In the round of 16 of the Danish Open, the young Frenchman was getting closer to victory when Viktor Axelsen, reigning Olympic champion, retired.
A feat with a taste of unfinished business. Opposed to double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, during the round of 16 of the Danish Open this Thursday, Alex Lanier emerged victorious following the abandonment of his Danish opponent in the middle of the second round, after 39 minutes of play The French prodigy, 19, then led a set to zero (21-19) and managed his lead in the second set (11-7).
Titled at the Paris Games this summer, Axelsen was not able to defend his chances 100% in front of his audience. Sick, he struggled to move and even vomited on the field and then a second time in his towel at the start of the second round. Whatever the circumstances, Alex Lanier continues his journey in this tournament and will challenge Singaporean Kean Yew Loh, world champion in 2021, in the quarter-final.
A true French badminton sensation, Lanier was not present at the Olympics but made history shortly after, on August 25 in Japan, by becoming the first French winner of a Super 750 tournament. Before a second coronation at the Denmark this week?
