After a 3-0 victory over France in the final, Denmark once again secures the trophy and the title of European Mixed Team Champions.
On paper, the final was expected to be a close encounter, with Denmark entering as slight favorites. One of the key matches for France was the mixed doubles, which was played first. Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue faced Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund. The French pair, ranked world No. 8, had the advantage on paper over the Danish pair, ranked No. 13, but Denmark led 1-0 in their head-to-head record before today’s match.
The Danish duo came out strong in the final, dominating the first game 21-11. The second game was much closer, with the French pair raising their level and forcing a deciding third game with a 21-18 win. The decider started evenly, but the Danes pulled ahead towards the end, securing the victory 21-15.
With a 1-0 lead, Denmark now had two favorable matchups in men’s singles and women’s singles.
In the men’s singles, world No. 2 Anders Antonsen faced young French star Alex Lanier, ranked No. 17. Before today’s match, Lanier led their head-to-head 2-0 in official encounters. However, Antonsen changed that today. The match remained tight, with both players staying close throughout, but Antonsen always had a slight upper hand. In the end, he sealed the win 21-18, 21-19, extending Denmark’s lead to 2-0.
The third match was women’s singles, featuring Line Christophersen against LéOnice Huet. It never became the thrilling contest many had hoped for, as Christophersen proved too strong for Huet, who had otherwise performed well throughout the tournament.
With that, Denmark secured their title defense as European Mixed Team Champions.
A big thank you to Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Badminton Federation for being excellent hosts.