Olympic and world champion Viktor Axelsen looks set to dominate international badminton in 2022. The Danish player lost just three matches last season and started the new season by retaining the Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament title. So how can Axelsen be defeated then? World number three Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia told PTI on Tuesday, “I think every player is fighting against him. I don’t know what to say. I’m not the only one feeling that way.
Axelsen only defeated Ginting at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals. Axelsen, the world number one, has won eight titles in 2022, including the World Championships, the All England and the World Tour Finals. They started the year impressively by winning all the remaining matches in straight games after winning three games in the first round in Kuala Lumpur.
Lakshya Sen, who defeated Axelsen, said, “I will not say that he is unbeatable but yes, he is playing at a good level now. There is a lot of confidence in him and there is consistency in his performances. He is playing at a different level than any other player at the moment. Lakshya had defeated Axelsen in the semi-finals of the German Open. “But if I see her as an opponent and prepare and give my best, then I will have a chance to win,” he added.
Axelsen’s 39-match winning streak was broken by 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew in his hometown Odense. The Singaporean had defeated him in the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open Super 750 in October. The player from Denmark then won the French Open Super 750. He faced a defeat against HS Prannoy in the group stage of the World Tour Finals but won the title. Axelsen is the first men’s singles player to win seven Super Series in a single season. He left behind four titles held by legends Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei and Kidambi Srikanth. Axelsen will take on Srikanth in the first round of the India Open. Apart from Axelsen, only Ginting (02) and Xi Yuqi (02) of China could win more than one title in 2022.
