Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork’s impressive run to the Denmark Open final came to a frustrating end today when they lost to European and former world champions Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in another three-game battle with their Danish rivals.

The England pair lost a 52-minute final 21-12 12-21 21-9 but their performance throughout the week in Odense will give them a big boost going into this week’s French Open in Paris.

Fifth seeds Robertson and Wallwork led 5-4 in the opening game before the Danish third seeds applied the pressure to surge into an 11-5 lead.

The European bronze and Commonwealth silver medallists responded with a three-point burst but Laybourn and Juhl continued to pick up clusters of points and took the opening game on their second game point 21-12.

But in the second game the England pair took command at 4-4 and opened up an 11-5 lead which was the platform to level the match 21-12 and take it to a decider.

It was their third match in a row to go to three games after victories over Poland’s top seeds Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba in the quarter-finals and against Thailand’s fourth seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam in yesterday’s semi-finals.

Today’s final was also the third meeting this year between the two pairs and all three contests went to a deciding game. Robertson and Wallwork, who went on court today trailing 3-1 in previous meetings, had beaten Laybourn and Juhl for the first time at the Yonex All England Championships in three games in March before losing to them in three games in the Yonex BWF World Championships in Paris in August.

Robertson had been bidding the net England’s second title in Super Series, having won the men’s doubles with Anthony Clark at last year’s Singapore Open.

But it was not to be. Nevertheless the experience of reaching her first Super Series final will have given Wallwork a real boost of confidence as she and Robertson prepare to return to Paris.