KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — Denmark shuttler Anders Antonsen, the world number four, remains unfazed by the tournament favourite tag for the 2024 Malaysia Masters, as he feels the level of competitiveness in the men’s singles category has increased significantly in recent years.
The 27-year-old said the game has changed compared to a few years ago when only a certain number of players dominated the men’s singles.
Antonsen said any of the world’s top 20 shuttlers can pull a surprise to bag the crown in the World Tour Super 500 event, scheduled from tomorrow until Sunday, with intense matches expected as early as the first round.
The Danish player, who started the season on a high after emerging victorious in the first two tournaments of the year — the Malaysia Open and Indonesia Masters — in January might have a stronger belief on it after his first-round setback at the hands of world number 27, Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong in last week’s Thailand Open.
“I know that I am among the players who can do well and potentially win the tournament. But I think it’s a fair assessment that there are 32 players in the main draw who have the level to do so.
“I see that from the top 10 down to 40, it is much stronger nowadays compared to 10 years ago. So, there are some very good players in the top 20, 30, 40 nowadays.
“I don’t know what happened, but definitely overall, the men’s singles category is much broader nowadays. If last time you could cruise a bit easily into the first and second rounds, that’s not the case now, as you’re in danger from the first round itself,” he told reporters during official training at the Axiata Arena.
Apart from the three-time world championship medallist Antonsen, other players to watch in the absence of defending champion HS Prannoy of India, are world number one Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, home favourite Lee Zii Jia, world number six Li Shi Feng of China, and Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Antonsen said his recent training stint in Malaysia after the Thomas Cup campaign in Chengdu, China, earlier this month helped him push his limits and explore sparring sessions with different types of players.
“There’s a good group of younger guys pushing me very hard, and I did my best to defeat them when we play, but there’s always a new one, fresh one coming in trying to defeat me. It is good to play against many different players, which I don’t get that often,” he added.
Antonsen previously had a stint at Akademi Badminton Malaysia before the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last December, where he advanced to the semi-finals, followed by title victories in the Malaysia Open and Indonesia Masters. — Bernama
