Viktor came out victorious in the battle of the ‘Sens’ and he called ir the toughest match of his career till date. Had someone asked me yesterday evening, my head would have said it was always going to be Viktor Axelsen given his 7-1 head-to-head record, his wide wing span on court and his relentless and powerful smashes.
The only time Lakshya had beaten Axelsen was at the German Open in 2022, after narrowly winning the third game 22-20. But my heart believed that Lakshya could get past his Danish opponent given the way he had played in the previous rounds to get past top names like Jonatan Christie, HS Prannoy and a Chou Tien-chen.
Also, Axelsen hadn’t had a great start to 2024, sustaining injuries, and had even lost to Chou, who Lakshya had beaten earlier this week. But what I witnessed in the 55-minute-long match was the adage that “champions know how to rise from the ashes”.
It was a very different Lakshya today compared to the previous games, right from the first shot. He was aggressive and smashing hard immediately. I suppose he was adapting to an opponent of a different grade?
He was up midway through the first set and with his versatility, reach, stretches, drop shots and smashes, he was sitting comfortably ahead at 20-17. We fans were witnessing a mouthwatering game of badminton play out, and one that was heading in the direction that we wanted.
My thumping heart was winning the race against my mind. And then, one false serve from Lakshya and the world turned around. Axelsen got a sniff of his opponent’s nerves and the reigning Olympic gold medallist found that little window of opportunity to choke Lakshya.
In a jiffy, Axelsen was up 1-0 after winning the set 22-20. The decently large Indian contingent, that was seated amid a sea of red, went quiet. We saw the momentum move away in front of our eyes and we couldn’t do a thing about it.
It was a bit of a jolt, to be honest, as I had mentally registered the first set in Lakshya’s balance sheet. But as they say, don’t count your chickens, especially when you are up against a world champion.
Lakshya isn’t one to give up without a fight, as we saw in the quarterfinals where he lost the first game, and once again he started strong. He was up 7-0 thanks to his strong defence and playing the long game to induce errors from the Dane.
Axelsen dug deep when it was needed and responded with relentless attacks from both forehand and backhand. Perhaps the pressure of holding on to a lead once again got to Lakshya? He was still up at halfway in the second game, but not for long. Axelsen and the Danish crowd had sensed blood, and were moving for the kill.
With every missed shot or an unsuccessful challenge, we could feel the belief evaporate, and in quick time, Axelsen wrapped up the match 22-20, 21-14.
One couldn’t help but compare Axelsen to Novak Djokovic in terms of the physicality of his game and his ability to play on the opponent’s mind and bounce back from black holes to emerge victorious.
These wins don’t just show up on the scorecard, but also leave scars on the opponent’s minds. They held build an aura that acts as a weapon on others as well – not dissimilar to the perceptions built around legends like Muhammad Ali, Michael Holding or Viv Richards.
Lakshya and his coaches should be immensely proud of the way he played, despite missing out on some big moments. He showcased levels of maturity, fitness, adaptability and mental strength far beyond what one would typically expect from someone at 22. Post-match, Axelsen himself called him an “amazing talent with a bright future and the favourite to win the gold medal at the next Olympics”.
For Lakshya, the job isn’t done yet ~ just that the colour of his target has gotten a few shades darker. He rightly said that he would try and forget this and focus on the next game against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia.
At 22, Lakshya has a shot at glory, to become the first Indian male to win an Olympic badminton medal. The nation will hope and expect him to deliver as it deals with medal hopefuls crashing out like dominoes in other events.
Thank you, to the ‘L and XL’ Sens, for gifting us a historic encounter, one that both players, their respective fans and their nations will remember for ages to come.