Photo: Badmintonphoto
Anders Antonsen made it 10-0 against Toma Junior Popov in the opening round of the VICTOR Denmark Open 2024 on Day 2 of competition.
This article is written by BWF.
Today, Anders Antonsen was up for his match number ten against Toma Junior Popov. Ahead of the game, Antonsen had won every head-to-head game which was kind of crazy if you ask Antonsen himself.
During todays game it was a battle which was difficult to predict. Popov made it hard for home favorit but in the second and third game, the Dane got in control and secured his win number ten against the Frenshman.
“I don’t know. It surprises me because we have played so many close matches and it’s kind of crazy that I have a 10-0 head-to-head over him. I don’t think it represents the level we play at. I think we’re even. With my brother being my coach, at the beginning we kept communication to a minimum. He (Kasper) talks during the intervals and not so much between games and that’s how we are doing things for now.” – A modest Anders Antonsen on the block Toma Junior Popov has against him and how he’s progressing under brother and new coach, Kasper Antonsen.
Speaking to BWF post-match from Odense, Yeo said: “It was a tough first round match and I think Yamaguchi made a lot of mistakes in the first game. That gave me a gap and I was able to hold that until the end. Every win boosts my confidence.”
It is Yeo’s first win over the two-time world champion in five years since her victory at the 2019 World Championships but she took it all in her stride.
“Every player has ups and downs during their careers. I take every chance I have in every competition and keep trying to get better and continue to up my confidence. After the Olympics I took a break for a week, then I got ill. I skipped the Japan Open but other than that I have continued to play tournaments.”
Yamaguchi was all praise for her opponent post-match. “Yeo played very well and fast. I couldn’t keep up with her speed. I took time off after the Olympics. I needed to mentally reset myself. 2024 was spent building my way towards Paris 2024 and I needed the time to recuperate. I relax by spending time with my family and friends.”
Yeo gets 2022 world junior champion, Tomoka Miyazaki in the next round. This will be their second meeting with the Japanese shuttler leading 1-0.
Later, Kenta Nishimoto gate crashed the party for Anthony Sinisuka Ginting’s chances as he outclassed the Indonesian 21-12, 15-21, 22-20.
“It was a mentally challenging game. It was a matter of who could control the nerves more. When I was 10-3 down in the third game I was struggling to get the positivity going in my mind. I felt the pressure and I made some mistakes. Getting a run of five straight points gave me a boost and I was exhausted by the end. I want to play better and be world No.1.”
It is the second loss in opening round for Ginting following his defeat to Lu Guang Zu at at the CLASH ROYALE Arctic Open 2024 powered by YONEX last week.
Puzzled by the loss he revealed: “I don’t know what happened. I think the drift from one side to the other was a factor. Nishimoto came prepared and played more attacking in the last games. The last two weeks have come with a lot of pressure and I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I’m now looking forward to my wedding and planning it. It will be fun.”
→ Results (Day 2)
→ Order of play (Day 3)
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“We were clear on what we wanted to do in our match and we communicated a lot in every point and that was the main thing. I have something on my foot as a prevention measure but I have blister from a previous tournament. It’s nothing serious, I can carry on.” – Pearly Tan
“We gave it out best today. Winning the Arctic Open last week isn’t an excuse for any fatigue we might feel but we’ll try again at the next event which will be the Kumamoto Masters.” – Nur Izziddin
“It feels good to be back on court with Kim Won Ho. We haven’t played together for a while. After the Olympics I visited a lot of pretty cafes and the beach. Then it was back to training.” – Jeong Na Eun
“I really like playing in this hall, it works for me. The men’s singles field is great to play in and I am not scared to play anyone. I would love to play Viktor Axelsen or Anders Antonsen. It’s playing the greats like them that can make you a better player.” – defending Denmark Open champion, Weng Hong Yang.