In the round of 16 of the Danish Open, Alex Lanier faced Viktor Axelsen, world No. 2, this Thursday. The Frenchman took the first round before seeing his opponent, Olympic champion in Paris, give up after vomiting.
A feeling of unfinished business? Facing Viktor Axelsen in the round of 16 of the Danish Open, Alex Lanier won his match and reached the quarter-finals. Opposed to the double Olympic champion, the Frenchman started the match very well by taking the first set (21-19).
But Axelsen, a recent gold medalist at the Paris Olympic Games, quickly understood that the game was going to be very difficult. In addition to having to watch out for the excellent shots of the 19-year-old French hope, the Dane was obviously also dealing with illness.
A break in the second round to vomit
At the start of the second set, the world No. 2 suffered and struggled to move. The Dane finally vomited on the field. Later in the same round, Viktor Axelsen, who was trailing (10-7), took a break where he vomited again, into his towel.
Unable to defend his chances, the Olympic champion ended up giving up in front of his supporters, leading to the victory of Alex Lanier, who continued on to the quarter-finals. For this next round, the Frenchman will challenge world No. 10, Kean Yew Loh (Singapore).
A tricolor badminton prodigy, the world No. 30 could continue to make history, since this summer, in Japan, Lanier became the first Frenchman to win in a Super 750 tournament.
