TOYOTA Thailand Open: Antonsen Hails ‘Warrior’ Verma After Stiff Test
A defiant Sameer Verma nearly tripped Anders Antonsen in the quarterfinals of the TOYOTA Thailand Open, with the third seed scraping home in a tight finish after 81 minutes.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Verma, not too long ago a consistent top 15-ranked player, hasn’t been in the limelight lately. A shoulder problem in 2019 due to overuse resulted in a layoff and a consequent loss in confidence. There were sessions with a psychologist, who recommended motivations movies and books; Verma also spent time watching his own match videos to regain confidence.
“It took almost one and a half months to get back on court. It’s difficult to find rhythm at this level. I was talking to a sports psychologist on how to stay confident,” Verma said.
Today’s performance was typical of Verma at his best – gritty, high-paced percentage badminton with no flashiness or extravagant strokeplay. Antonsen’s steep shots kept coming back, and the match was on edge until the end.