The exciting first day of the Denmark Open is nearing its conclusion, with spectators treated to thrilling, high-quality badminton action. Many European players participated, and several have already advanced to Thursday’s second round.
The French mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue were on the verge of elimination after losing the first set and trailing 19-14 in the second. They then fell behind 20-17 in the second game but made a fierce comeback with nothing to lose, which was exactly what they needed to turn the match around. You can watch their full interview on Badminton Europe’s YouTube channel.
Mia Blichfeldt also secured a much-needed victory—her first win since the Olympics and her first under coach Popov. Alex Lanier and Viktor Axelsen both won their first matches in straight sets and are set to face off on Thursday for the first time since 2022.
Alexandra Bøje and Robin Tabeling made their debut as new partners, defeating Germany’s Jones Ralfy Jansen and Nhan Tuan Phuong with a convincing 21-11, 21-14 victory. Another relatively new pair, Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund, impressed by defeating the strong Thai duo Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-19, 13-21, 21-12. In the next round, they will face Spain’s Rubén García and Lucía Rodríguez.
In addition to these results, several other European players have secured spots in Thursday’s second round.
Wednesday’s schedule is packed with more European stars. Germany’s Yvonne Li will face the 2017 champion Ratchanok Intanon, while Christo Popov will challenge the in-form seventh seed Lee Zii Jia. His brother Toma Junior Popov has a tough first-round match against world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. The Popov brothers also face a challenge in doubles, where they will meet the world No. 2 pair Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Kim Astrup.
Additionally, the energetic British pair Ben Lane and Sean Vendy will face tough competition against Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.
