As the other exciting semifinals at the Denmark Open are being played, we can start looking forward to the final two matches of the day, which are the only ones featuring European players.

First, Viktor Axelsen will face Shi Yu Qi, before Alex Lanier closes the day with his semifinal against Jonathan Christie.

Viktor Axelsen

Viktor Axelsen and Shi Yu Qi have met twelve times previously, with the tall Dane winning nine of those encounters. However, it has been almost two years since their last meeting — in the semifinal of the Malaysia Masters in January 2024, where Shi Yu Qi narrowly took the victory in three sets.

Much has happened since then. While Axelsen has been out for six months since the All England in March, Shi Yu Qi has been nearly unbeatable this year: World Champion, winner of the China Open Super 1000, Japan Open Super 750, All England Super 1000, and Malaysia Open Super 1000, with a record of forty-four wins and only four losses in 2025.

It is clear that the two rivals enter the semifinal in Axelsen’s hometown of Odense under very different circumstances.

Alex Lanier

In the other semifinal, Alex Lanier will face Jonathan Christie. Unlike Axelsen and Shi Yu Qi, who know each other very well after twelve meetings, the match between Lanier and Christie will be their first encounter.

Both players are ranked very closely in the world standings, with Christie at number six and Lanier just behind him at number seven.

Yesterday, Lanier made short work of Lakshya Sen, who had previously eliminated Nhat Nguyen and Anders Antonsen from the tournament. After the match, he said that he feels very comfortable — almost at home here in Odense — which he finds extremely helpful for performing at such a high level.

Other Finalists

Already through to tomorrow’s finals is An Se Young, who defeated Akane Yamaguchi 16–21, 21–10, 21–9 in her first match.

Koreans Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee also advanced to the finals with a 21–15, 21–19 win over Japanese duo Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto. This sets up an all-Korean women’s doubles final against compatriots Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong.

In mixed doubles, there was a repeat of the World Championship final with Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin against Chen Tang Jie/Tog Ee Wei. This time, the Chinese pair prevailed, securing their spot in tomorrow’s final with scores of 21–17, 18–21, 21–18.

In men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Fikri reached the final with a 21–15, 21–18 victory over Chinese pair Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.

At the time of writing, three matches are still in progress before Viktor Axelsen takes the court, followed by Alex Lanier.