Viktor Axelsen won the Indonesia Open 2022 final in straight games.© AFP
World number one badminton player Viktor Axelsen triumphed in straight sets against China’s underdog Zhao Jun Peng on Sunday, winning the Indonesia Open championship for the second year in a row. The Danish ace took the first set at the Istora Senayan arena in Jakarta, thanks to a superb defense against the heavy pressure of his left-handed opponent. Zhao’s aggressive approach would eventually cost him money, leading to several errors in the second and final set as Axelsen took home the title with scores of 21-9 and 21-10.
The Olympic champion entered the competition after winning the Indonesia Masters 2022 last week.
The back-to-back tournaments have been long anticipated by badminton fans after nearly three years without a live audience in the Indonesian capital due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today I just tried to get in there and use my experience. I tried to control the urges as best I could. I tried to play at a fast pace and it really paid off,” he told reporters after the game.
The women’s singles final, meanwhile, ended with second-seeded Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan beating the unseeded Wang Zhi Yi of China 21-23, 21-6, 21-15.
“Wang played with very good ball control. Due to my own mistakes, I put the burden on myself,” Tai said through an interpreter after the game.
promoted
But after dropping the first set, Tai quickly bounced back in the second and dominated the rest of the way.
“I’m very happy that a lot of people cheered me on, because it became my motivation during today’s race,” she said.
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