It’s been a scintillating year for the Danish men’s singles badminton players.
In May, Denmark made history when it secured its first ever Thomas Cup title – also known as the World Men’s Team Championships, then Hans-Kristian Vittinghus won his first ever Super Six tournament at the Australian Open in June and Viktor Axelsen won the bronze in the men’s singles in Rio.
Now, Jan Ø Jørgensen has gone and perhaps outdone them all by becoming the first non-Asian to win the prestigious Super Six tournament, the China Open, thanks to a 22-20, 21-13 win over his nemesis and world number two, Chen Long.
“Big win yesterday. One of the biggest days so far in my badminton career. I must say I didn’t expect at all to win this tournament when it started on Tuesday,” Jørgensen wrote on Facebook.
“Yesterday’s game was very tough and I had to fight with all I had to beat Chen Long. He has done so well over the last few years and is always a very tough opponent. It makes me even more proud to have beaten him in such a big game.”
READ MORE: Denmark to welcome home its badminton world champs
Chasing Wei and Long
Before the final, the 28-year-old Dane had only won one match against Long in nine attempts. Long beat Viktor Axelsen in the semifinal.
With the victory, Jørgensen shoots up to third in the world rankings, just behind Malaysian leader Lee Chong Wei and Long. Axelsen will likely also remain in the top five.
The triumph is Jørgensen’s fourth Super Series win following previous titles at the French Open, Danish Open and Indonesian Open – which he is also the only non-Asian to ever win.
