Despite home support, it was a step too far for Victor Axelsen as he bowed out of the BWF Denmark Open, beaten by world No.1 Shi Yu Qi 21-19, 17-21, 21-17 in the men’s singles semi-finals in Odense on Saturday (18 October).
Shi, of the People’s Republic of China, will now play Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in the final on Sunday (19 October) after Christie came from a game down to defeat France’s Alex Lanier 11-21, 21-8, 21-13 in their semi-final clash.
The match between Axelsen and Shi was always going to be quite the tussle with both players resetting for the new Olympic cycle in different ways.
The Dane has only recently returned after a back operation, aiming to extend his career that also includes two world titles, plus Olympic and world bronze. Shi, meanwhile, struggled after a disappointing showing at Paris 2024, unsure whether to even return to the sport.
And despite coming back from a first-game loss to win the second, Axelsen could not get the better of Shi in the final game.