Home » Thailand’s Vitidsarn faces world number one Axelsen for gold in men’s singles final

Thailand’s Vitidsarn faces world number one Axelsen for gold in men’s singles final

The stage is set in the TotalEnergies BWF World Championship 2022 men’s singles final, as Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn is going to face Danish Viktor Axelsen on Sunday.

Vitidsarn opened up on going up against current world number one Viktor Axelsen for the gold, saying he could not be more relaxed as he feels no pressure.

The 21-year-old became the first Thai to compete in a men’s single final of the BWF World Championships.

The world number 17 upset Zhao Junpeng, 22-20, 21-6, to put his name in the gold medal match.

Axelsen, someone who needs no introduction, has been on top of the rankings for a total of 90 weeks, his current streak at 39.

Vitidsarn knows for sure that he will be the underdog against the Danish great, but it might work to his advantage.

“I am very happy as this is only my second World Championships,” said Vitidsarn on the official BWF website. “I did make some mistakes in the first game, but I could control the shuttle well in the second game.

“I was focused on control, because there was drift in the arena,” he added. “I am looking forward to playing Axelsen in the final. I want to learn from him, how he can play so well at every tournament. There’s no pressure on me as he is the favourite.

Vitidsarn continued, “The first game was not good for me as I made many mistakes because of the drift, and it was difficult to control the shuttle. He (Zhao) seemed very tired. The shuttle has been slow this tournament, and it is hard to keep attacking all the time.”

Axelsen extended his impressive record, which now stands at 16-2, over Chou Tien-chen, despite Chou’s effort in causing Axelsen some trouble in their semis matchup.

The Dane managed to beat the Taiwanese in two straight games, 21-15, 21-17.

Over to the women’s singles final

Meanwhile, Chinese Chen Yufei will go up against Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles final. This encounter features two champions: the Olympic and the current World Champion.

Chen overcame Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-ying, 15-21, 21-14, 21-18, to become the first Chinese female singles player to reach a world final since 2016.

Yamaguchi beat South Korea’s An Se-young, 21-19, 21-12. She is expected to defeat the reigning titleholder in front of a supportive crowd fans at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.