World champions An Seyoung and Alex Lanier came through three-game thrillers to win the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the 2026 BWF Denmark Open.
Olympic badminton gold medallist An had to fight back in the Super 750 final against Japanese rival Yamaguchi Akane on Sunday (18 October), finding a way through to prevail 21-23, 21-14, 21-18 in Odense, Denmark.
The men’s singles final also featured an enthralling battle between world champion Lanier and home hero Anders Antonsen, which went the way of Lanier. He became the first Frenchman to win the singles title with a 21-15, 13-21, 21-13 victory.
An was 11-8 down in the second game and 11-5 behind in the decider, in which she injured her right ankle and took a brief break to ease the pain. Yet the Republic of Korea star never gave in, defending her Denmark title and sealing a ninth singles title.
“It’s a little bit bad,” admitted An after the match (via the BWF). “The court conditions were difficult and I slipped. I will check my body and talk to my [coaches]. In the final game, I was on the slower side of the court, and I was more confident.”
An and Yamaguchi have forged an enthralling rivalry in women’s badminton, yet it is the Paris 2024 Olympic champion who has won the last 10 meetings in succession.
The 24-year-old also broke the record for most international women’s singles titles, her triumph in Denmark now a record 47th since records began in 1989 – a statistic she was not aware of.
“Wow!” she responded, “I want to make history but I just focus on one match at a time. This is my motivation and many people in the crowd were cheering for me, so I’m so happy.”
The Danish crowd had already been treated to a fantastic day of badminton on finals day, then along came Lanier and Antonsen for the primetime affair.
Lanier, 21, clinched his third consecutive win of the year over Antonsen, offering muted celebrations upon confirming his triumph over his training partner in his home tournament.
Arriving in Odense as the seventh seed, this is Lanier’s fourth title of the season, marking his first tournament after claiming World Championship gold with a Super 750 crown.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/bwf-denmark-open-2026-an-seyoung-alex-lanier-badminton-results
