Intriguing Week Ahead as Momota Returns
The enticing prospect of a Kento Momota versus Viktor Axelsen showdown is in the air as the 111th edition of the world’s oldest tournament, the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2021, begins this week.
· DEV SUKUMAR
The Momota-Axelsen rivalry has been dominated by the Japanese who has a 14-1 record, but if they do clash this year, the terms of the engagement will be different. Momota hasn’t played an international match since winning the PERODUA Malaysia Masters in January 2020 – over a year ago. Injury to his eye socket sustained during a traffic accident necessitated surgery. Momota was then due to play the Asian Leg in January 2021 but contracted COVID-19 and that put him out of action for a few more weeks.
Axelsen, in the meantime, went from strength to strength. He won his first All England – becoming the first Dane in two decades to win the men’s singles title. Despite a minor ankle surgery that forced him to skip the DANISA Denmark Open last October, Axelsen has been nearly unstoppable so far in 2021 – winning 23 of his last 24 matches and capturing the YONEX Thailand Open, the TOYOTA Thailand Open, and the YONEX Swiss Open.
What has been particularly impressive is his decimation of top 10 players. During the Asian Leg he dropped only one game in 14 matches before his loss to Anders Antonsen in the title round of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals. Axelsen appears more defensively solid and more consistent now than in the recent past, and it will be up to his challengers to raise their game if they hope to beat him.