Written by: BWF
Denmark Open 2023 champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik will not get to the chance to defend their title in Odense as they were outclassed by Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi 22-20 21-15 during quarterfinals day at the VICTOR Denmark Open.
Taking 41 minutes to complete their mission, the third ranked Chinese men’s doubles pair enter their first semifinal in a Super 750 this year.
“This is the first one so far this year and we got to one semifinal last year so this is a great breakthrough moment for us as a pair,” said Liu. “The key was to push the Malaysians. Apply the pressure, do our best and keep coming forward. We watched our last match with them and realised a big difference in the front court. The focus was not on finishing the shots but to make it long and stable, then smash it.”
The last encounter between the pair was last week at the Arctic Open where the Chinese duo had fallen to Chia and Soh in the opening round. A beaming Chen could not hold back his happiness. “I am happy and excited at the same time. It’s sweet revenge for us. We lost to them last week and finally, we could beat them. It’s a great step forward for us to challenge the bigger pairs. The win makes us feel we have unlocked a new level but I think they [Chia/Soh] are not quite at their best and the court conditions worked for us.”
The pair will face teammates and Olympic silver medallists, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang in the semifinal. This will be their second competitive encounter following their last meeting at the 2023 China Masters, with the advantage to Liang and Wang.
When pressed if they will speak to their teammates before the match, Chen laughed. “Actually, it’s a secret.”
Home hero, Anders Antonsen made his third semifinal at the Denmark Open after a highly charged match with Li Shi Feng where the Dane came off the better in 12-21 21-8 22-20.
Antonsen said: “I’ve faced him multiple times, and I think he [Li] enjoyed it. He likes to stare me down a little bit. I’ve seen some of our past matches where I actually didn’t see it during the match because perhaps, I had my back turned to him when he was doing that. I know that he likes to do stuff like, get in your face a little bit and shout.
“It’s all good. I respect him. No matter what, he is a phenomenal player who has already achieved great things. It was great to play against him and I’m sure we’ll have more rock battles in the future. All respect to Li. I don’t care about stuff like that. It’s in the moment, it’s heated, and it’s how the game is but it’s fun. It’s been a few years since I have done well here and I’m happy to do it again.” Antonsen will play Nishimoto in the semifinal.
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“This is my first big tournament since the Olympics and it’s not an overwhelming feeling. I’m not focusing so much on points and winning. I want to play my matches with joy and not feeling stressed.” – An Se Young after her quarterfinal win 12-21 21-10 21-12 over Supanida Katethong.
“The first game was quite comfortable for me but I was struggling to adjust to the drift in the second game. I had to anticipate her shots throughout and I think I did that well today.” – Gregoria Mariska Tunjung is through to her second semifinal at the Denmark Open since her last appearance in 2018.
“I’m happy that we have training Monday again. We must be proud of this. It’s a quarterfinal at a Super 750 on home soil. We are really disappointed. I think that’s a good thing because we knew and we know we can show a better level in the future.” – Jesper Toft reflects on his quarterfinal loss at the Denmark Open alongside partner, Amalie Magelund.
“There are a lot of Indian fans in the arena and the support always means a lot. I’m very thankful to each one of them. There were Telugu people, maybe from Hyderabad. I’m grateful that it’s been a good run but I think these matches definitely make a difference to step forward and do much better for the audience.” – Pusarla V. Sindhu on how the Indian support in Denmark out rivalled that of Indonesia.
“I think we played all the right tactics and prepared ourselves against them, although they are a new pair. I think he [Toft] has great overhead reach and in some situations can prove to be really quite dangerous in that area.” – Tang Chun Man
“I can’t quite believe it. I’ve never gotten this far into competition at a 750. I like to relax after matches like this by scrolling through Tik Tok and eating my favourite food. Idome.” – Putri Kasuma Wardani on making her first ever semifinal at a Super 750 after defeating Yeo Jia Min 20-22 21-11 21-18.
“I’m sorry for the long match and you were all waiting to speak to me but I love the long game. I’m 100 per cent ready to go again in the semifinal.” – Kenta Nishimoto jokes with media after his lengthy 87-minute match where he ousted defending champion, Weng Hong Yang 21-17 15-21 21-18.