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Badminton News: Winning consecutive weeks for the first time in their partnership is cause for celebration for Denmark, but YONEX Canada Open 2023 champions Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen also want to celebrate the big picture.

Astrup/Rasmussen, European Games gold medalists in Poland a week ago, beat compatriots Rasmus Kjaer/Frederik Sogaard in three games 23-25 ​​21-16 21-12 at the Markin MacPhail Center for their first victory on Canadian soil.

“It feels good, but a big congratulations to our comrades. It’s been a good week for Danish men’s doubles,” Rasmussen said.

“We saw a social message that 2010 was the last time the all-Danish final was held. Now we have a new couple on the scene. This marks a milestone and perhaps a new era for our men’s doubles.

Meanwhile, Kjaer, although disappointed, accepts.

“Once we have time to reflect, we will have a positive view of the week. It’s always a bit special to play these guys. We train with them every day, so sometimes it’s a bit strange because we know each other very well, but it’s a top game,” he said.

“I want the best for them, except when they play us. I would be lying if I said I’m happy for them now. Even though we are rivals, we also depend on each other to reach the level we want, so there is respect and we wish each other the best, but this one hurts. All in all, it was a great week for the Danish men’s doubles,” he added.

Of their back-to-back titles, Rasmussen said: “We’re on a downward slope, so coming back and winning a few weeks in a row shows what hard work and motivation can do. I am very proud of us.

Astrup added: “We won the European Games, traveled to other continents and bounced back. We are hungry and motivated all week. It was great to be on top two weeks in a row, the first time in our career.”

The win also ended the wait for a world-ranked 12th-ranked tandem on the BWF HSBC World Tour, the last being the 2021 Swiss Open.

Article tags: Denmark, Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Kim Astrup, canada open 2023