A lookback at Viktor Axelsen's achievements in 2023

He finished the season by winning BWF World Tour Finals for third successive time.

Despite suffering from a hamstring injury in May and a foot injury in October, Viktor Axelsen, Danish badminton player, had a great season this year. He concluded the year on a high note by clinching the World Tour Finals title for the fifth time leapfrogging Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei to the top spot.

Overall, the current world no.1 has a 48-7 win-loss record and bagged five World Tour titles. Furthermore, he also triumphed in the European Games and World Tour Finals. These are some of his remarkable achievements in 2023.

Malaysia Open 2023 – Winner

Viktor Axelsen, the reigning Olympic champion, began the season with a stunning victory over Kodai Naraoka (21-6,21-15) at the Malaysia Open (Super 1000) final. He won the title effortlessly and overwhelmed the Japanese international with his aggressive play. He overcame a tough challenge from compatriot Gemke in the opening round but did not face any difficulties in the further rounds.

India Open 2023 – Runner Up

After his triumph at the Malaysia Open, Axelsen played great badminton at the India Open (Super 750). However, he lost to Kunlavut Viditsaran (22-20,10-21,12-21) in the ultimate showdown finishing in the second spot. This was his sixth loss in the finals of BWF World Tour. After winning the opening game in the final, the Danish international lost momentum and succumbed to a loss.

Indonesia Open 2023 – Winner

The current world no.1 won his second title of the year by defeating the home favorite Anthony Sinisuka Ginting comprehensively (21-14,21-13) to clinch the Indonesia Open title. Despite returning from a hamstring injury, Axelsen faced no difficulties throughout the tournament. He outplayed all his opponents convincingly and won the competition without dropping a game.

Japan Open 2023 – Winner

In Tokyo, Viktor Axelsen clinched his third title by beating Jonatan Christie (21-7,21-18) in a one-sided final. He breezed through the tournament, facing a stiff challenge only from India’s HS Prannoy in a nail-biting contest. The Olympic champion was trailing (12-15) in the second game after losing the opener to Prannoy. At this moment it seemed like the Dane was heading for a defeat, but staged a remarkable recovery to win the game and the match.

China Open 2023 – Winner

Viktor Axelsen continued his prime form and won his second Super 1000 title of the year in China, where he beat local star Lu Guangzu (21-16,21-19) in straight games to secure the China Open crown. He displayed some excellent badminton and lost only one game in the entire tournament.

Japan Masters 2023 – Winner

Danish international’s first Super 500 victory came at the Japan Masters where he defeated Shi Yu Qi (22-20, 21-17) in straight games to clinch the title. He faced difficulty in clinching the title as he survived a scare against Ng Tze Yong (20-22,21-11,21-18) in the second round and Jonathan Christie (15-21, 21-18, 21-9) in the quarterfinals.

BWF World Tour Finals 2023 – Winner

The Olympic Champion made it to the World Tour Finals as the 5th seed. He suffered a straight-game defeat to home favourite Shi Yu Qi in his opening group stage match. However, Viktor Axelsen bounced back to win the next two matches and progressed to the semifinals. Furthermore, he overcame countryman Anders Antonsen to enter the final for a record third successive time.

In a re-match against Shi Yuqi, Axelsen avenged his group stage loss by beating the Chinese in the final thereby finishing the year on a high.

European Games 2023 – Winner

Apart from the BWF World Tour events, Axelseon triumphed at the Continental Games where he defeated Christo Popov (16-21,21-16,21-11) of France to clinch the gold medal. After losing the opening game, the world no.1 made a great comeback to defeat the French international for the top spot.

European Mixed Team Championships – Gold

Viktor Axelsen played an important role in helping Denmark clinch the gold medal at the European Team Championships. He defeated Christo Popov (15-21, 22-20, 21-14) and helped Denmark beat France (3-2) in the decider. Axelsen made a great comeback in the second game, from 10-17 down to winning the match comprehensively.

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