The mixed doubles category at Yonex Denmark Open could go on to be the category where the fight for the title seems to be closest
There are now only two weeks to go before Yonex Denmark Open will take place in Odense Sports Park. Both the seeding and the draw has been made, and there are some exciting meeting in sight at the tournament.
Especially in the mixed doubles category, where the four top ranked pairs in the world all feature in the programme. In general, several world class duos have announced their arrival at Yonex Denmark Open, and the fight for the title in this category might be the one where no one can predict who will claim it at the end.
Five of the six best
World No. 1's, Xu Chen and Ma Jin, as well as world No. 2's, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, are present in Odense when Yonex Denmark Open is being played. Respectively they feature in each of their end of the programme, given their world ranking. Chen and Jin are up against a qualifier in their first round, while Nan and Yunlei play a Japanese couple in theirs.
World No. 4's, Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir from Indonesia, play Ronan Labar and Laura Choinet of France, while world No. 6's, Thai Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam, face the Danish constellation consisting of Rasmus Bonde and Line Kjærsfeldt.
Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen, who currently own the rights to call themselves the third best pair in the world, are also seeded in the program. If they manage to beat Roman Zirnwald and Elisabeth Baldauf in their first round, they have a good chance of meeting Chen and Jin in their semi final.
Welcome back, Juhl
After the Olympics, Kamilla Rytter Juhl said farewell to her now former mixed doubles partner, Thomas Laybourn, with whom she actually have won the tournament in Odense.
Now she is back at Yonex Denmark Open with a new partner, Mads Pieler Kolding, and it shall be interesting to see how the new couple will perform. They face Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels of Germany in their first round.
Also Julie Houmann and Anders Kristiansen already feature in the main tournament. However several new Danish pairs have the chance to play themselves into the main tournament as well, given they win their qualification matches. Among these pairs are Christian Skovgaard and Line Kruse, Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Lena Grebak and Jonas Rasmussen and Maria Helsbøl.