Mia Blichfeldt has struggled to find victories for an extended period. In addition to the lack of results, Mia has also been navigating a breakup with the Danish national federation and relocating her base to France, where she now lives with her boyfriend, Toma Junior Popov, who competes in both singles and doubles.
Blichfeldt showed promising signs during the Denmark Open, where she suffered a close defeat in the second round against world-ranked No. 8 Gregoria Tunjung. She has carried that momentum into this week's Hylo Open, where earlier today she defeated the third-seeded Sung Shuo Yun, who is ranked 10 spots higher on the world list than Blichfeldt herself.
In a match that was expected to be close, the two players were tied at 11-11 in the first set. From there, Blichfeldt did not look back, winning the match convincingly with scores of 21-14 21-14. It was a performance where Blichfeldt managed to keep her error rate low while playing at the high tempo we know she is capable of.
The tournament is being held in Saarbrücken, Germany, near the French border. Whether it was the German or French fans who were the loudest, it is hard to say, but Blichfeldt was certainly cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd.
In tomorrow's semifinals, Blichfeldt will face a fellow Dane, although it remains to be seen whether it will be the top-seeded Line Kjærsfeldt or the fifth-seeded Line Christophersen, who will compete later today for a spot in the semifinals.
Live updates from the tournament can be found on Badminton Europe's social media channels.