Anders Antonsen crashed out of the World Badminton Championships in New Delhi on Friday, suffering a straight-sets defeat to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka with scores of 19-21, 15-21 in the quarter-finals. According to tournament coverage from Flashscore, the loss marked the end of the Danish badminton contingent’s campaign at the event, leaving the nation without any remaining players in the tournament and securing zero medals for Denmark.
Ranked fourth in the world, Antonsen entered the match as Denmark’s last remaining hope in the singles draw. Reporting from Flashscore indicates that the Dane appeared sluggish from the opening exchanges and failed to find his top rhythm throughout the encounter. Naraoka capitalized on early errors from his opponent, racing to an initial 7-2 lead that was later stretched to 11-4.
Despite the difficult start, Antonsen mounted a late challenge in the opening set. Trailing 11-17, the Danish player strung together four consecutive points to close the gap to 15-17 and eventually pushed within one point at 17-18. However, consecutive shots hit beyond the baseline handed Naraoka a 20-17 advantage and three set points. Although Antonsen survived two of those chances—highlighted by a grueling 48-shot rally that brought the score to 19-20—he ultimately failed to stave off the third set point, surrendering the opener 19-21.
The second set followed a similarly turbulent trajectory for the world number four. Naraoka established a 4-1 lead before Antonsen responded with a strong spell of his own, winning multiple points to turn the score around and lead 8-5. That momentum vanished quickly as the Japanese competitor claimed five straight points to reclaim a 10-8 edge.
According to match reports, Antonsen struggled to finish off rallies against a disciplined opponent who consistently returned the shuttlecock over the net. Trailing 14-17, the Danish player appeared to run out of steam during another attempted comeback. Naraoka maintained control to close out the second set 21-15, sealing a straight-sets victory that performance analysts noted reflected a class above on the day.
With Antonsen’s exit, the Danish team’s objectives in New Delhi went unmet, concluding the nation’s participation in the World Championships without a podium finish.
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