World Superseries Finals: Chen Long and Carolina Marin out of Dubai

Dubai: Both world singles champions, Chen Long and Carolina Marin, were beaten in straight games Saturday on a day when the 2015 form-book was torn up in the Superseries Finals.

Chen, who has won seven Superseries tournaments this year, was beaten for the first time by Viktor Axelsen, the improving World No.6 from Denmark, only briefly showing his best form when he reached 17-15 in the second game before losing 12-21, 17-21.

Marin, who has won five major titles in her finest ever year, was beaten 11-21, 12-21, by Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, a result which was perhaps a little less surprising because it was the second time in 24 hours that it happened.

The conditions in Dubai are slow and Marin’s attacking game was unable to make much impact against a superbly mobile opponent who consistently got the shuttle back.

It suited Okuhara so much she may start Sunday’s women’s singles final with an even chance of taking her first major title.

Chen however was by his standards sluggish and error-prone. He also allowed himself to be tied up at the net quite a lot by the canny Axelsen, who knew this was the best way of frustrating his tall opponent’s long reach in defence and steep counter-attacks.