When the Danes made their mark
Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen won six of the 10 BWF World Tour tournaments played in the 2020 season, all the major ones at that
It is one of the most consistent of badminton playing nations, despite having a limited talent pool. It has, for the last nine decades, challenged the might of the Asian powerhouses. Its players have kept winning medals at various international tournaments on a regular basis. Over the years this tiny Scandinavian nation has created its own legacy in the shuttle sport, and earned the respect of others.
But when did Denmark last have a dominant year? Which was the last year when the Danish shuttlers won all of the major tournaments played?
Well, for starters 2020 was one.
Before we get to the achievement part let’s first attempt to explain the argument, rather the counterargument that may follow.
It was a year when a virus held the world at ransom, forced it into a lockdown and put paid to most of the plans. Like all other aspects badminton also suffered. Not only did the Tokyo Olympics get deferred, but the regular BWF World Tour season was also severely impacted. Many of the scheduled 37 tournaments — including the 10 Super 100 (Level 6) tournaments — either got cancelled or were rescheduled.
Even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared coronavirus a pandemic in early March, BWF’s decision to go ahead with the prestigious All England Open was met with widespread criticism. As it happened the competition held at Arena Birmingham was the last major tournament before the badminton fraternity was forced to take a seven-month break.
The Denmark Open Super 750 and the SaarLor Lux Open Super 100, both held in October last year, had severely depleted fields. While the BWF decided upon continuing the remainder of the 2020 season in January 2021, with three big ticket tournaments in a bio secure bubble in Thailand, the Chinese contingent promptly announced its decision to skip the entire schedule.
Besides, there was the continued absence of Kento Momota. The Japanese suffered a severe accident last January, when he was on his way to the Kuala Lumpur airport soon after winning the Malaysian Masters. It left many scars and required surgery for an eye socket fracture, something that made Momota contemplate quitting the sport altogether.
But even as the world №1 readied himself again in pursuit of his Olympic dream, fate had others plans in store. Ahead of his scheduled departure from Tokyo’s Narita airport Momota tested positive for the coronavirus. The test also put paid into the hopes of the entire Japanese contingent — a lot many of whom had featured in the Denmark Open.
It is a fact that all the tournaments following the All England were conspicuous by the absence (rather withdrawal) of the Chinese contingent. It is also true that the trio of tournaments in Bangkok also missed the competitive attributes of the Japanese players. And it can be argued that since the field was depleted it takes some shine off the achievements of those that won.
That said, the quality of a tournament’s field notwithstanding, some effort is still required to win a title. In the final analysis it is all about taking advantage of an existing situation. It’s s up to the players to make the most of the chances they get. The Danish contingent therefore, deserves full credit for making the opportunities count.
Also, the tournaments that were eventually held could still boast of an impressive field. The Indonesians were there. So were the Koreans. The Thai contingent was palpably present. The Malaysians were involved too. Also in the fray were the consistent lot from Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
Amid this wide array of talents the Danish men succeeded in winning six of the 10 tournaments held as part of BWF’s 2020 season. Not just that eight of those 10 tournaments had at least one player from Denmark, while there were three all-Danish finals — one in Odense and two in Bangkok.
Expectedly it was Viktor Axelsen who led the way. The former world champion began the year well, reaching the final at the Malaysia Masters, the last four at the Indonesia Masters before comfortably defending his title at the Spain Masters. Then came the icing on the cake, a maiden All England Open title, won in the most emphatic of styles — conceding just one game in five matches. For the record it was Denmark’s first title in the men’s singles discipline since Peter Gade’s success back in 1999.
While Axelsen suffered an ankle injury soon after — that kept him out of the Denmark Open — he used the COVID-19 enforced break to his advantage — getting operated, recovery and regaining fitness and easing back into training. The same helped him tremendously in Bangkok. The 27-year-old dropped just one game, against wily Indonesian Anthony Sinusuka Ginting in the last four, en route to winning the Yonex Thailand Open Super 1000.
The Dane was even more parsimonious while winning the Toyota Thailand Open Super 1000 the following week, not conceding a single game in five matches. The twin wins in Bangkok, coupled with his success at the All England triumph of last year, helped Axelsen become the first player ever to complete a “Super 1000 Slam”, that is winning all the three Super 1000 tournaments in a calendar year. No mean feat this, doesn’t matter what the counterargument is.
Axelsen also reached the decider of the BWF World Tour Finals, winning all his four matches with ease. In the process the Odense-born extended his unbeaten run to 29 matches, bettering the 28-match winning streak of his nemesis Momota, attained from the Japan Open to the French Open in the 2019 season. However, a third title at the year-end extravaganza remained elusive.
This brings us to the other major Danish success story of the 2020 season. Anders Antonsen began the year well. Even though he failed to defend his title at the Indonesia Masters, losing to Ginting in the final, a maiden semi-final appearance at the All England followed. Had it not been for an ankle injury it may well have been all-Danish final in Birmingham. The misfortune meant, Antonsen had to concede the match to Chou Tien-chen.
The month of October albeit ensure good fortune, on the home front at that. After beating Jan O Jorgensen in what was the latter’s final tournament, Antonsen went on to follow in his veteran’s compatriot’s footsteps in winning the Denmark Open title — a decade separating the two ‘home’ triumphs. A bout of COVID-19 and the resultant exertion ensured an early exit from the Yonex Thailand Open.
However, the talented youngster made the last four of the Toyota Thailand Open in the following week before going on to win what is so far the biggest title of his fledgling career, the BWF World Tour Finals. In doing so Antonsen became only the fourth Danish player to win the men’s singles discipline at the year-ender, following Axelsen in 2016–17 — Morten Frost (in 1984) and Gade (in 1999) had won the competition in its earlier avatar.
Besides the evident success of Axelsen and Antonsen, it was also a breakthrough year of sorts for Rasmus Gemke. Apart of making it to the last eight stage of the All England, beating fourth seed Ginting in straight games (21–14, 21–18) in the opening round, the 23-year-old also made it to his first major final — at the Denmark Open.
Then there’s the old warhorse, Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus, who made it all the way to the final of Toyota Thailand Open — his first appearance in a Tier I tournament final since 2015.
Among the women there’s still some way to go before the void left following the retirement of Tine Baun is filled but Mia Blichfeldt has the potential.
At the Yonex Thailand Open the 23-year-old upset world champion PV Sindhu in the opening round en route to the semi-finals, where she posed a problem or two for reigning All England champion Tai Tzu-ying, who not only reached the finals of the two Super 1000 tournaments but also won the BWF Finals. Blichfeldt also made it to the last eight at the Denmark Open while helping her country win the European Women’s Team Championships in Lievin, France.
The women’s competition is as open as it ever was, with players from many countries vying for top honors, a far cry from the years when the Chinese dominated — with one-odd outsider (ask Camilla Martin). It’s about seizing the opportunity and making an impact. If Blichfeldt needs inspiration she doesn’t have to look further. Denmark’s men have shown how it is done in the 2020 season.
