The Olympic champion dominated from start to finish in a one-sided final that he won 21-11, 21-12, bringing the contest to an end to seal his third straight title in just 49 minutes.
Viktor Axelsen shakes hands with Shi Yuqi after winning the men’s final in Hangzhou. Photo: Xinhua
“I’m extremely proud and tired,” world No 1 Axelsen, who speaks fluent Mandarin, said. “I can’t believe that I won, this means a lot to me.
“My year has been extraordinary,” he added, as he recalled defeats in the All England Open and the World Championships on home soil.
“It has also been marked by big disappointments. But a great sportsman gets up and recovers from disappointing experiences. And that’s what I managed to do. I’ve won some big titles, so I can’t be disappointed with this year.”
The women’s singles final, however, was far from being a straightforward encounter.
Carolina Marin of Spain took on Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, with the two of them boasting 11 wins apiece in their 22 past career meetings. Marin, who was seeking her first year-end title, wasted no time in taking the opening game 21-12.
Tai, who has been working back to fitness after a leg injury, then bounced back in the next, taking it 21-14, before edging the subsequent decider 21-18 to secure her fourth season finale title in seven appearances.
“I attribute my performance to my good mindset,” said the 29-year-old, who plans to retire after the Paris Olympics next year. “I didn’t have high expectations, because I have not fully recovered from my injury.
“I wasn’t able to train well before coming, so my preparation and performance here were not optimal.
“But when I saw the excellent form of Marin and Chen Yufei … I told myself I had to grit my teeth and do my best to be able to compete.”
The world No 4 had previously come out on top at the event in 2014, 2016 and 2020. With her latest crown, Tai has tied former Chinese player Li Lingwei, but still trails Susi Susanti of Indonesia, who won six titles between 1990 and 1996.
In the men’s doubles, Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae of South Korea defeated China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 21-17, 22-20 to win their first title in nine years.
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Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China defended their women’s titles with a convincing 21-16, 21-16 win over South Korean duo Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee.
In an all-China mixed doubles final, world No 1 pair Zhang Siwei and Huang Yaqiong eased past compatriots Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping 21-11, 21-18 to defend their crown, while also drawing level with Danish pair Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen by collecting their third title.
2023-12-18 04:01:06
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