Reigning European champions delivered an almighty return to form in Basel when winning the Swiss Open, now they find themselves in an All England quarterfinal.
Kim Astrup/ Anders Rasmussen know the level they are capable of having won the China Open, a Super 1000 event, in 2019. They made strides towards a return to this form in recent weeks.
Their opponents today were Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/ Chirag Shetty under the watchful eye of Mathias Boe. A repeat of the Swiss Open 2021 semifinal, where they dispatched the tall Indian pair, 21-10, 21-17.
Astrup admitted then that if they had not taken the initiative and the lead like they did, Boe sitting at the back of their court may have played on their minds. Today, they began strongly, winning the opening game 21-16, however, the hard-hitting Indians had the fast side to their advantage in the second, and flew away with the game, 21-11.
- We could hear him [Mathias Boe] a little bit more than at Swiss Open but he wasn't as annoying. He was in the match as much as we were. He didn't affect us in any way. It was a great game - a very mental game for all six guys on court today, Astrup explained.
I was really nervous
In the decider, the Danes would have like a larger lead at the change of ends, but had to settle for 11-8. Rankireddy/ Shetty again turned up the heat again on the faster side, but the Danes were able to stick at it in the first three shots and managed to drive towards the finishing line, winning 21-17.
-I think all the way in the third game we spoke about each rally - what was good and what went wrong and what to no next. They [Rankireddy/ Shetty] made a few mistakes and I was really nervous on my serve but it made it better when they made some errors. Our spirit and motivation on court gave us those extra points and I'm really happy about that, Rasmussen stated happily.
The top pair in Europe now how their first final eight appearance at the All England Open. Facing the French Popov brothers tomorrow, who received a walkover due to the withdrawal of number one seeds Marcus Gideon/ Kevin Sukamuljo, they will be eyeing up a place in the final four. The pairs played in Basel two weeks ago and the Danes won 21-14, 21-15.