New Delhi: Viktor Axelsen is one step closer to adding another India Open title to his collection, having previously won the tournament in 2017 and 2019. The Danish Olympic gold medalist continued his dominance over Indonesia’s world number three Jonatan Christie, securing his tenth consecutive victory against the Indonesian in a thrilling three-set match on Saturday with 17-21, 21-14, 21-15.
The first game was tightly contested, with Axelsen maintaining a slight lead until 17-17. However, Christie capitalized on a late surge to take the game 21-17.
Highlights of Viktor Axelsen vs. Jonatan Christie in the 2025 India Open semifinal:
Axelsen rebounded strongly in the second game, racing to an 11-6 lead at the interval. Although Christie staged a brief comeback, Axelsen regained control to win 21-14, forcing a deciding game.
In the third game, Axelsen turned up the tempo, exploiting Christie’s mounting errors. The Dane dominated the closing stages to seal the match 21-15, securing his place in the final of the India Open, a BWF Super 750 event.
Axelsen will take on Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in the final.
In men’s doubles, Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin continued their impressive form, defeating India’s seventh-seeded pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in straight sets, 21-18, 21-14, to reach the final.
The Malaysian duo, staged a strong comeback in the first game, rallying from a 12-15 deficit with a seven-point streak to lead 19-15. Although the Indians closed the gap to 19-18, Goh and Izzuddin held their nerve to clinch the first game 21-18.
In the second game, the Malaysians broke away at 14-14 with another explosive run, winning seven consecutive points to claim victory at 21-14.
Goh and Izzuddin will face South Korea’s Seo Seung Jae and Kim Won Ho in the final. The Korean pair, fresh off winning their Malaysia Open title last week, defeated Malaysia’s fifth seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the other semifinal, 22-20, 21-19.