Awadhe Warriors jump to second spot with win over Smash Masters

World no. 5 Son Wan Ho beat former world champion Viktor Axelsen as Awadhe Warriors thumped Ahmedabad Smash Masters at the Vodafone Premier Badminton League Season 4 here on Friday.

World no. 10 Beiwen Zhang too won her Trump match to pave the way for Awadhe's third win in four ties this season. This was the Smash Masters' second defeat on the trot after having topped the leaderboard in the initial stages of Season 4.

Birthday boy Axelsen had an uphill task against the in-form Son Wan Ho of the Warriors, considering the fact that he has still not recovered fully from the ankle injury that hampered his season last year. He looked subdued as the Korean dictated the terms, involving the Dane in long rallies.

From 10-3, the steady Son Wan Ho piled on the pressure on his rival, who conceded the opener 7-15.

Axelsen looked much more settled in the second game and built a 6-1 lead. Son did come back to within three points of the Dane but his unforced errors allowed Axelsen to grab the game ..