Day 2 of the PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2025 delivered plenty of excitement from a European perspective, with strong performances across the board in the Super 500 event.
Mixed doubles:
The most thrilling moment of the day came from Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch, who pulled off a stunning upset in front of a home crowd by defeating Malaysia’s third-ranked pair, Goh/Lai. Vestergaard’s jubilant celebration with a fist raised high as he lifted himself into the air, it captured the emotion of the win perfectly.
The French duo Julien Maio/Lea Palermo also advanced, contributing to a strong European showing. Unfortunately, it was an early exit for the 5th seeded Jesper Toft/Amalie Magelund, who lost in two games. The result will sting especially after Toft’s recent decision to focus solely on Mixed Doubles. They’ll look to bounce back next week in Singapore.
Men’s singles:
With Anders Antonsen withdrawing and Julien Carraggi failing to qualify, four Europeans stepped onto the court today: Nhat Nguyen, Rasmus Gemke, and the Popov brothers, Christo and Toma.
Continuing his form from the Thailand Open, Nhat Nguyen won his opening match and will next face India’s Kidambi Srikanth. Christo and Toma Popov also claimed straight-game wins and will also meet Indian opponents next: Christo faces Karunakaran, while Toma takes on Ayush Shetty.
Rasmus Gemke also impressed, defeating China’s Zhy Xuan Chen in two games. He will meet the 8th seed Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong in the next round.
With several top seeds already out, including Kenta Nishimoto, Lu Guang Zhu, and Chou Tien Chen, the top half of the draw presents a great opportunity for the Europeans, where Christo, Toma, and Nhat are placed.
Women’s singles:
Both Line Christophersen and Line Kjærsfeldt faced opponents from the qualification rounds. Christophersen won in two games and now faces 26th-ranked Thuy Linh Nguyen from Vietnam.
Kjærsfeldt will take on a familiar opponent: Canada’s Michelle Li. The two met earlier this year in the semifinals of the YONEX Swiss Open, where the Dane triumphed in three games. This was after a very close match against 76th ranked Thet Htar Thuzar from Myanmar whom she barely beat in a thin victory (18-21, 21-15, 21-19)
Men’s doubles:
Most men’s doubles action took place yesterday, with three Danish pairs, Kim Astrup/Anders Rasmussen, Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard, and Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard, all advancing to the Round of 16. Unfortunately, William Kryger Boe/Christian Faust Kjær, the young Danish sensation who made it to the final last week in Thailand, were also out today after qualifying for the main draw.
The European Champions - The Popov brothers played again later in the day after having won their singles matches. Here they won in a three-match. Now they will face third seeded Liang/Wang from China tomorrow, in what will surely be a challenging encounter.
With Round of 16 action kicking off tomorrow, European fans have plenty to look forward to, and perhaps a few more upsets to celebrate.
