Danish Viktor Axelsen took his first title in 2024 on Sunday when he swept to the top in the Malaysia Masters
Viktor Axelsen wins the Malaysia Masters. Photo: FAZRY ISMAIL/Ritzau Scanpix
Badminton star Viktor Axelsen completed an excellent Danish final day in the Super 500 tournament Malaysia Masters on Sunday.
The Danish world number seven swept to the top with a victory in the final in three sets, 21-6, 20-22, 21-13, over Malaysian Lee Zii Jia.
Before that, the men’s doubles with Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup had shown the way, before the Danish world number one followed suit.
The title is the first in 2024 for Axelsen, who has been plagued by injuries in the first half of the year.
Defended well
The final opponent, Lee Zii Jia, was in the final after, among other things, getting rid of Anders Antonsen in the quarter-finals.
The Danish world number one came out with a bang and defended his own half of the court well, while sending Lee Zii Jia from one side to the other.
7-1 Axelsen came in front, which put a dampener on the support from the battens for the home hero.
Axelsen played almost flawlessly, and at the break the Danish lead was 11-2.
The Malaysian could not break Axelsen’s defensive, and every time the opportunity presented itself, the Danish world number one put the knife in with a sharp smash.
As the set progressed, Lee Zii Jia lost more courage and the Malaysian unmotivated sent the shuttlecock over the backline on Axelsen’s first set point after just 13 minutes of badminton.
Completely different affair
Lee Zii Jia was much better in the second set, which was a completely different affair.
The Malaysian was transformed, while Axelsen made several mistakes. That gave a home lead of 11-4.
After the stay, Axelsen found more rhythm and played the duels longer, and it was to the Dane’s advantage.
Axelsen slowly shaved the Malaysian lead down, and with five Danish points in a row there was contact at 19-19.
However, it was not enough. A Malaysian ball sneaked just inside the line on Lee Zii Jia’s second set point, sending the match into a third set.
Drag yourself back
Here, Axelsen regained the level from the beginning of the match and opened with a 5-0 lead.
This time it was Lee Zii Jia’s turn to wear herself back. The Malaysian came in at 6-7, but seemed clearly marked physically.
Axelsen, on the other hand, did not, and the Dane managed to keep the lead all the time.
Four unanswered Danish points in the middle of the set created a gap that became too big for Lee Zii Jia to come back again.
On the first of seven potential match points, Axelsen secured victory when a smash from the Malaysian went over the sideline.
2024-05-26 14:51:56
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