It was business as usual for Viktor Axelsen, despite the world No.1 having returned to training only last week due to a hamstring injury he’d sustained at the Sudirman Cup last month.

The Dane was in imperious touch as he handled HS Prannoy’s wares on his way to his third final of this year. Axelsen made the final having not dropped a game all week.

“I was actually really surprised,” said Axelsen. “I never thought I’d be in a final after the lead-up to this tournament. I literally started practising five days before coming here, so I had no expectations. I only wanted to play without pain, and now to be in the final, winning every match in straight games, is amazing. I’m really relaxed going into the final tomorrow, I will just enjoy the experience.

“I lost to Prannoy at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals and I wanted to see if I could do better today, and yeah, today I won in straight games. I was under pressure in the second game as I was in the first game but I stepped up in the end. His attack was really good. He’s a talented player, has been playing really well. It was a tough match, but I’m super proud of my performance.”

There was good news for India, however, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty making their first HSBC BWF World Tour Super 1000 final, bouncing back in style after falling in the first round of last week’s Singapore Open. The Indians passed a stiff test from Seo Seung Jae/Kang Min Hyuk, 17-21 21-19 21-18.

“As they say, your biggest victories come after your greatest losses,” said Shetty. “We were at our lowest low in Singapore, morale was low. But we stood up from there and this week has been incredible and still a match to go. I hope we will be able to take the title.”

What They Said

“I made a lot of errors in the lifts. Physically I was all right. It was just about finding the right length, trying to get to the lines, especially in this kind of drift. Viktor is consistent in finding the right length.” – HS Prannoy

“I’m in the right way to keep the focus in my game plan. I want to keep this focus for tomorrow against Chen Yu Fei. It’s so important for me to live in the moment, and try to think every time what’s going on court and how I can improve, or what I need to keep improving,” – Carolina Marin, after semifinal win over Ratchanok Intanon

“I’m quite tired because I’ve played a lot recently. This is my last tournament for a while. I need to recover physically and mentally. Of course I wanted to be in the final, but I can handle this result.” – An Se Young

“I’m very happy to play the final, but I need to calm myself down. If I win tomorrow, that would be wonderful. I played patiently today because I know she has played a lot recently. An Se Young is very confident, and that’s something I like about her.” – Chen Yu Fei

Results (Semifinals)