Viktor Axelsen is the second seed and Kento Momota is the top seed at the 2021 All England Championships. The prospect of an Axelsen-Momota final has everyone excited at the moment.
Their head to head record stands at 1-14 in a huge favour for Momota. The last time they met was at the 2020 Malaysia Masters. Momota won in two straight games in the final with a score of 24-22, 21-11.
Last year Axelsen won the All England title without much difficulty. Momota was absent from the tournament due to his injuries from the car accident and Axelsen disposed of Chou Tien Chen easily in the final.
If it comes to a final showdown between the two at the All England, the cards on the table are a little different this time than the last time they met.
It is unclear what form Momota is in. And it is clear what form Axelsen is in – sublime, as seen from the tournaments in Thailand.
Axelsen has also had a lot of tournament practice while Momota has not. The Dane is also much fitter and more stable this year.
Axelsen is optimistic he can defend his All England title.
“I go to a tournament believing I can win. Kento Momota is back and it’s a tough game where you will be punished if you do not play with your best performance,” Axelsen told TV 2 Sport.
“I do not know at all where he stands, and I have not heard anything. But I assume he will come in the best version of himself and play at the insanely high level he has,” he added.
