Axelsen wins third Indonesia Open title in a row

World number one beats hometown favourite 21-14, 21-13 in straight games

JAKARTA:

Badminton world number one Viktor Axelsen clinched his third-consecutive Indonesia Open title on Sunday after triumphing over underdog Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in straight games.

The Danish ace continued his dominance on the courts of capital Jakarta's Istora Senayan arena, outplaying the hometown favourite and world number two 21-14, 21-13 in a 47-minute final.

Axelsen controlled the match from start to finish, never allowing Ginting to gain a foothold.

The 29-year-old said the final win had left him "speechless" after the Indonesian shuttler failed to halt his hot streak.

"I never thought that I could win Indonesia Open for the straight third time," the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist told reporters.

"I played with a good balance in my game. A good balance between defence and attacking, and all in all, I'm really, really satisfied about my game today."

It was his first individual tournament title win after a hamstring injury forced him to miss the Singapore Open and withdraw from the Sudirman Cup, an international badminton tournament.

Axelsen said he would prioritise his health after making his comeback and would not be drawn on where he would compete next.

"I just want to make sure that my body is healthy and strong, and then there are so many tournaments coming up where I hopefully can perform again," the reigning world champion said.

In the women's singles final, China's Chen Yu Fei triumphed against Spanish star Carolina Marin in a tightly contested 64-minute match to bring home the title.

World number four Chen took the first game 21-18 before Marin nearly tied the match, carving out a slim 19-18 second game lead.

But her Chinese rival managed to snatch the next three points to win the title.

"I thought of changing my strategy against Marin and it turned out to be a bit of a success. That's why I could get points in the second game," 25-year-old shuttler Chen told reporters.