Final on Sunday: Lakshya Sen will take on a familiar rival right from his junior years. The Thai youngster Kunlavut Vitidsarn defeat Lee Zii Jia 21-13 21-12.
Some reactions to the win:
10.30 pm: What stood out in the end for Sen was the manner in which he kept playing his game. Axelsen tried to just power through the last few points with smashes but Sen just stayed calm and did his thing. Far too many errors from Axelsen today but Sen can take credit for quite a few of them – his defence frustrated the Dane and then the errors followed. This is a big win and will serve Sen well against the best in the business at the All England too.
10.28 pm: A look at all the results so far! What a win for Sen!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 20-22
WHAT A COMEBACK! Down 9-16, Sen completes an incredible comeback. He has his first win over the Olympic champion. Superb play! WHAT A WIN!!!!!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 20-21
Another match point for Sen! Axelsen sends one into the net.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 20-20
Lovely crosscourt half smash by Axelsen. We are back level!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 19-20
Match point for Sen!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 19-19
Excellent attacking play by Sen! We are all level. What a thriller! Axelsen on the defensive... forced on the defence!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 19-18
Error from Axelsen and Sen is back in it. One-point game!!!!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 19-17
Sen keeping everyone interested. Getting some lovely depth on his shots.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 19-16
Axelsen pulls away. Sen gets a point back but the Indian has to play almost perfectly from this point on.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 17-15
Nice down the line smash and we are within two points. Sen isn’t giving up. The crowd trying to cheer the Dane on.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 16-13
Sen has won five of the last six points. Some really good stuff – playing very close to the lines. Perhaps he needs to do that.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 16-12
Axelsen trying to finish point off with his power but Sen coping well with that. Lead down to four points.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 16-11
The lead is down to five now. Sen in a spot. Axelsen feeling confident.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 15-9
Six points! Too big a lead to crawl back at this stage? But also a test of character for Sen. He cannot give in.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 13-8
The Dane is turning it on here. Sen is floundering a bit now.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 11-8
The Olympic champ heads into the last mid-game interval with a three-point advantage. He has the momentum and the lead. The challenge for Sen is to stay true to his game. The temptation to change things will be there but he has done well so far.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 8-7
What a rally! Sen hung in there... and he was rewarded. This is some really good play. A long rally but Sen isn’t looking to rush things and that is a good thing.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 8-6
The steep smashes aren’t coming back as often anymore. The Dane is pulling ahead.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 6-6
Spectacular defence by Sen. Good defence by Axelsen early in the rally and then the big finish. This is some really good badminton. High level stuff.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 5-6
Sen fighting hard. Takes two points in a row to go one-point up.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 5-4
Axelsen being so much more patient in the rallies now. He is waiting and then striking. Sen struggling to keep up at times. Vital phase in the game.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 4-4
Super play by the Dane to take the point. Was forced to defend early in the point but then he finished it with a very nicely placed smash. Sen couldn’t get the reply back.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 2-2
Sen draws level. Needs to keep it tight. Axelsen should feel the pressure too.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12, 2-0
Axelsen takes the early lead. This is something Sen would want to avoid. Too big a lead and the pressure will get to him.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 21-12
Axelsen has come back so strongly to force the decider. He was 3-8 down in the game but then just turned it on. Once he did that Sen was scrambling for answers. The momentum will be with the Dane in the decider. Sen’s shoulder is heavily stra
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 20-11
Now, Sen is trying stuff and Axelsen knows his stuff is working. Nine game points for the Dane!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 18-11
A seven-point lead. Axelsen is feeling confident again and it is showing in his shots. The crowd is cheering him on as well.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 15-10
Axelsen running away with this game at the moment. Sen needs to find more control at the moment. A bit too short on his lifts.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 12-10
The Dane gets a review wrong and Sen gets a point. The Indian needs to stay as close as possible. Axelsen doing some stretching as the point was being reviewed.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 12-9
Axelsen has found his rhythm now and is more in control of the rallies.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 11-9
Another great point by Axelsen to go into the break with a two-point advantage. The Dane was 3-8 down but he has turned this around and quickly. More patient and more prepared to play his shots at the right moment. Sen still has the advantage, having won the first game. He must believe that.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 10-9
Finally, a long shuttle ends the streak of points. Sen can breathe a little.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 10-8
Excellent comeback into the game and match by Axelsen. Seven straight points!
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 8-8
And so it all begins again. We are all even.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 7-8
Axelsen coming into his own now. Showing more patience and more prepared to wait for the right moment to play his shots.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 6-8
Sen gets a challenge wrong. It wasn’t long. The gap is down to just two points. Can Sen stay cool now?
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 5-8
Axelsen with a fine crosscourt smash and then a super down the line smash to take two points in a row. Can the Dane make a comeback into the match?
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 3-7
Axelsen seems to be breathing rather heavily. This isn’t him close to his best but Sen is making the most of the chances coming his way. That is how it must be.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: After 4 straight game defeats, the first game for Lakshya against Viktor bhai. The Dane evidently playing quite loose, missing the lines by unusual distances. But huge credit to Lakshya for the tempo in his game. Really nice downward strokes early on.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 2-5
Sen with a three-point lead and he is making Axelsen work doubly hard for every point at the moment. That isn’t easy to do.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 1-3
The Dane got a point with a nice smash but Sen continues to move smoothly around the court. His touch has been especially good today.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21, 0-2
Sen starts well in the second game too. Will be interesting to see how much of a factor drift becomes.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 13-21
For the first time, in tournament play, Sen takes a game off the Dane. Rock-solid play by the India, who looked very comfortable in defence. Axelsen had trouble setting up his attacks and that forced him to take more risks. Didn’t work out well for him.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 12-20
Eight game points for Sen. He has been in control right from the start.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 11-18
Axelsen finally gets a point with a steep smash but Lakshya has this well under control. A fine lead and he just needs to keep things real at this point.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 10-16
Axelsen came within three points but now Sen has opened up a six-point lead.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 9-13
Super shot by Axelsen – wonderful deception at the net to win the point. But Lakshya is doing well in defence.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 7-12
Nice long 54-shot rally and one that ends with another Axelsen rally. The best part is that Sen is not looking rushed. He is reading the play well and that matters.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 7-11
Sen has a four-point lead at the mid-game interval. He has been solid throughout. The errors have come from Axelsen so Sen really hasn’t had to force the pace yet.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 7-9
Three points in a row for Axelsen. One nice jump smash and then another two that went long from Sen.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 4-9
Far more errors from Axelsen than we saw in the match against Srikanth. Sen is not complaining. Who would? A five-point lead is a handy one to have.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 4-6
Sen seems to be familiar with Axelsen’s patterns at the moment. They have trained together in Dubai. So that might help the Indian. But Axelsen nowhere near top gear at the moment.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 2-5
Nice play by Sen. Changing the pace of the rally and winning a point. Caught Axelsen by surprise there. Nice start by the 20-year-old.
Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen: 1-2
Two errors from Axelsen and two points for Sen. Then Axelsen gets a point back. Still very early days and no real rallies.
9.11 pm: Lakshya has been playing well – and he trusts his defence but against Axelsen, he made need to do more than just defend.
9.09 pm: The players are just taking the court. This could be fun but a big challenge for Sen. Axelsen leads the head-to-head 4-0 and is the best player in the world at the moment.
Hello and welcome to live updates of the men’s singles semifinal between Lakshya Sen and Viktor Axelsen at the German Open Super 300.