General

(Photo: Badminton Photo)
Axelsen powers his way into the final four
Date: 7/31/2021 6:08 AM
Published by : Alan Raftery
As he did in Rio 2016, Viktor Axelsen sets up a match for the medals as he dispatched China’s Shi Yu Qi in today’s quarterfinal. 

Looking to climb higher on the podium than his Olympic bronze five years ago, Axelsen came into the match with a lot of confidence. Not only did he boast a 4-1 advantage in the head to head, but Axelsen was also the man in form this year with three tournament wins, while we haven’t seen Shi since March 2020. 

In fact, his last match was a straight-game loss to Axelsen who was on his way to the All England title. In a similar fashion, the powerful Dane took the opening game 21-13. Not fazed by the occasional runs of points by Shi, he delivered exactly the same in the second game, spending 41 minutes on the court and made it look comfortable.  

-Making it look quite comfortable and the feeling you have on court are two different things. I was really focused on every single rally. I really respect [Shi] Yu Qi, he is a world-class player if you let him play his game. I knew I had to take control and play the right game otherwise it would be tough.

Axelsen vs Cordon: Who would have predicted that?
Axelsen will now face the man who beat the man who beat Kento Momota. Kevin Cordon has completely shaken up the top half of the draw and today defeated Korea’s Heo Kwanghee in straight games.
 
After the emotional scenes, Cordon was asked about his semifinal. 

-Now I have the opportunity to win against Axelsen. For us, it’s very difficult to play with all these top-level players who you watch only on TV or the internet. I just cannot believe it.

Axelsen commented on Cordon’s dream Olympic run. 

-I don't think anybody would have guessed Kevin (Cordon) would have done so well. It's amazing what he has done here so far. Big respect. He is an awesome guy, and it is an awesome story, but I am going to do my best to end that story. It is going to be really fun, but anything can happen at the Olympics, which means I have to be focused.

©badmintoneurope.com. All rights reserved.

Related news
27/03/2024
EOC Executive Committee awards 2027 European Games to Istanbul
The European Olympic Committee...

27/03/2024
Madrid Spain Masters day 2: Victories, upsets, and excitement on court.
French siblings sweep to victo...

26/03/2024
A first action-packed day unfolds at the Spain Masters
The Madrid Spain Masters 2024 ...

26/03/2024
Spain Masters begins today with an unexpected withdrawal!
Madrid is buzzing with excitem...

25/03/2024
Lane/ Vendy and Marin, victorious at Swiss Open
The Swiss Open concluded this ...

24/03/2024
Marin and Lane/Vendy secure finalist spots at the Swiss Open
The semifinals have concluded ...

More news