Anders Antonsen’s biggest title came during a particularly challenging period of patchy form and below-par performances.

It was a period when, for the most part, he looked far below his normal level. Yet, on the day that mattered, the final of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020, Antonsen produced a tactically astute performance, stopping in-form compatriot Viktor Axelsen from winning his fourth straight Super 1000-level title.

Axelsen was on a run of 29 successive wins, and Antonsen’s form hadn’t suggested a difficult contest. The younger man, familiar with his rival’s style, however pushed the right buttons. Axelsen’s defence to big smashes has been outstanding over the last three weeks, and so his challenger denied him the pace he revels at. The soft clips down the flanks did the damage, as did his attack to the body and his opportunism at the net.

“I’m shocked and I’m so, so happy of course. It’s overwhelming, I didn’t expect to go all the way,” said the champion.

“It’s amazing to get a title as big as this one. It’s hard to process and I don’t even know what to say. I’ve had a tough month, things have not been working well for me and I’ve been struggling a lot, so to win here is unreal.

“Today I was fighting hard, trying not to attack too hard and then try to get good length on my lifts, because we know he has a great attack. Patience was key. In the second game I was saving up energy for the third game because I knew I didn’t have the resources. I had to be very calculated. I decided it would be smarter to go for the third game.”

Axelsen, denied pace, made a number of soft errors, although he did well to claw back from a 10-15 deficit and edge forward at 17-16. However, with Antonsen staying steady, it turned out to be a day when Axelsen couldn’t make the final push.

“I’m disappointed. I wouldn’t say I’m as satisfied with my game as I have been the other days. There were way too many mistakes and bad decisions. I think mentally I’ve used up a lot of energy. Anders played really well and I want to congratulate him. It wasn’t for me today, but I can still look back at a great three weeks.”