If Day 3 at VICTOR Denmark Open 2025 was about unexpected results – no fewer than seven seeded players or pairs fell – Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn/Tan Wee Kiong took the cake by knocking out top-seeded men’s doubles world champions Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae.

Winning 21-19 21-14, the Malaysians are the last men’s pair left standing for their country, with second seeds Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and third seeds Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin already eliminated in the opening round.

The victory represents a seismic moment in the season given the Koreans’ imperiousness all year. This is the world No.1s’ earliest defeat on the HSBC BWF World Tour since restarting their partnership in January at the Malaysia Open.

Yet Azriyn/Tan were unfazed by the magnitude of the task, approaching the match with a refreshing simplicity that proved effective.

“We enjoyed the match,” Tan said, his modesty belying the enormity of the scalp claimed. “We kept telling each other to focus and do our best.”

The tactical blueprint was shrewd. Recognising that Kim/Seo’s great strength was their aggressive defence, the Malaysians made a conscious decision to mirror their opponents’ intensity rather than resist it.

“The first thing we discussed was our focus and to initially follow the pace,” Tan revealed.

As they built momentum and edged ahead, their rivals appeared to lose their moorings, unable to adjust to unexpected shots and unconventional play that caught them off guard.

Pressed about confidence levels, Tan offered an intriguing philosophy.

“We never think about things we don’t have to worry about,” he said.

Carrying their nation’s hopes now, Azriyn summed up their resolve succinctly: “We want to fight for our country.”

The world champions, meanwhile, were generous in defeat.

Kim conceded: “They made some unexpected plays we weren’t really able to return properly.”

“The Malaysians were just really good and we weren’t able to show our strategies,” added Seo.

A quarterfinal berth now awaits against defending champions Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang.

Rankings Rocked

Other seeds to exit were Anders Antonsen, Chen Yu Fei, Putri Kusuma Wardani, Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan, Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran and Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet, all to opponents ranked significantly behind. Tan/Muralitharan conquerors Chiharu Shida/Arisa Igarashi are 53 places below them on the world rankings.

Lakshya Sen, who ended Antonsen’s reign with a 21-13 21-14 win, said: “I had to be very, very patient in the rallies and wait for my chances.”

Sen focused on defence and staying alert at the net against flat drives, looking to counter attack when opportunities emerged.

“Big hats off to Lakshya’s game, he was rock solid. I was thinking in there whether he even made a single mistake during the match,” praised Antonsen.

Winning the first game proved pivotal for Sen.

“It gave me a lot of confidence,” the world No.21, who is working his way back after dealing with back and shoulder injuries earlier in the year, explained.

“I missed playing when I was injured. That spark in me has come back,” he added.

→ Results (Day 3)

→ Order of Play (Quarterfinals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“I can learn a lot from them, especially Toh. Her ability to control the net and be bold with shots is brilliant. This is what you have to do to reach the top like them.” – We Meng Ying after losing to world champions Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei 21-14 21-11

“My celebration showed how much I enjoyed winning such a tough match. I don’t know what it is about the Denmark Open but I love playing here.” – Li Shi Feng after his 16-21 21-19 21-19 win over Lee Chia Hao

“We are like a newborn partnership, just a month old or young. What I like about Arisa are the angles of her smashes and athleticism. This partnership is going in the right direction.” – Shida on pairing up with Igarashi