Anders Antonsen is out of the World Badminton Championships following a straight-sets defeat in the quarter-finals. The Dane, ranked fourth in the world, lost 19-21, 15-21 on Friday to Japan's Kodai Naraoka.
Antonsen appeared sluggish from the start and never managed to find his top form. The Japanese player got off to the better start, while Antonsen struggled to find his rhythm and committed numerous errors. This allowed Naraoka to take a 7-2 lead, which was later extended to 11-4.
Antonsen improved his play when, trailing 11-17, he launched a late rally that nearly brought him back into contention. He won four consecutive points to narrow the gap to 15-17 and later to 17-18.
However, the comeback stalled; Antonsen hit two shots beyond the baseline, handing Naraoka a 20-17 lead and three set points. Despite a hard-fought point following a 48-shot rally that brought the score to 19-20, Antonsen failed to save Naraoka's third set point.
In the second set, Naraoka took a 4-1 lead before Antonsen enjoyed a strong spell, raising his game to turn the score around and lead 8-5.
But it didn't last long. Five consecutive points for the Japanese player gave Naraoka a 10-8 lead, leaving Antonsen facing an uphill battle once again.
Overall, Antonsen struggled to find momentum throughout the match. The Japanese player frustrated his Danish opponent by consistently returning the shuttlecock over the net, and Antonsen was unable to finish off the rallies. Trailing 14–17, Antonsen appeared to run out of steam as he once again tried to mount a comeback.
Antonsen did not play well enough to match the Japanese player, who was a class above him on the day. All the Danes are now out of the World Championships, meaning there will be no Danish medals this time around.