Singapore Open Badminton: Wang Zhengming sweeps aside World Junior champion Viktor Axelsen in men’s singles quarter-finals

By REDintern Stefanus Ian. Pictures by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Singapore Indoor Stadium, Friday, June 17, 2011 — In what is possibly the first of many battles between two rising stars of the badminton world, China’s Wang Zhengming and Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen faced off against each other in the Singapore Open men’s singles quarter-finals.

Axelsen, the current World Junior champion, found Wang too tough a competitor as he succumbed 15-21, 10-21.

Axelsen said: “Wang played a faster game and I could not follow the rallies quick enough. I always felt like I was a little bit behind. This was my first quarter-final and I was nervous when on the court and although I tried everything I could, it was not enough.”

The 46th-ranked Dane struggled to get a decent run of points early in the first game as Wang surged into a 19-9 lead. Only then did Axelsen begin to find his feet as he reeled off six unanswered points. By then, it was too late to salvage the opening game.

A misjudged lob from the 1.85-metre Dane followed by a weak flick into the net allowed Wang to bag the first game 21-15.

The second game was a largely one-sided affair. Having been at the end of a six-point streak put up by Axelsen in the first game, Wang made sure to slow down the play whenever the Danish player started to get a run going.

Wang eventually saw out the game comfortably 21-10.

In another quarter-final, Chen Jin swept aside Lee Hyun Il 21-14, 21-9 in 45 minutes. The result meant China will be represented by three players in the semi-finals with Wang Zhengming facing Chen Jin and Lin Dan facing Peter Gade, the only non-Chinese, on Saturday.