Friday, 20 Sep 2024

BWF News

A mix of youthful energy and seasoned experience will captivate badminton enthusiasts as the knockout phase of the Baku 2015 European Games begins. The competition showcases both up-and-coming talents like Delphine Lansac (France), Line Kjaersfeldt and Emil Holst (Denmark), as well as established players like Scott Evans (Ireland), Petr Koukal (Czech Republic), Petya Nedelcheva (Bulgaria), and Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (Denmark). With this diverse roster, fans get a taste of both Europe’s present and its future in badminton.

The tournament consists of five categories, each featuring a group stage followed by knockout matches. The group stage, which started on Monday, comprises eight groups in the singles categories and four groups in the doubles categories. The top two players in each singles group will advance to the Round of 16, while the top two pairs in doubles will progress to the quarter-finals.

The group matches held over the past few days have lived up to expectations. Anna Thea Madsen, the runner-up in the European Championships, had a strong start in Women’s Singles Group E, winning her first two matches. Madsen powered past Airi Mikkela (Finland) with a score of 21-15 21-15 in her opening match on Monday, followed by a dominant performance of 21-9 21-8 against Sara Hognadottir (Iceland) yesterday. Another Danish player, Line Kjaersfeldt, who is considered a favorite for the title, also secured straight-games victories in her two matches in Group B. Kjaersfeldt effortlessly handled Milica Simic from Serbia and Clara Azurmendi from Spain.

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In Men’s Singles, top seed Scott Evans qualified for the knockout stage with a perfect record in Group A. Other players who advanced to the knockout stage include Misha Zilberman (Israel), Rosario Maddaloni (Italy), Dieter Domke (Germany), Pablo Abian (Spain), Kestutis Navickas (Lithuania), Petr Koukal (Czech Republic), Michal Rogalski (Poland), Vladimir Malkov (Russia), Eetu Heino (Finland), and Emre Vural (Turkey), who secured qualification by defeating Igor Bjelan (Serbia) with a score of 21-10 17-21 21-9.

The Men’s Doubles category promises an exciting group finale between Milosz Bochat/Pawel Pietryja (Poland) and Matijs Dierickx/Freek Golinski (Belgium) after both pairs won their respective group matches. Strong pairs like Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (Denmark, Group A) and Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov (Russia, Group B) remain on track for the title, having secured two victories in the group stage.

In Women’s Doubles, the Turkish duo of Ozge Bayrak/Neslihan Yigit demonstrated their dominance by winning all their matches in Group C, without dropping a single game. They secured the top spot in the group. Other pairs who advanced to the quarter-finals after winning all their group matches are Stefani Stoeva/Gabriela Stoeva (Bulgaria, Group A), Ekaterina Bolotova/Evgeniya Kosetskaya (Russia, Group B), and Maria Helsbol/Lena Grebak (Denmark, Group D).

Gaetan Mittelheisser and Audrey Fontaine (France) topped Mixed Doubles Group D with straight-games wins over Raphael Beck/Kira Kattenbeck (Germany) and Gergely Krausz/Laura Sarosi (Hungary). Sam Magee and Chloe Magee from Ireland also impressed with two wins, leading the table in Group A.

These knockout matches are sure to deliver thrilling badminton action, as players compete for victory, showcasing their skills and determination on the court.

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