then he slipped on the backline at 10-7. Fortunately, seen through Danish lenses, Guangzu hit the ball in the net in the duel, and it did not seem that Axelsen was injured. Despite the scare, he certainly won the first set 21-13.
In the second set, it seemed that Viktor Axelsen had complete control over the conditions of the hall and his opponent. It also opened up a lot of profit, which he showed, among other things, with a delicious feint, which sent Lu Guangzu the opposite way to 15-5. In the end, he cruised home the second set safely 21-11.
With the victory, the Danish world champion is number one in Group A. Number two is Kodai Naraoka, who beat HS Prannoy in three sets with 21-12, 9-21, 21-17. Tomorrow, Axelsen meets Japanese Naraoka, who won the BWF’s Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year award on Monday. Tomorrow’s match will be played around 12:30 Danish time.
Click here to see the match schedule for tomorrow at the World Tour Finals
Tags: Anders Skaarup, Kim Astrup, Thomas Stavngaard, Viktor Axelsen
Category: Elite, Front page, News
