The European success stories keep coming at the BWF Super 500 HYLO Open 2025 after an eventful third day of play.
Out of the 40 available spots in tomorrow’s quarterfinals, 20 will be occupied by Europeans — representing an impressive diversity with athletes from Denmark, France, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Finland, Azerbaijan, Spain, Ukraine, and Germany all through to the last eight.
With no Viktor Axelsen or Anders Antonsen in the draw, and with the Popov brothers exiting in the early rounds, one might have been forgiven for doubting Europe’s chances in men's singles. But that would have been a mistake. The absence of some of the continent’s biggest names has instead opened the door for others to shine.
One of the brightest surprises of the tournament is Ditlev Jaeger Holm, ranked 98th in the world, who advanced all the way from the qualifications to reach his first Super 500 quarterfinal after defeating Julien Carraggi.
“If you would have told me I would ever get into a Super 500 quarterfinal, I would have taken it… to do it right now is unbelievable,” an ecstatic Dane said in the mixed zone, surprised to find so many journalists waiting to speak to him after the match.
“It’s so different from the tournaments I normally play – the lights, the courts, the audience, the hawkeye – I’ve never even taken a Challenge before,” he laughed.
“This victory means a lot. It’s difficult getting chances to play these tournaments, and these points will be important for me to enter future Super 300 and Super 500 events.”
Holm will face Magnus Johannesen in an all-Danish quarterfinal battle for a prestigious semifinal spot. They are joined in the final eight by Kalle Koljonen and Alex Lanier, both looking to continue their strong runs.
In Mixed Doubles, Europe have gotten surprising wins and thus 6 of the 8 quarterfinal pairs are European. Among them are Spain’s Ruben Garcia/Lucia Rodriguez and France’s Julien Maio/Lea Palermo, who pulled off impressive wins against seeded opponents. The two pairs will now face each other in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
Similarly, Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje and Jesper Toft/Amalie Magelund will also go head-to-head in another all-Danish encounter.
Lastly, home favourites Thuc Nguyen/Marvin Seidel will take on one of the tournament favourites, Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue, hoping that the crowd in Saarbrücken can lift them to victory.
