Odense, Denmark — In one of the most intense matches of the season, China’s Shi Yuqi defeated home favorite Viktor Axelsen in a fiery semi-final to advance to the 2025 Denmark Open men’s singles final.
The clash between the 2021 champion Axelsen and the 2022 winner Shi was filled with drama and tension. After 76 minutes of high-quality badminton, Shi triumphed 21–19, 17–21, 21–17, silencing the partisan Danish crowd and earning his fourth career win over the Olympic champion.
Watch highlights of Shi Yuqi vs. Viktor Axelsen in the 2025 Denmark Open semi-final:
This was the 13th meeting between the two players and their first encounter in over a year since the 2024 Malaysia Open.
On-Court Dispute Adds Tension
The match reached boiling point early in the deciding game when Shi Yuqi confronted the umpire, questioning Axelsen’s prolonged movement before serving — a motion banned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) since December 2024.
According to BWF’s updated Law 9.1.1, players are not allowed to cause undue delay once both server and receiver are ready. The rule explicitly prohibits “side-to-side motions or standing idle” before service.
Despite Shi’s protest, the umpire allowed play to continue. Axelsen maintained his serving rhythm while Shi kept his focus — a decision that ultimately paid off as the Chinese shuttler regrouped and closed out the match.
After the win, Shi downplayed the incident:
“I was just asking about the delay in his serve, but that’s part of the competitiveness between players,” he told reporters. “There’s no bad blood. We respect each other off the court.”
Viktor Axelsen later took to social media to share a message defending his serving technique, stating: ”
Lost out to a better player today! Well played to Shi Yu Qi and good luck in the final! Hope we can compete again soon.
Also just wanna say thanks for all the massive support I’ve been getting this week what an amazing experience 🙏
And yeah, I just wanna quickly talk about the whole “serve issue” thing that people keep throwing comments about.
First of all, I’ve been serving like this for ages… way before I won the Olympics again and before all the haters started focusing on it.
Some people say even commentators and obviously some of the players think it’s illegal and that’s fine, they can think whatever they want. But who decides the rules? The players, commentators or the BWF, umpires and referees?
If I have to change my serve because it’s illegal, then fine. But to think I’ll change the serve I’ve been using for years just because some people start hating on it… that doesn’t make any sense.
I serve likes this because I feel comfortable this way and I don’t get faulted, and I will continue to do so until I am not allowed to anymore.
”
Lost out to a better player today! Well played to Shi Yu Qi and good luck in the final! Hope we can compete again soon.
Also just wanna say thanks for all the massive support I’ve been getting this week what an amazing experience 🙏And yeah, I just wanna quickly talk about the…
— Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) October 18, 2025
Shi will now face Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the final, after the Indonesian world No. 7 came from behind to beat France’s Alex Lanier 11–21, 21–8, 21–13.
Men’s Doubles:
Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri advanced to the final after dispatching China’s Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang 21–15, 21–18. The win marked their third straight victory over the Chinese pair, following wins at the China Open and China Masters.
They will meet Japan’s Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, who outlasted India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 23–21, 18–21, 21–16 to reach the championship match.
Women’s Singles:
Korea’s world No. 1 An Se Young produced a stunning comeback to defeat Japan’s world champion Akane Yamaguchi 16–21, 21–10, 21–9, avenging her loss at the Korea Open. An will play China’s Wang Zhi Yi, who beat Han Yue 24–26, 21–5, 21–10 in an all-Chinese semi-final.
Women’s Doubles:
Korea guaranteed themselves the women’s doubles title after both pairs reached the final.
Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee defeated Japan’s Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto 21–15, 21–19, while compatriots Kim Hye Jeong/Kong Hee Yong stunned Olympic champions Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan 21–18, 21–9.
Mixed Doubles:
China’s Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin avenged their World Championship loss by beating Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei 21–17, 18–21, 21–18 to reach their second straight Denmark Open final. They will face compatriots Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping, ensuring another all-Chinese title showdown.
Shi Yuqi’s fiery victory over Viktor Axelsen set the tone for an electrifying final day in Odense, as world-class badminton action continues to captivate fans across the globe.
