KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark launched his three-peat bid at the Malaysia Open convincingly, outplaying his pal, Loh Kean Yew, in the opening round today at the Axiata Arena, which he claimed to be a "favourite hunting ground" and "legendary" venue.
Axelsen allowed Kean Yew, Singapore's first-ever world champion in 2021, to lead only just three times throughout the match, 2-0 in the opening game and 7-6 in the second, as he wrapped up a 21-13, 21-15 win in just 43 minutes yesterday.
The victory marked Axelsen's fourth consecutive win against Kean Yew, further solidifying his impressive head-to-head record at 8-2.
The emphatic win underlined Axelsen's desire to secure three titles in succession on the World Tour for the third time in his career.
He accomplished three-peat twice thus far, at the Indonesia Open (2021-23) and World Tour Finals last month (2021-23).
"I'm truly delighted with my first-round performance. Kean Yew is not an easy opponent, especially in the first round," said Axelsen.
"So, I was really focused on executing the right game plan today. I believe I managed to do that effectively and to play like this and get through rather comfortably is a positive outcome for me."
Axelsen, set to face Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in the last 16, expressed his honour at the prospect of vying for a potential fourth victory on Malaysian soil.
In addition to winning the Malaysia Open in 2022 and 2023, Axelsen also clinched victory at the Malaysia Masters in 2018.
"I love playing here in Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur. It's one of my favourite places to play," said Axelsen.
"So I'll see if I can win here this week. I've been really fortunate to win not only the Malaysia Open, but also Malaysia Masters in this stadium here, which is a legendary stadium. So I'm happy to be here."
Meanwhile, fifth seed Jonatan Christie became the first notable casualty in the men's singles competition.
The Indonesian ace was knocked out 12-21, 21-18, 21-16 by India's K. Srikanth.
