Ten to one in head-to-head encounters and seven years since her last win. Those were the cold facts facing Mia Blichfeldt as she stepped onto the court against Chen Yu Fei today. Their most recent meeting ended in defeat for the Dane at the World Championships, and although Blichfeldt has come close to beating the Chinese star before, her last and only victory dated back to 2018.
That made her the clear underdog going into today’s match — but you would never have guessed it from the way she played. The Danish player came out flying, dominating from the first rally and taking the opening game with a commanding 21–9 scoreline.
The second game was much tighter, with both players trading points and leads up to 15–15. At that stage, Blichfeldt displayed a remarkable calmness — something she has sometimes struggled to find in high-pressure moments earlier in her career. With clever shot selection and an absurdly high pace, she controlled the final rallies, dropping to her knees in joy as she sealed the win 21–17 to the delight of the home crowd.
"I played really with confidence and believed in my game today, and then I really enjoyed being on court today."
Even though everyone knows she has the level to challenge the world’s best, it had been a while since she last defeated a top player.
"Taking the victory against a top player like this (Chen Yu Fei), I wanted for so long, so taking it here in Denmark is amazing."
Blichfeldt feels she is in a good place in her career and that her level continues to rise.
"I think every time I go on court in this period, I feel like I put a little layer on, and find a little (extra) percent."
This progress has been a long process for the Dane, who has previously struggled with both injuries and her mental state. Now, however, she feels balanced both mentally and physically following her move to France, where she lives with her boyfriend Toma Junior Popov and is coached by his father, Toma Senior Popov.
"This change has really shown some good things on the badminton court, and I also think in my private life."
She adds:
"I really felt the change the most with the individual focus, we are all doing our own thing, and we can change (focus) on the day, if there needs to be change. And I really like that it is my path, it is my way... It has really been good for me to be in a smaller team, where it is only focus on this."
Although today’s victory was truly impressive, tomorrow will bring another major challenge. Blichfeldt is set to face the third seed Han Yu, provided the Chinese player overcomes Busanan Ongbamrungphan from Thailand later today.
