Denmark Masters triumph is my biggest title so far, says teenage Canadian shuttler Brian Yang

It has been a memorable fortnight for Brian Yang. The youngest male shuttler from the Tokyo Olympics created a big splash at the Summer Games last month.

Although Yang couldn’t manage to get through to the knockout stages in the Olympics, he impressed everyone with his sensational display against Chou Tien-Chen. The World No. 4 from Chinese Taipei quelled a spirited challenge from Yang to register a hard-fought 21-18, 16-21, 22-20 win in Group P.

After having a memorable Olympic experience, Yang carried that brilliant form in the Victor Denmark Masters International Challenge Badminton tournament which ended in Esbjerg on Sunday.

Third seed Yang emerged as champion to clinch the biggest title of the career so far. The nineteen-year-old Canadian rallied back to defeat seventh seed Victor Svendsen of Denmark 16-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the men’s singles final on Sunday.

World No. 45 Yang needed almost an hour to get the better of Svendsen, who is currently ranked 62. It was Yang's second successive win over his Danish opponent. Last year in October at SaarLorLux Open, Yang had edged out Svendsen 12-21, 21-15, 21-19.

Yang stunned top seed and hot favorite Lakshya Sen of India in three games in the semifinals. World No. 24 Lakshya won the first game but was overpowered by Yang in the next two games and lost the match 21-13, 14-21, 18-21.

The tall and lanky Canadian prevailed over France’s Arnaud Merkle in the quarterfinals.

I even surprised myself with this performance: Yang

The World No. 45 was ecstatic after claiming his first major title. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Yang said:

“I’m really proud to have won my first ever international challenge. It is not only because this is my maiden title at this level but also because of the opponents I defeated to earn it. Coming into the tournament I wasn’t expecting anything. I just wanted to do my best and not put pressure on myself. I ended up playing very well, and beat some tough opponents, even surprising myself with my performance.”

The confidence he gained while representing his country in his maiden Olympics helped him perform better in Denmark. He is hoping to carry on the momentum in his upcoming tournaments.

“It’s a huge confidence booster for me and I hope it’s the start of more titles to come. A couple of tough matches in the Olympics taught me a lot. I am really thrilled with my performance these past couple of days in Esbjerg. There were a lot of tough matches but I managed to pull through,” said Yang.