Kyiv: World No. 2 men’s singles player, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, and World No. 4 Carolina Marin of Spain have been installed as the favorites to win the 28th edition of the European Championships, which runs from April 27 to May 2, at Palace of Sports in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in the same city in April of 2020 and it would count towards Olympic qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, it was postponed to 2021 due to the COVI-19 pandemic.
Denmark has sent its strongest men’s singles lineup to Kyiv which included No. 1 seed Viktor Axelsen, No. 2 seed Anders Antonsen, No. 3 seed Rasmus Gemke and No. 4 seed Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.
The 27-year-old Axelsen who won the title in 2016 and 2018, will most likely meet compatriot Antonsen in the final. Both players had played each other twice this season, as Antonsen beat Axelsen in the final of the 2020 BWF World Tour Final in January and Axelsen defeated Antonsen in the semi-final of the 2021 All England Championships in March.
(video: Viktor Axelsen’s Facebook)
In women’s competition, Carolina Marin is seeking to extend her record-breaking reign at the European Badminton Championships, by winning her fifth consecutive European title. The only player who had won five European Badminton Championships titles was Peter Gade from Denmark. He managed to achieve it by playing in seven editions of the tournaments.
The Spaniard has been on strong form since the start of 2021. She won the two Super 1000 Thailand Opens in January, and also the Swiss Open in March. Marin then withdrew from All England due to an injury she sustained at the Swiss Open. The European Badminton Championships would reveal whether Marin is 100% healthy.
