Lakshya Sen was undone by nerves, defending champion Viktor Axelsen said after defeating him in the Olympic semifinals but also predicted that the Indian youngster would be among the favourites to win a gold medal four years from now in the Los Angeles Games.
Axelsen defeated Sen 22-20 21-14, managing to rally in both the games against the talented Indian player who will now play for a bronze medal on Monday.
“Lakshya is an amazing player. He has shown in this Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure in four years from now, he will be one of the favourites to win the gold,” Axelsen told ‘Jio Cinema’ after the win here on Sunday.
“An amazing talent and a great guy and I wish him all the best. He was playing so well in the big parts of both games, but I managed to relax and play the right game and win the match. But all credit to him as well,” he added.
Axelsen knows a thing or two about handling pressure and said his experience helped him to stave off the stiff challenge from Sen, who seemed nervous despite looking the better player for a major part of their semifinal clash.
The 22-year-old from Almora squandered a three-point advantage in the first game and a 7-0 lead in the second in the 54-minute clash.
“I think the experience made a difference today. I think Lakshya, he played better than I did in big parts of the game. So he could have won the match,” said Axelsen, who is one win away from joining Chinese legend Lin Dan as a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
Sen was leading 17-11 in the opening game and managed to grab three game points but he imploded thereafter and a series of unforced errors handed the initiative to Axelsen.
“If you start to think, then you have problems. And I think Lakshya, he thought a lot about it. It was a big thing for him obviously, I know what the rings does to you mentally,” the Dane said.
“He was maybe, starting to think, ‘oh, if I grab this set then I have the momentum, I have a big chance’. But again, it’s so natural to think like that. I’ve been there myself and I think he got a little bit nervous.
“And when you get nervous, I know that I have to strike and I have to keep the shot on the court and play the right shots because then he will maybe make a mistake because of nerves.”
While Axelsen will face Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the finals, Sen will be up against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze-medal playoff.
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