Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping claimed their third Denmark Open title in four consecutive finals, cementing their status as tournament legends.

The Chinese pair secured victory with a commanding performance against teammates Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin, dispatching them 21-13 21-9 in just 33 minutes in one of the quickest matches of the day.

Following their defeat to Jiang/Wei at the Arctic Open the previous week, the pair made crucial adjustments to reclaim their winning form.

“We worked more into the details of the game,” Huang said, highlighting how their focus on thorough preparation proved decisive.

Feng emphasised the mental and emotional aspects of their comeback, stating that rediscovering their fighting spirit was paramount.

“We learned a lot from our loss last week. We did a lot of adjustments and the most important is definitely the mental part and spiritual part. We had been playing a lot recently and felt like we lost our fighting spirit but this week we found it again,” he reflected.

Impressively, the world No.2 pair completed the tournament without dropping a game. Huang has now reached five Denmark Open finals in total, having previously won the women’s doubles title in 2021 alongside Zheng Yu while playing in the category “for fun”.

Their three consecutive Denmark titles place them in rare company. The achievement has never been accomplished since the HSBC BWF World Tour started in 2018. In the SuperSeries era, which began in 2007, only Chen Long has completed this feat at the Denmark Open.

The last mixed pair to accomplish such a hattrick was Denmark’s Thomas Lund and Pernille Dupont (1990-1992).

Learning of the badminton royalty they sit in, Huang said: “Now after hearing it, I feel awesome, I feel great. It’s little extra on the already happy moments we are feeling. The moment is so perfect.

“Denmark has been a good place for us and we enjoy the matches and the crowd more and more, especially in the final.”

An Completes the Set

An Se Young finally secured a Denmark Open crown, the one Super 750 title that had eluded her glittering collection. The Korean demolished Wang Zhi Yi 21-5 24-22 in a masterclass that showcased her mental fortitude at its finest.

Down 18-10 in the second game, An refused to fold, reeling off eight consecutive points to level. She then saved a game point before clinching the trophy.

This victory marks history on multiple fronts for the world No.1. An is now the first women’s singles player to win all six Super 750 titles while becoming the first Korean woman to claim the Denmark crown after Lee Young Suk in 1987.

She has eight titles this year, sitting just three shy of Kento Momota’s world record of 11 in a calendar year.

“He won 11 titles? It’s difficult but I will try my best.”

→ Results (Finals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“There are many top pairs from Japan we’ve looked up to, Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe being one of them. This means we can only hope to follow in the footsteps of those before us.” – Yugo Kobayashi after he and Takuro Hoki won their second Denmark Open title beating Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 21-18 15-21 21-19

“I want to keep this level of confidence up. I do a lot of self-talk before going on court. I try to repeat these positive affirmations again and again. I think it’s helped me.” – Jonatan Christie on beating world champion Shi Yu Qi 13-21 21-15 21-15 to collect his first Denmark Open title

“These kinds of matches are good for me, to keep me on my toes and maintain my match sharpness. I didn’t expect to reach the final after a long break but my adjustments to my style were good.” – A humble Shi

“It’s our turn to win since our teammates have defeated us enough times this year already. I also think Kim/Kong should buy us dinner since they have more prize money to spend.” – Lee So Hee jokes after winning 15-21 21-14 21-15 with Baek Ha Na over compatriots Kim Hye/Kong Hee Yong