Day 4 of the HYLO Open has wrapped up, bringing the tournament into clearer focus. One of the standout stories is the success of "Team Popov." Led by coach Toma Popov, their unique team includes his sons, Christo and Toma Junior Popov, who compete in both singles and doubles, along with Mia Blichfeldt,
who recently left Team Denmark to permanently train with the Popov's.
So far, Team Popov remains undefeated, with players advancing to four different semi-finals. Mia Blichfeldt began the successful day with an impressive win over third-seeded Sung of Chinese Taipei.
Read more about that victory here.
Next, Toma Junior Popov faced Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in a hard-fought three-game match. Nguyen came out strong, winning the first game 21-17,
but suffered a joint injury later in the match. Despite his efforts, Toma Junior ultimately took the match with scores of 17-21, 21-15, 21-15. Christo Popov advanced with a walkover as his opponent withdrew, giving him a chance to rest before the doubles quarterfinal against Chinese Taipei’s fourth-seeded Lin Bing-Wei and Su Ching Heng. The Popov brothers secured a straight-game victory in front of a supportive crowd.
In the semi-finals, Mia Blichfeldt will face fellow Dane, Line Christophersen, who recently defeated top-seeded Line Kjaersfeldt. Although Blichfeldt has a 2-1 record over Christophersen, Christophersen won their latest encounter at the Denmark Open 2023.
View their head-to-head record here.
In doubles, the Popov brothers are set to play Denmark’s Rasmus Kjær and Frederik Søgaard in their one and only meeting so far, which ended with a Danish victory.
View their head-to-head record here.
In their singles semi-finals, Toma Junior Popov will face Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, who recently defeated World No. 9, Chou Tien Chen. Gemke leads their head-to-head record 2-1, with two wins in 2021, but Toma won their most recent encounter in Indonesia earlier this year. Christo Popov will go up against India’s Ayush Shetty, ranked 23 spots below him, reached the semi-final by defeating Joakim Oldorff, Giovanni Toti, and Kalle Koljonen.
There’s an exciting possibility that Christo and Toma could face each other in the final if they both win their upcoming matches—a scenario that would undoubtedly thrill fans. But with strong opponents ahead, each match promises to be a challenge.
Aside from Team Popov, Denmark has secured eight semi-final spots (including Mia Blichfeldt). Additionally, French pairs Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue and Villeger/Fellet have advanced to the Mixed Doubles semi-finals.
Click here to see all of tomorrow’s matchups.