World No 1 Viktor Axelsen steamrolls Son Wan Ho as Bengaluru Blasters blank Mumbai Rockets in PBL

Lucknow, January 1: World No 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark swept aside a strong challenge from World No 5 Son Wan Ho of Korea to dismantle him 15-6, 15-13 and help Bengaluru Blasters clinch the tie against Mumbai Rockets with two matches to spare in the Premier Badminton League here at the BBD UPBA on Monday (January 1).

Sheer domination!

Bengaluru Blasters win all their matches as Mumbai Rockets suffer a demoralizing 6 - (-1) defeat.#BLRvMUM #VodafonePBL #SmashTheHouseDown pic.twitter.com/mBSGbH4Dq0

— PBL India (@PBLIndiaLive) January 1, 2018

It was perfect platform for the world champion as he came into the match with his side leading 2-0. Playing the trump match for the Blasters, Axelsen did not disappoint the crowd who had braved the chilly weather and swarmed to the stadium in numbers on the first day of the new year.

Viktor, who has been in impeccable form throughout the season, began on a sound note winning the opening game without facing much of a resistance. The Korean looked completely out of sorts and never could mount any challenge and literally toyed with in the opening game.

Woooow!! What a match. What a team ✌🏼 on fire tonight 💃delighted to be named Super Player of the tie 😊😁#LetsGoBlasters! pic.twitter.com/8XDPHZJgou

— Kirsty Gilmour (@KirstyGilmourr) January 1, 2018

In the second game, the Korean got a better measure of the Danish star and did give a better account but Viktor maintained his composure the seal the tie match and the tie with a towering smash. Midway into the tie, they led 4-0.

Even though Viktor posted a comfortable, he conceded that it is never easy to play against the Korean. "I have played against him a lot of time and know that he can come back anytime. Everyone saw the way he came back in the second game and it was very crucial for me to stay focussed throughout. I am happy to have pulled it off and put my team in the driving seat,"Viktor said after the match.

Movements of today's match.
That million dollar smile 😍.
Congratulations on winning first match of 2k18.#VodafonePBL #BLRvMUM #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/PmaCfQzRl0

— Sikki Reddy Fc (@SikkiReddy_FC) January 1, 2018

Earlier in the second match of the day, World No 16 Kirsty Gilmour extended Bengaluru's lead after she got the better of the USA's Beiwen Zhang, ranked 11th in the world 15-14, 15-8.

The US shuttler got off a blitzy start and won four points on the trot. The Scot tried to crawl back her way but Beiwen clearly looked the better player on the court and went into the interval 8-5. She maintained her stronghold on the match and was cruising her way to win the game. She was leading 11-6 and it was almost certain she would seal the deal. But Kirsty showed great resiliency and worked her way up to eventually win the game.

The Bengaluru player started from where she left in the second game and was in her imperious best as even though Beiwen tried to stay in the match, the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medalist eventually closed the affair to hand her team a 2-0 advantage.

In the opening match of the tie, Bengaluru's mixed doubles pair of Sikki Reddy/Kim Sa Rang beat Mumbai duo of MR Arjun/Gabriela Stoeva 15-8, 10-15, 15-10.

Blasters got off to a great start racing to an 8-3 lead in no time. The story remained unchanged after the break as well as the young Mumbai pair had no answers to their opponents smashes and drop and easily succumbed to a lose in the opening game.

In the second game, they gave a better account for themselves and opened up a lead early on in the match. They gave a strong fight and moved better on the court to deal with everything that was hit towards them. They combined well with Arjun stealing the show with his powerful smashes from the back court. The Mumbai duo maintained a healthy lead throughout the game and sealed the game to take the match into the decider.

However, Sikki and Kim bounced back in the final game and despite some gutsy play by Arjun and Stoeva, they managed to win the game to ensure Bengaluru an 1-0 lead into the tie.

Later, Chong Wei Feng rallied to defeat Sameer Verma 9-15, 15-8, 15-6 in the latter's trump match for Rockets. This result sent Mumbai Rockets into the negative territory.

In the men's doubles tie, Mathias Boe and Kim Sa Rang also fought back 9-15, 15-10, 15-14 against Lee Yong Dae and Tan Boon Heong. This result meant that Rockets ended the tie with a negative score of -1 with Bengaluru Blasters bagging six points from the tie.

Results

Bengaluru Blasters vs Mumbai Rockets

Mixed doubles: Kim Sa Rang/Sikki Reddy bt Gabriela Stoeva/MR Arjun 15-8, 10-15, 15-10

Women's singles: Kirsty Gilmour bt Beiwen Zhang 15-14, 15-8

Men's singles: Viktor Axelsen [T] bt Son Wan Ho 15-6, 15-13

Men's singles: Chong Wei Feng vs Sameer Verma 9-15, 15-8, 15-6

Men's doubles: Mathias Boe/Kim Sa Rang bt Lee Yong Dae/Tan Boon Heong 9-15, 15-10, 15-14

Source: Press release