The quarterfinals at the 2023 French Open have drawn to a close, with one of the four European teams securing a spot in the semifinals.
In a highly anticipated match, Astrup/ Rasmussen managed to outshine the top seeded Alfian/ Ardianto, securing their victory 21-18 21-15.
"After we got going in the first game, we found momentum and from there played really well. So, I’m really satisfied," stated Astrup, reflecting on their impressive performance.
Looking ahead to their upcoming showdown against Liu/ Oh, from China, Rasmussen confidently remarked, "We’re going to do as always, going to prepare, make a plan that we hope and think works. We’ve played better and better throughout the tournament, and today was much better than yesterday, so I'm really happy about our performance. It gives us hope for tomorrow, even though we're down 0-4 in the head-to-head."
Carolina Marin, a tournament favourite, faced a surprising left-handed opponent, Aya Ohori, and despite putting up a valiant effort, ultimately fell short 18-21 18-21.
Marin acknowledged her opponent's talent, saying, "She played much cleverer than me. There were some mistakes in my game plan when I was on the court. Maybe, at times, I was a bit tense and made some unforced errors that gave her easy points. This is how it is today, a tough loss, but we learn from it."
Marin was supposed to play at the Hylo Open, next week, but is contemplating her next moves and the best course of action for her knee's well-being, hinting at the possibility of a longer rest before travelling to Asia.
In another exciting encounter, the French duo, Lambert/ Tran, put up a spirited fight against Japan’s Matsumoto/ Nagahara, ultimately coming up short 15-21 18-21.
Reflecting on the match, Tran expressed mixed feelings, saying, "It’s a bit tough to see the positive right after the match because we are a bit disappointed with our performance today. Overall, we’ve had some good tournaments so far, so we will focus on the next ones and the improvement we can bring to our game."
Lambert also acknowledged the incredible support of the home crowd, stating, "The French crowd was amazing. It’s always a lot different to play at home; the atmosphere is very nice for us, so I really like playing here."
Lambert/ Tran have their sights set on the Hylo Open next week, followed by a journey to China and India.
Lastly, Kjær/ Søgaard faced too strong in the Indonesian duo Fikri/ Maulana who secured a decisive 11-21 17-21 win.