Anders Antonsen’ game at the net is a delight to watch. As Denmark’s Anders Antonsen was halfway through his maiden Super Series semifinal match, in walked another Dane, amid rapturous applause, on the adjacent court. World No. 4 Viktor Axelsen is amongst the most popular players on the circuit, and not surprisingly, the Delhi crowd’s attention quickly shifted to the other semifinal featuring him. Axelsen is a tier above Antonsen, who is just 19 years of age. But the youngster is keen to break into the elite league and with his performances in the past has shown he has the potential to do so. It was a tough day for the youngster on Saturday though. Antonsen went down in straight games to Chou Tien Chen, while Axelsen sealed a final spot with a comfortable win against NG Ka Long Angus.“It would __have been great to join Viktor,” he said after the game with a long face.
Antonsen may __have missed the opportunity of making it an all Denmark men’s single’s final at the India Open, but he showed glimpses of brilliance during his game.His game at the net is a delight to watch. The youngster has a good defensive game and has the ability to change the pace of the game.
He did take a 4-1 lead in the first game against Tien Chen, but failed to latch onto it. In the second, Antonsen tried too many things and could not seem to break Chou Tien’s defence. He tried to unsettle his opponent with some smashes, but Chen was up for the task. Running out of ideas, the youngster committed a slew of errors to lose the game 21-17, 21-14. Trailing 17-11, he committed yet another unforced error and reacted by dropping his racquet and standing still for a moment in despair.
It just wasn’t his day.“Today he was better than me. I had to really work very hard and I could feel the previous match’s strain on my legs. A little luck and better play could have turned it around,” said the Dane, who had ended Sameer Verma’s campaign in the quarters. The European U 19 Champion is touted as the next big thing to emerge from the talent-rich Nordic nation. He won the World Junior Championship a couple of years back and like most budding shuttlers has that upset which everybody talks about. The Aarhus resident beat one of his compatriots World No. 2 Jan O Jorgensen to win the nationals in February.“That was a great victory and the event was in my hometown. To win a nationals at home is a huge thing and I am really proud of it,” the youngster recalled.
Taking up badminton was a no brainer for Antonsen, whose father runs a badminton club back home. His house, he says, is barely 500 metres from the courts. He started training with his parents when he was as young as six.“He has a shop where he sells food and badminton equipment and runs the hall. I think I took up the racket as soon as I learnt walking,” he said.“Since my dad runs the hall, I could practise as much as I wanted,” he admits.
The Dane, after his exit, will now head home and perhaps practice even harder, as his goals would demand of him. “Hopefully, my name will be taken along with the likes of (Peter) Gade and Jorgensen in the coming years.” The Delhi crowd is likely to see more of him and and maybe their attention wouldn’t be diverted the next time.
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