Axelsen enjoying smooth transition to senior stage

2010 World Junior champion Viktor Axelsen has done well since moving into the senior stage. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star

While many of Malaysia’s world and Asian junior shuttlers have struggled in making the transition to the senior league, one player – Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen – has adapted to it quite well, frankly.

Ninteen-year-old Axelsen is one of three world junior singles champions still going strong in the men’s singles fray of the ongoing World Championships.

If the lanky 2010 world junior champion maintains his dedication and commitment to the game, he is certain to be as successful as two others – 2007 champion Chen Long and 2008 winner Wang Zhengming of China.

Reigning All-England champion Chen Long is one of the frontrunners for the world title in Guangzhou while the 23-year-old Zhengming, ranked 14th in the world, is seen as the darkhorse.

The 19-year-old Axelsen admitted that he had experienced both ups and downs in his transition from a junior to a world-class player. 

“I’m quite satisfied with the way I have improved as a player since winning the world junior title. It’s important to progress and still have fun doing it,” he said.

“During the transition, you have to be strong and stable and get used to the long rallies and long matches. It’s about starting all over again. It takes a lot of hard work – mentally and phsyically.

“My only disappointment was this year’s All-England. I had high expectations but things did not turn out the way I had wanted them to,” added Axelsen, who went down to Kenichi Tago in the first round in Birmingham.

He also picked the win over his idol Bao Chunlai in the Singapore Open as his best in his career, thus far.

On his World Championships debut, Axelsen was happy to have beaten Finland’s Ville Lang to set up a second round clash with Takuma Ueda of Japan.

“I think I handled myself well in the first round ... I felt very comfortable getting into my game. It will be tough against Ueda and I’ll be delighted to make the third round,” he said.

Those in his half are Zhengming, Du Pengyu of China and top seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.