CHRISTIANSEN / BØJE knock out the world's no.1s

The Danish pair Mathias CHRISTIANSEN / Alexandra BØJE, once regulars in the top 10, suffered from the prolonged absence of Mathias CHRISTIANSEN. Now together, they have the potential to give the world leaders FENG Yan Zhe and HUANG Dong Ping (China) a hard time. 

The first set began in a close contest between the two pairs. After a difficult start for the Danes, they found their marks and managed to exploit gaps in the Chinese defense, leading by two points at the break. But the Chinese confirmed their excellent form, already demonstrated in their victory at the Victor China Open the previous month. They gradually gained the upper hand over CHRISTIANSEN and BØJE, forcing them into errors, and entered the money game with a comfortable lead (18/14). With smashes, the world no.1s closed out the set (21/14). 

History seemed to reverse at the start of the second set. The Danes settled into their game, allowing FENG/HUANG’s mistakes to work in their favor, leading at the break (11/7). Capitalizing on this lead, CHRISTIANSEN / BØJE put pressure on their opponents, who struggled to find openings against the Danish defense, and conceded the set (13/21). 

The third set took on the appearance of a real battle. The Danes increased their intensity and battered the world ranking leaders. Doubts crept into the minds of the Chinese, trailing by four points midway through the set. But, keeping their composure, FENG/HUANG showed why they were world number ones: they came back to level the score (14/14), completely reviving the suspense. The final points were fiercely contested, the air in the adidas arena becoming stifling... Until the final liberation: the Danes managed to bring down the world number ones, upending the rankings (21/18).