PETALING JAYA: The last minute withdrawal of defending champion Anders Antonsen from the European Championships has paved the way for other players to seize the title, bringing an end to Denmark’s dominance in the men’s singles event.
The world No. 2 was unable to defend his title due to lingering fitness issues, having been too ill to compete since Sunday due to severe stomach problems.
Antonsen was a strong contender to retain his crown, especially with the tournament being held on home soil in Horsens, Denmark, where he was set to face Ukraine’s Oleksii Titov.
Denmark have already lost the service of three-time champion Viktor Axelsen, who has gone through a back surgery.
“It’s with great sadness that I have to pull out from this year’s European Championships. The last three days I’ve been sick and unfortunately I haven’t been able to recover from it yet,” said Antonsen via his social media.
“My preparations went very well but unfortunately I’ve been struck by bad luck in the very end.”
Denmark has long been a dominant force in the men’s singles event at the European Championships, winning six of the past seven editions since 2014.
The only interruption came in 2017 when England’s Rajiv Ouseph broke their streak, but since then, Denmark’s supremacy has been reaffirmed by Axelsen and Antonsen.
Without them, rising talents like Alex Lanier, Christo Popov, and Toma Popov Jr from France are seen as the favourites.
No French male singles player has ever won the title in the 57-year history of the competition.
