The moment arrived for one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament so far, a big European clash between France’s Toma Junior Popov and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, three-time World Championships medallist. With the home crowd fully behind Popov, Antonsen stepped onto court knowing he had a tough atmosphere to handle, but still delivered.

After all, Popov had never beaten Antonsen in their ten previous encounters, and the Dane was strong right from the start. With a solid performance in the first game, he looked sharp and in control, winning 21-6.

But Popov raised his level in the second, pushing the match into a decider after winning the game 22-20.

“Even before it was close, I started to get a little bit nervous. I played out the worst-case scenario in my mind which was a weird thing, instead of just pushing through and claiming that game. So, instead of being a flawless performance, it ended up being a weird experience,” Antonsen said, reflecting on Popov’s comeback.

The decider had more drama, with Popov continuing to challenge and Antonsen fighting through four match points before finally closing it 21-19.

“It gets so crazy in the end that it kinda gets a bit funny. I think it’s a good mindset to have at that point, if you can just enjoy it a tiny bit, then it’s a good thing. And I was able to do it at the very last moment of the match.”

Despite their favourite contender falling short, the home crowd created an electric atmosphere and enjoyed the intense clash between two top players. “It was good to get the crowd involved… in a way,” Antonsen added with a grin.

Astrup/Rasmussen advance to quarterfinals
Out of the three European men’s doubles pairs playing late matches, only Denmark’s Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen secured a spot in the quarterfinals.

They faced Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin, ranked 11 places below them, and the Danish pair delivered a solid performance to win in straight games, 21-15 21-13.

It was a different story for the other two European pairs. Ben Lane/Sean Vendy faced Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong/Kai Wun Tee for the first time, but couldn’t break through, losing 21-18 21-18.

Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard also had their last spot in the round of 16. Despite a strong performance against China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi, whom they had beaten last year, the Danes lost this time in straight games, 21-17 22-20.

So, we’ll have Europeans in four quarterfinal matches tomorrow. You can check the full order of play here.