Perfect first appearance for Axelsen

He met an opponent he knows well. Indeed, the Japanese NISHIMOTO and AXELSEN have played each other 6 times already and the Dane has won the last 5 duels. Viktor appeared in good shape and extremely concentrated on the field of play. The first set usually allows the players to take their mark and to set up their game fully. Quickly, the Dane found the right rhythm and imposed his game without difficulty. He won the first game 21-11 in a little more than 15 minutes. The Japanese found himself without a solution, quickly pushed to the fault. The Dane's crosscourt smash was very difficult to counter.  

The two players offered a real battle in the second game. Supported by the whole crowd, the world number one found the keys to keep the pressure on. Despite a very tight score at the end of the set (20-20), Viktor did not give his opponent the opportunity and managed to win the match 21-11 22-20.  

"I had a good attacking game at the beginning of the match. It was working well. I slowed down a bit too much in the second game while NISHIMOTO raised his level of play. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my game. It's the first round, you can't expect everything to be perfect already at this stage of the tournament." 

"I was in the final here already 10 years ago, it's amazing. I've never really been able to perform in Paris. I hope I can do it in this edition. I want to thank the French public. I'm already looking forward to getting back on the court on Thursday!" 

Viktor is likely to meet last week's winner in Odense, the Chinese Shi Yu Qi. The latter is coming back from injury and seems to be in great shape.  

It's a match that promises to be another top show.