Denmark had a memorable day at YONEX All England Open 2026 on Thursday as Line Christophersen and mixed pair Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch secured impressive victories to reach the quarterfinals.

Christophersen got the party started with a composed display to defeat Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min 21-18 21-11, reaching the last eight at the All England for the first time in four appearances. She is also the first from her country to advance this far since Mia Blichfeldt in 2021.

“It’s always nice to play the All England,” said the world No.26. “When the play is good here, it’s very special.

“My game was good and I found a good rhythm. I played the court well and made it big for her while still playing my own offence.”

Christophersen plays 2022 champion Akane Yamaguchi next.

Later on, Vestergaard and Busch delivered one of the shocks of the day by defeating top-seeded world No.1s Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping 18-21 21-18 21-17.

The world No.20s had overcome another Chinese pair, Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi, in the  opening round – the same opponents they faced in last week’s German Open final, where they finished runners-up. With Feng/Huang skipping that tournament, the Danes arrived in Birmingham with valuable match sharpness.

Busch admitted the scale of the win had not yet sunk in.

“I’m really happy, also a bit shocked,” she said. “I don’t understand it yet but we are extremely happy.”

Vestergaard revealed they never felt fully in control against Olympic champion Huang at the net.

“She’s difficult to control,” he said. “We were a little afraid to play her at the net for most of the match. I definitely never felt we were in control.”

Meanwhile, Kunlavut Vitidsarn reached the quarterfinals for the first time in his career after defeating Toma Junior Popov 19-21 21-9 21-13 in a hard-fought men’s singles contest.

The 2023 world champion had previously fallen at this stage on six occasions but finally broke that barrier despite dropping the opening game.

“When I came to the hall I felt very happy. The last two years I had already lost by this round so I’m pleased to go through,” said Vitidsarn.

The Thai star admitted the occasion and the venue bring a unique challenge.

“This is a big tournament and I feel a lot of pressure when playing here. I really want to win a medal here. The hall is big and the conditions can be tricky, so it’s difficult to control your mindset and mentality in the match.”

Asked to sum up his performance in a single word, the 23-year-old smiled: “Lucky.”

Some fans have linked Vitidsarn’s best performances on the biggest stages to his ‘lucky black socks’. “Some people ask me about that,” he laughed. “I never think about it. Sometimes I just change the colour for a new look.”

Vitidsarn will play Alwi Farhan in the quarterfinals after the Indonesian defeated Chou Tien Chen 21-13 21-19.

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“My condition is quite good, that’s a positive. I was prepared to go all the way but I guess that’s sports, so I just have to move on.” – Michelle Li on what she takes away after losing a close encounter with Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-16 24-22

“We are a special pair, we’ve had some ups and downs but that’s normal in men’s doubles. We are more consistent now.” – Liang Wei Keng after he and Wang Chang returned to the All England last eight

“Players in the top 30 are all capable of winning any tournament. Beating them at these tournaments is a big thing because after the World Championships, there was a period where I couldn’t do that. I’m happy starting from the Malaysia Open, I’m regaining my confidence.” – Victor Lai on reaching the quarterfinals at his debut All England