Match: Lee Hyun II v Viktor Axelsen
Date: 20 October, Thursday
Time: 1:40am SGT (Friday)/11:10pm IST/6:40pm BST
Competition: Denmark Open 2016
TV Coverage: There is no TV coverage of the Denmark Open fixture between Viktor Axelsen and Lee Hyun II in Singapore.
Live Streaming: BWF official YouTube channel
Overview
Viktor Axelsen will take on Lee Hyun II in the second round of 2016 Denmark Open badminton at the Odense Sports Park on 20 October.
Axelsen, who has been seeded number two in the absence of top Chinese shuttlers Lin Dan and Chen Long, began his campaign in his hometown by dispatching South Korea's Hyeok Jin Jeon 2-1 in his first round.
The Dane started the match 21-14 win in the first game but stumbled in the second, which Jin Jeon took 24-22 after pushing Axelsen to the fullest. However, the world number four started afresh in the third game, which he won by a 11-point margin to make his way into the second round.
Axelsen, who has been consistent in the recent past, grabbed the limelight when he toppled Super Dan in the Rio Olympics bronze medal match. The 22-year-old is primed to meet Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei in the final of the ongoing tournament, which will likely give him the best shot at home glory.
However, Axelsen does not want to think too much into such prospects but is focussed on the job in hand in the next few rounds. The second seed also believes that the training he has had in Copenhagen will help him be at his best.
"Chong Wei has been up there for many years. I have so much respect for him. But there are a few matches to go before the final and I want focus on those first," Axelsen was quoted as saying by The Star Online.
On the other hand, Lee Hyun overcame a stiff challenge from Tsu Wei Wang in the first round. The Taiwanese shuttler tested the South Korean and went on to clinch the first game 21-14.
However, the 36-year-old fought back well and dominated the next two games to book his berth in the second round.
Lee Hyun has been in good shape in the recent past. The unseeded shuttler reached the semi-final of Korea Open badminton in September in which he defeated higher-ranked shuttlers of the likes of Jan O Jorgensen and Ajay Jayaram. However, his run at home was halted by compatriot Son Wan Ho.
The South Korean shuttler will take confidence from his win against Axelsen at the Swiss Open in 2012, which is also the only time the two shuttlers have faced each other. However, the in-form Dane will have the edge over his South Korean opponent on Thursday.
TV Schedule
Denmark: TV3 Sport 1
India: Star Sports 4
