The YONEX French Open 2023 was buzzing with anticipation as the Glaz Arena in Rennes set the stage for a thrilling opening round contest between Danish mixed doubles duo Mathias Thyrri/Amalie Magelund and world champions Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung.

Stepping onto the court, Thyrri/Magelund carried a quiet confidence that stemmed from their previous near misses against top Asian pairs. Emerging 21-19 19-21 21-11 victorious from their first try against the Koreans, the world No.22s were beaming with joy post-match.

“We both really wanted it,” smiled Thyrri. “We played against Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping at the Arctic Open and lost two close games, and against Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei at the Denmark Open last week. We were ready for this match and had the belief the whole way. So that was nice.”

The duo were emblematic of Denmark’s newfound strength in mixed doubles.

“Right now in Denmark, it’s going very well in the mixed, especially with Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra BØje, and we have some good training back home,” the Dane explained.

Their precision in serve and returns and an unrelenting attacking strategy had Seo and Chae on the back foot.

“We were good in the service situation, especially our own. And we got that attack a lot in the match. There were some good points there,” Magelund noted.

“This is one of the biggest wins in our career together. It’s amazing to beat Seo/Chae, they are world-class players,” she added, the 23-year-old’s eyes gleaming with triumph.

Their confidence has taken a giant leap forward.

“It’s definitely high. We know we have the level to compete with the best pairs, but we haven’t got so many wins against those. We have played close matches but that’s why we both wanted it,” Thyrri said.

→ Results (Day 1)

→ Order of play (Day 2)

WHAT OTHERS SAID:

“Being world No.1s is a dream, it’s a blessing. It’s what we’ve always wanted, but it comes with a target on your back.” – Chirag Shetty on being the first Indian men’s pair to top the world rankings

“My luggage didn’t arrive so I wore Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti’s shirt. It’s lucky we are the same shoe size too. Of my two suitcases, one did arrive, but it was full of food. It’s funny.” – Apriyani Rahayu

“Julien (Carraggi) is a good player. He’s been making great progress over the last few years, so I know on his best days, he’s dangerous. He’s beaten some good players and I knew this was definitely not going to be easy.” – Anders Antonsen after coming through 21-17 18-21 21-16 against his Belgian opponent

“Rennes is becoming known as a good place for badminton in France. This is the second biggest event for the city after the national championships.” – Christo Popov looking on the bright side following his 21-11 21-18 loss to Loh Kean Yew