Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen and An Se-young won the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively, with dominant victories in lopsided finals at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament in New Delhi on Sunday. Axelsen, a champion in 2017 and 2019, defeated last year’s finalist Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong 21-16 21-8 in the men’s singles summit showdown at the KD Jadhav indoor venue.
Axelsen, a two-time world champion, so overcame his disappointment in losing in the first round of the Malaysian Open Super 1000 to the same opponent last week. It was nearly filled even though no Indian was competing in either final. Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudding, who had stopped India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s run in the semifinals, put up another outstanding performance in the men’s doubles final.
They defeated Koreans Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae 21-15,13-21, 21-16. In the women’s doubles final, Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto defeated South Korea’s Kim Hye Jang and Kong Hee Young 21-15 21-13. This is the Japanese team’s third event together, with Igarashi, formerly known as Arisa Higashino, making a successful transition from mixed doubles to women’s doubles.
Lopsided India Open Finals
Lee started well, taking a 6-3 lead. However, Viktor Axelsen regained his rhythm and gradually built up momentum, leading 11-8 at the break. Lee continued to fight but was unable to pose a meaningful threat as Axelsen blunted his attack with his retrieving skills, taking five-game points and converting when Lee went long. Despite the change of sides, the script remained the same.
Viktor Axelsen surged from 10-6 to 19-6 with a sequence of booming smashes to shred Lee’s resistance. Axelsen, who was playing in his sixth India Open final in 10 years, told reporters, “To be honest, to win this title is very special to me. Because it has been just a different feeling on the court and different preparation. I’m starting to feel like my motivation is back. I’ve been a competitor this week.”
