Copenhagen: Viktor Axelsen won his first All England badminton tournament following a straight-set 21-13, 21-14 victory over Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham on Sunday.
"I'm a sensitive guy. If you are not thrilled to stand here in an All England final in front of such an audience, then you are not a human being," said a tearful Axelsen following his triumph.
On paper, Chou Tien-chen, the tournaments number one seed, was the favorite but the second-seeded Dane had won nine out of their past 11 encounters.
Axelsen won the first set by controlling play with very few unforced errors and tsunami of smashes that wrong-footed his hapless opponent.
In the second set, Chou desperately needed to get back in the game but the Dane's continued control was not eased.It was the second year in a row that the Dane appeared in the All England Final.