World No. 1 women's doubles pair and Rio Games gold medal winners Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo won the Denmark Open on Sunday, defeating Rio bronze medalists Jung Kyung-eun and Shin Seung-chan of South Korea 19-21, 21-11, 21-16.
Takahashi and Matsutomo led 11-2 before surrendering the first game but roared back. Takahashi pulled the strings with the change of pace to tie it 1-1 in the second game before they pulled away from 7-7 in the final game to secure their fourth Super Series event in eight appearances this season.
"We tried to stick to our game plan and bounced back well. The Denmark Open always helps me grow," said Matsutomo. "We've been able to fight through after the Olympics with a new mind set."
The title in Denmark — Takahashi and Matsutomo's second event since Rio — might help them put behind the disappointment of losing last month's Japan Open final, a three-game defeat to Rio silver medalists Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark in a rematch of their Rio Games final.
The Japanese pair talked of potential revenge at the Denmark Open after defeat in Tokyo, but the Danes lost to the South Korean pair in the quarterfinals.
"I'm happy to get our hands on the title we wanted," said Takahashi. "We've kept our focus on winning the title after the Rio Games. We're not feeling the pressure of being world No. 1 and gold medalists."