Gemke Rallies From Set Down To Shock Christie At Badminton Worlds

Gemke stuns Christie

Blood, Sweat And A Broken Racket: Gemke outlasts Christie at Worlds. Gemke shocks Christie to book Worlds quarter-final berth...

 

Gemke stuns World No.3 Christie to reach badminton Worlds quarter-finals, as Denmark eye double in Worlds quarter-finals..

Gemke outlast Christie to reach World Championships quarter-finals...

Rasmus Gemke pulled off a huge upset on Thursday, fighting back to defeat world No.3 and Indonesian star Jonatan Christie 11-21, 21-13, 21-18 and book his place in the quarter-finals of the Badminton World Championships.

Facing the tournament’s third seed, Jonatan Christie, looked like a massive challenge for Gemke on paper.

But the Dane refused to back down. With grit, grit, and a huge surge of energy, Gemke turned it around to beat the Indonesian 11-21, 21-13, 21-18.

The win sends him through to the quarter-finals in Paris, where he’ll face Canada’s seventh seed Victor Lai. Gemke’s run has already included a major scalp in round two, when he knocked out defending All England champion Lin Chun-yi.

That belief wasn’t obvious at the start against Christie though. The Indonesian raced into an 8-1 lead, and even after Gemke clawed his way back he had to take a break to get treatment for a bleeding finger.

Undeterred, the Dane dug deep. Grit, determination, and a huge surge of energy carried the Danish shuttler past the Indonesian 11-21, 21-13, 21-18.

The result booked Gemke a spot in the quarter-finals in Paris, where he will now face Canada’s No.7 seed Victor Lai. He had already made headlines in round two with a big upset over defending All England champion Lin Chun-yi.

That composure wasn’t there from the first point against Christie. The Indonesian stormed out to an 8-1 lead, and although Gemke battled back into it, he was forced to stop play to get treatment for a cut finger.

That timeout killed Gemke’s rhythm, and Christie took full control to wrap up the first set. Gemke hit back in the second though, turning the tables with a dominant display to level the match and force a decider.

It came down to the fine margins in the third. A string of shots clipped the lines, and every time Gemke edged ahead, Christie answered right back.

Still, the Dane held his nerve to earn three match points. On the second one, his strings snapped mid-rally, but Gemke gambled anyway and found a way to drop the shuttle past Christie, who slumped to the floor in frustration.

A 70-minute battle between Gemke and Christie comes to an end as the Dane wins 11-21, 21-13, 21-18 at the World Championships in New Delhi.#WorldChampinships #Badminton #WC2026 #NewDelhi pic.twitter.com/cfbCyskAxt

— myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) August 20, 2026

It could be a double Danish celebration in the men’s singles. Fourth seed Anders Antonsen is also in action later on Thursday, with a quarter-final spot on the line against France’s Toma Junior Popov.