Source:Sipa USA/SOPA Images
[Saba Sports News] In the men’s singles first round of the Hong Kong China Badminton Open, Viktor Axelsen, returning from injury, lost 0-2 to fifth seed Kodai Naraoka and failed to advance to the round of 16. The entire match lasted only 36 minutes, with the scores of the two games being 15-21, 7-21. It is worth mentioning that Naraoka also ended his six-match losing streak against Axelsen, defeating him for the first time in his career. After the match, Axelsen said: “It felt good to be back on the court, but I wish I could have enjoyed the process more. A lot of unfortunate things have happened recently – I was sick last week and couldn’t train, but I still tried to persevere. I hold myself to a high standard, so it’s hard to accept when I play at what I consider a lower level. But that’s reality – it’s part of an athlete’s journey. Today’s match was a tough mountain for me to climb, but all credit goes to Naraoka. He played much better than I did. My back is almost pain-free. That’s a good thing.” What did the fans think of Axelsen’s performance?