Denmark cemented their status as European heavyweights after the in-from Viktor Axelsen set them on their method to retain the European Blended Workforce Championships title after a 3-0 thrashing of France.
The in-form males’s singles shuttler, who clinched two Thailand Open titles in Bangkok and made the 2020 World Tour Finals, was in the identical devastating temper in Finland the place the event occurred.
Axelsen was first up towards European junior champion Christo Popov, whom he dispatched 21-16, 21-12 with a lot ease for the lead.
Mia Blichfeldt was subsequent up towards Qi Xuefei, and regardless of the Chinese language-French shuttler taking the lead within the second sport, the Danish ladies’s singles caught as much as finally declare a 21-18, 21-19 victory.
Final yr’s Spain Masters champions Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen had been introduced with the chance to seal the title, which they did in resounding style via a 21-14, 21-14 overcome Ronan Labar and Julien Maio.
Denmark’s success means they received this combined workforce occasion a whopping 18 instances, leaving the others far behind.
England are the second most profitable workforce with 5 titles.
The Danes should not solely a European powerhouse, they’ve flexed their muscular tissues towards their Asian counterparts on a worldwide stage too.
After many years of attempting, they lastly broke the Asian stranglehold on the Thomas Cup to win it in 2016.
Even on the BWF World Tour, the likes of Axelsen and Anders Antonsen are common faces in finals.
Antonsen beat Axelsen to clinch the 2020 World Tour Finals crown, whereas Hans-Kristian Vittinghus shocked everybody to succeed in the Thai Open closing 2 earlier than dropping to Axelsen.
Blichfeldt is ready to interrupt into the highest 10 of the ladies’s singles as she hovers in twelfth spot, whereas Astrup and Rasmussen are fifteenth within the males’s doubles.