Shuttler Ajay Jayaram rallied to knock out fourth seed Viktor Axelsen in a thrilling three-game match at the Malaysia Open on Thursday. The Indian notched a 9-21, 21-14, 21-19 over the Dane in the men’s singles match that lasted 44 minutes. With this win, Jayaram has sealed a quarter-final berth.

Axelsen, who won the Indian Open crown on Sunday, completely dominated World No 19 Jayaram in the first game, which he won 9-21. However, the Indian mounted a stunning comeback to win the second game 21-14. In the deciding game, Jayaram and Axelsen were locked in a fierce battle on 18-18, before the Indian edged ahead to complete the upset.

Jayaram-Axelsen Head-to-Head

The World No 4 had beaten Jayaram only a few days back at the India Open, however, the Indian has a good record against him, and after this win, leads their head-to-head 3-2.

Jayaram gave India something to cheer about at the Malaysia Open, after both PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal were knocked out in their opening round on Wednesday. In the opening round, Jayaram defeated China’s Qiao Bin in straight sets 21-11, 21-8, in under 31 minutes to complete a comfortable win. Jayaram will now face fifth seed Son Wan Ho of South Korea for a place in the semi-finals.