All England 2022: Viktor Axelsen lauds ‘wonderful’ Lakshya Sen, needs him luck for future after Birmingham closing

Newly-crowned All England Open champion heaped reward on Lakshya Sen, saying the younger Indian shutter is an ‘wonderful expertise’ and he’ll solely develop from right here, after their males’s singles closing on Sunday in Birmingham. Axelsen defeated Lakshya 21-10, 21-15 to win his 2nd title on the prestigious Super 1000 occasion.

Viktor Axelsen and Lakshya Sen had skilled collectively in Dubai final yr earlier than the World Tour Finals after the Danish shutter had moved bases. Axelsen talked up Lakshya’s group, saying he knew them very properly.

Axelsen had headed into Sunday’s closing on the world oldest badminton match on the again of a defeat to Lakshya on the German Open earlier this month however he avenged the defeat with a spotless show within the closing. The reigning Olympic champion as soon as once more asserted his numero uno standing in males’s singles, profitable one other main title after final yr’s prime prize on the Tokyo Games.

Lakshya Sen had the backing of he Birmingham crowd which was rallying behind the teenager whereas Axelsen had his fiance and daughter cheering for him from the stands. At the top of the match, the 2 shutters exchanged shirts in a heartwarming gesture.

“The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, a lot of people cheering for Lakshya.

“Amazing participant, younger man… Obviously, I do know him very well, I do know his group round him, all good guys. Wish them properly, hopefully, we’ll have many extra good encounters,” Axelsen said after his victory, as quoted by The Field.

BIG STAGE EXPERIENCE

Speaking about the final, Lakshya lauded Axelsen’s defense, saying the solid Dane did not allow him to execute his plans.

“I really feel I performed properly too. Just as I stated he was actually stable on defence. There was a whole lot of stress earlier than the match however once I entered the court docket, it was one other match for me,” he said.

Despite the loss, Lakshya should take a lot of confidence from his dream run in the European circuit. Lakshya will break into the top of men’s singles rankings after his consistent showing in the new season.

Lakshya said the experience gained from the last few months has given him confidence to take on the big name in the circuit.

“I really feel for the reason that pandemic, I’ve performed actually good badminton. I’ve been constantly taking part in on the prime stage and that is what I’ve to maintain doing.

“I think now I know what it’s like to be playing in the big stages… the tournaments keep coming and you have to be prepared physically and mentally for every match which is going to be tough. This gives me a lot of confidence,” Lakshya stated.

After the world championship bronze medal final yr, Lakshya had begun the brand new season along with his maiden Super 500 title on the Indian Open.

Lakshya had overwhelmed Olympic champion Axelsen (German Open), Olympic bronze medalist Anthony Ginting (All England), world champion Loh Kean Yew (India Open), world bronze medalist Anders Antonsen (All England) and final yr’s winner Lee (All England) and had all of the instruments to make it depend on Sunday however the Danish star introduced his sport in Birmingham.