A perfect start for Anders Antonsen under brother Kasper.

On Sunday at the Jyske Bank Arena, Antonsen became the first home men’s singles player in 14 years to secure a second Denmark Open (Peter Gade did it in 2000), in only his second tournament with Kasper as his coach. His latest triumph came with a convincing 21-15 21-16 win over Koki Watanabe. Over 54 minutes, the crowd was repeatedly sent into raptures witnessing Antonsen’s relentless pace outmatching his opponent’s.

Reflecting on how this differed from his 2020 victory, Antonsen said: “Back then, the draw wasn’t as strong because of COVID-19. The crowd and having my brother coaching me make it very special.”

This win marks Antonsen’s first success since a disappointing quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics. It’s been a journey of ups and downs since for the Dane, who was forced to abruptly end his partnership with his former coach. The 27-year-old is now ready to turn the page.

“There’s nothing better than winning titles like this. It doesn’t get much bigger,” said Antonsen with satisfaction. “I’m happy to move on from the Olympics, and all the other things I’ve been through.

“It’s great to claim another home title. With Japanese players, if you are not consistent or don’t work hard, you are in for a tough task. The key was to stay tough and stick to the game plan.”

Watanabe conceded defeat with grace.

“He has amazing physic and his ability to control the shuttle is superb. That’s what makes him so hard to beat,” acknowledged the world No.13 about being 4-0 down in their head-to-head. “My aim remains breaking into the top five and eventually becoming world No.1.”

For Antonsen, 2024 has been a mixed bag. The Aarhus native kicked it off with a bang, taking home the Malaysia Open and Indonesia Masters trophies in January, but his form took a dip after that.

“I still look back on some of those matches and think I was quicker back then. I don’t necessarily feel I’m at my absolute best but I solved different puzzles this week,” he said.

A big part of Antonsen’s triumph in Odense? Teaming up with his brother Kasper.

“Obviously, it’s been a quick turnaround from first round defeats to winning a title. It’s been incredible, I don’t have words to describe it.”

Now, after all the hard work, Antonsen is ready to kick back and enjoy a well-earned break. His plan is simple but sweet.

“Lunch on the beach. I arrive early in the morning, so I will drive directly to the beach, get a big lunch and enjoy the ocean. I like to explore different cuisines. I have great friends waiting in Spain.”

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WHAT OTHERS SAID

“I owe it to Denmark. Playing here is very meaningful because it was my first event with Huang. Three years later, three finals and two titles here. We will celebrate with a nice dinner. I think I will need to pay as I’m younger.” – Feng Yan Zhe

“My body wasn’t moving with the flow I would have liked but she was just too strong. There’s no time to relax as it’s straight home to prepare for the next run of tournaments.” – An Se Young following her loss to Wang Zhi Yi

“I feel both the motivation and the stress of emerging from the shadows of greats like Chen Yu Fei and He Bing Jiao. I always want to do my best and improve. The goal is to one day be China’s No.1. That would be a dream.” – Wang after winning her first Denmark Open

“We played with more maturity against a Danish pair on home soil. With the crowd cheering for them we needed to keep a stable mindset. We are off to the steakhouse to celebrate.” – Wang Chang after he and Liang Wei Keng defeated Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen

“We are hoping to keep this momentum. After the Olympics, it’s a whole new cycle. There are new players on the tour. It’s a new start for us.” – Liang looking ahead

“We found it tricky. We had a good run until 17-all in the first game, then they switched up a bit. That just shows how good they are, that even when we are playing well, they are able to take four-five points in a row.” – Rasmussen

“We will be back next year to lift the trophy.” – Astrup