KUALA LUMPUR – World number one shuttler Danish Viktor Axelsen reclaimed his World Championships title today following a 21-5, 21-16 victory over Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Viktor won his maiden title in 2017 when he went up against China’s Lin Dan.
Speaking to the media after the match, Viktor admitted that he expected a difficult match today from Kunlavut as the 21-year-old was a difficult opponent to beat.
“Kunlavut was a cool guy. He is young, but he was also strong mentally and physically, so I knew it would be a tough game today.
“I’m happy with how I dealt with the first game, but he made it hard for me in the second game, and I stiffened up a little bit, but I turned it around.
“I came out strongly eventually in the end,” said Viktor.
Meanwhile, women’s singles world number one Akane Yamaguchi of Japan defended her title following her victory against China’s Chen Yu Fei, 21-12, 10-21, 21-14 in over one hour.
Despite having clashed against Yu Fei 21 times since the Asia Youth U19 Championships in 2014, Yamaguchi said the former was a really powerful player to beat and pushed hard at every match.
However, thanks to her supporters, she managed to keep her spirits up and controlled the game.
“Before the World Championships, I knew there was going to be pressure, so I tried hard not to think about it.
“But at the end of the match, I was getting a little bit emotional because of the cheer from the crowd. They were really supportive. It was a very special moment.
“So, I tried not to rush the game and maintained my momentum,” she added.
As for the mixed doubles category, world number two Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong of China overpowered Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino, 21-13, 21-16, in 41 minutes.
This is their third world title after winning the 2018 and 2019 edition. - The Vibes, August 28, 2022
