China and Denmark lived up to their billing as continental powerhouses after they sealed the Asian and European Mixed Team Championships with victories over South Korea and France respectively.
China powered to their second consecutive title after they overcame South Korea 3-1 in rather convincing fashion.
The Asian champions all but regained their foothold as the nation to beat, after being shunned for the best part of two years due to travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Dubai, China came with a team devoid of some of their top stars including Shi Yu Qi (men's singles), Chen Yu Fei (women's singles) and Zheng Si Wei (mixed doubles) among others.
Still, they had no problems cruising to victory over South Korea who came with a rather experienced squad.
Lee Lan Xi, Gao Fang Jie and Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning delivered the points in the men’s and women’s singles as well as the women’s doubles to secure the victory.
Denmark, on the other hand, had Viktor Axelsen and Maiken Fruergaard-Sara Thygesen to thank as their chief motivators as the Scandinavian nation came from behind to beat France 3-2 for a record 19th title.
Axelsen took on Christo Popov with Denmark 1-0 down after Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue had won in the first mixed doubles match.
Popov was on the verge of giving France a 2-0 lead as he held match point in the second game having won the first against Axelsen.
But the world number one held his ground to win that game, and went on to beat Popov 15-21, 22-20, 21-14.
Denmark then seized the lead through Line Christophersen in the women’s singles, before the French made it 2-2 in the men’s doubles.
Fruergaard- Thygesen emerged Denmark’s heroes after coming from a game down to beat Delrue-Margot Lambert in the women’s doubles for the nation’s fifth consecutive title in this championships since 2015.
