Julie Dawall Jakobsen has turned heads at the Super 1000 event with an amazing victory over Tai Tzu Ying, while Toma Junior Popov delivered a great performance against Leong Jun Hao.
The second day of the VICTOR China Open 2024 has treated us to some brilliant moments. Despite Viktor Axelsen’s surprising early departure, the tournament highlighted the stregnth of European players, notably in two dramatic three-game matches.
Jakobsen's triumph over Tai Tzu Ying
Earlier this year, Julie Dawall Jakobsen won a bronze at the European Championships and has now reemerged at one of badminton's grandest stages. Facing the world number four Tai Tzu Ying, Jakobsen overturned a previous defeat against the player from Chinese Taipei with a commanding 21-14 win in the first game. Despite a challenging second game loss of 7-21, she rallied to secure the match with a 21-19 win in the decider.
Post-match, an emotional Jakobsen shared, “I am a bit overwhelmed. I’m really happy... I’ve played some matches against the best players but couldn’t close it at the end so I’m really relieved that I managed to do it today.”
She discussed the match's challenges, especially the technical prowess of Tai and the difficulties posed by the court's drift. “Even though she was not feeling that good today, she still has a lot of good shots. [I was] very nervous but I knew I had to place my shots really well. I’m sure that this is the best victory I’ve had in a long time, it feels good.”
Popov's gruelling victory
Toma Junior Popov’s match against Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao was quite a spectacle, lasting 1 hour and 35 minutes. "It was a great battle... We were both breaking strings. It was a mental battle, physical battle, technical battle," Popov described. Despite the intense action at the net and formidable defense from Leong, Popov's skills shone through.
Reflecting on his recent performances, including a crucial win post-Olympics, Popov expressed satisfaction with his form, "After the Olympics, I took three weeks vacation... I wasn't ready, but I still played a good game against Ginting [in Hong Kong] and now here, so I’m very happy."
Looking ahead, he remains optimistic about gaining momentum, "I'm warming up the machine back. And I'm just hoping to play as much as I can, grow in confidence, experience, and be among the best."
You can see all of today’s results
here.