Day two of the 2025 European Championships at Forum Horsens in Denmark featured intense battles and thrilling upsets as Europe’s top shuttlers vied for spots in the later stages.
Ukrainian sixth seed Polina Buhrova narrowly edged Scotland’s Rachel Sugden in a gripping women’s singles match, securing victory 22-20, 21-19. Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Belgian Julien Carraggi was stunned by Italy’s Giovanni Toti in an epic men’s singles clash, going down 21-18, 15-21, 23-25 in a match lasting over an hour.
Denmark’s strong performance continued, with women’s doubles duo Julie Finne-Ipsen and Mai Surrow comfortably defeating Poland’s Paulina Hankiewicz and Kornelia Marczak, 21-15, 21-8. The Danish pair remain strong contenders moving forward.
France also had notable success; Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante achieved a remarkable comeback victory against fifth-seeded Turks Bengisu Ercetin and Nazlıcan Inci, winning 10-21, 21-18, 21-19.
Christo Popov, the fifth-seeded Frenchman, overcame Bulgaria’s Dimitar Yanakiev in men’s singles, holding his nerve in a tight second game to win 21-12, 22-20. Fellow French standout Alex Lanier similarly secured a straight-games victory over Switzerland’s Tobias Kuenzi, 21-13, 23-21.
Yvonne Li of Germany battled past Azerbaijan’s seventh seed Keisha Fatimah Azzahra in a tough three-game match, ultimately triumphing 21-19, 16-21, 21-16. In men’s singles, Sweden’s Gustav Bjorkler pulled off an upset against Azerbaijan’s Ade Resky Dwicahyo, winning 15-21, 21-14, 21-12.
Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, the top seed in men’s singles, was forced to withdraw from his match, allowing Ukraine’s Oleksii Titov to progress to the next round without contest.
As day two concluded, badminton fans eagerly anticipate further exciting encounters in the quest for European glory. Stay tuned for continuing updates from the 2025 European Championships.