Written by: BWF
“We’re desperate to make this chance count,” were the words of Kim Astrup after he and partner, Anders Skaarup Rasmussen booked their tickets to the final of the VICTOR Denmark Open 2024 following a thrilling 20-22 21-18 21-11 win over Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto in Odense.
It is the second final for the Danes on home soil after competing in the 2021 edition. They are set to face Olympic silver medallists and top seeds, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang for the crown.
“We benefited from the crowd. We really fed off of the crowd being wild and enthusiastic, added Astrup. “The audience is getting better every year and we enjoy that. We have a lot of respect for Liang and Wang. They are world No. 1 for a reason and we have beaten them in Denmark before. We hope to do it again in the final.”
Rasmussen conquered with his partners comments on how the Danish crowd added extra motivation and revealed how happy they are reaching two consecutive finals following their silver at the Arctic Open last week.
“I think we’ve been at this level for a long period. It’s even better than the 2021 final, which was really special in terms of the timing of the birth of my son just afterwards. We’ll take it easy in the final. We’ll take our time, no stress. I think the crowd is growing every year at the Denmark Open. It’s really magical. They’re loud and they are wild. It’s really special for us to be in the final.”
The Danish duo are hoping to be the first Danish men’s doubles pair to be crowned champions since Mathias Boe/Carsten Morgensen in 2010. Rasmussen shared how they would use their disappointments from their previous Denmark Open appearances as fuel: “You have to do everything right against those guys. There’s not one solution. You have to be good in defence, offence and on your serve and return area. It’s not really a matter of what to do, it’s about being better overall, which is a difficult task, but it’s possible.”
The Danish crowd will have plenty to cheer about as home hope, Anders Antonsen made his second final after outmanoeuvring Kenta Nishimoto 21-15 21-14 in the semifinal.
The 2024 European champion told BWF: “It feels so good. I’m super happy. I feel I’ve been practicing well and I didn’t succeed at the Olympics. The tournaments afterwards came with a lot of stress regarding the situation I’ve been through. There have been some close but no cigar moments in the quarterfinals. So, it feels amazing to finally be through to a final and I’ll be my absolute best. I am looking forward to a vacation after the finals. I have a place booked in the South of Spain for the night of the finals, so it looks like I will need to postpone that, haha [sic].”
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“I really like the Denmark Open. There’s one restaurant I go to, to have big steak and potatoes.” – Huang Don’t Ping on making her fourth Denmark Open final and what keeps her energised.
“We were quite fatigued from yesterday’s match and playing two weeks in a row but we prepared ourselves for the match better in the semifinals. We know the steak restaurant Huang mentioned. We went all together. Just the girls.” – Wei Ya Xin on their scare against the Indonesians in the quarterfinals and coming through 21-17 21-9 over Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Ean
“I want to send my best to Gregoria to feel better soon. No player wants to win a match this way. There’s a background situation happening and it’s not completely resolved and it affects my concentration on court. I want to focus on the final and do my best.” – An Se Young after Gregoria Mariska Tunjung retired 20-21 12-12 with a back injury during their semifinal match and on how she has been preparing for tournaments since winning Olympic gold.
“We hadn’t gone past the first round of the Denmark Open before. This is our fourth attempt and we have made it to the final. It’s amazing. I think the practice hall being so close to the venue has made all the difference. Seriously, haha.” – Wang Chang on reaching their first final at the Denmark Open.
“I have improved a lot and all the work I have done with INCEP has been good. I’m proud of the build-up phase and if I take in the whole picture, it’s been a good year but it’s not over yet. I’m keeping positive.” – Alex Lanier on how he started playing 2024 playing International Challenges to Super 750s and above nine months late.
“This is a breakthrough moment for us. Winning today means we are improving. We are overwhelmed with happiness that it takes over from how physically tired we are. With Nakanishi having my back at the rear court, I was able to go up front and keep a close net game. Let’s say I had the easier part whereas my partner had to work hard. Rin Iwanaga jests with media after she and partner, and Kie Nakanishi collected their biggest win of their career by defeating Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee after a 95 minute slugfest to enter their first Super 750 final. It is the first win in seven meetings over the Korean pair.