Promising Danish men’s doubles pair Joel Eipe and Rasmus KjÆr blew into the DANISA Denmark Open 2020 like a hurricane. Wiping out the home favourites, Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen, the two continued to display a dominating performance in the semifinals, as they faced Olympic bronze medallists Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge.

Eventually defeated 22-20 21-16 by Ellis and Langridge, Eipe and Kjaer certainly gave the English pair a run for their money in the opening game.

“I think it was a good match, with some fast rallies. The shuttle wasn’t as fast as it was in our previous match and they had excellent defence. We struggled to get through in the first and second game. They were just too good today,” said a disappointed Kjaer post-match.

After knocking out the number four seeds, Kjaer and Eipe exceeded their own expectations at the World Tour Super 750 tournament and the belief to win was always a constant in their minds.

“We don’t go into a game thinking we can’t win. We thought we could win it if we played well. We knew Ellis and Langridge were on better form and we knew it would be hard, but we just couldn’t get through,” replied Eipe.

Leaving nothing in their wake, the Danish duo showed they have the talent and ability to climb the rankings and play others of high calibre.

“I’m not disappointed with the commitment and the fight that we both put out there on court, they were just better than us. It’s been great being back and I think it’s shown that’s it’s possible to play badminton and how positive it is for the sport.”

“I’ve been struggling with a knee injury for a while. I’m not in the shape I should be in and I think that showed on court. I got tired and you look for the easy solutions and they will just punish you if you go for the easy option,” said a downcast Kjaer.

Eipe added: “This is probably the best level we have ever played at and we want to continue to be consistent.”

Positive mode

The pair, ranked 125^th in the world, went into the semifinals with their heads held high.

“You go in nervous at the start, just to know you’re heading into the semifinals of a Super 750 and you have good opponents to play against, but not ones you can’t beat.”

“It’s been a bit different this time, with talking to the media and the strict bubble we’re all in. It’s been fun for us to be apart of and we’ve kind of made a name for ourselves and we can feel that. So we will head home, focus, train and come back harder next year,” revealed a smiling Kjaer.

Ellis and Langridge were all praise for their opponents: “Full credit to them for this match and the one against Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen too. Joel and Rasmus played very well and you do have to give credit to your opponents when they don’t let you play to the level you normally can. They are young players, coming through and a pair to watch if they keep this standard up. Definitely a threat and we welcome them to come and train in England when all this craziness is over,” quipped Langridge.

Charging forward

“We haven’t been practicing together for a while and we have room for improvement,” said Eipe as they spoke of their future aspirations. The Danish duo are hopeful for the Asian leg in January 2021 stating:

“This gives us confidence and hope that when we are 100 per cent ready we’re going to be really difficult to beat.”