It was a tough battle, but Anders Antonsen managed to grind out a win against France's Toma Junior Popov in the Round of 16 at the World Badminton Championships.
The Aarhus native needed one hour and 18 minutes to secure a quarter-final spot with a scoreline of 21-17, 16-21, 21-14 in New Delhi, India.
The victory means there are two Danish representatives in the men's singles quarter-finals. Earlier on Thursday, Rasmus Gemke claimed a major scalp by defeating the third-seeded Jonatan Christie.
In total, three Danes have reached the quarter-finals. On Thursday, Line Christophersen won her Round of 16 match 21-18, 21-17 against Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia.
Antonsen started his Round of 16 match strongly against the Frenchman Popov. The Dane played at a high level, though he did struggle somewhat with consistency.
This gave Popov a small opening to fight his way back into the match, but Antonsen tightened up his game and fended off the challenge. The second set, however, belonged to the Frenchman. In most rallies, Antonsen’s level of play was a far cry from how he had started the match.
From 9-9, Popov was able to find momentum and ultimately force a deciding set. There was no doubt about the outcome of that final set, however. Antonsen quickly took control with a sharp attacking game.
The Aarhus native raced to a 6-0 lead, completely demoralizing the Frenchman on the other side of the net. Antonsen was in total control, and it was impossible to see how Popov could find a way back.
The Frenchman appeared disheartened, showing not a shred of belief that he could turn things around.
After a long, grueling match, the decisive set provided quite a contrast. Antonsen secured his advancement in the deciding set without difficulty on his third match point.