The reigning national champion had quite a challenging opponent in the first round of YONEX-SUNRISE Hong Kong Open.
Saina Nehwal from India has an Olympic bronze medal from 2012 and a world championship medal in silver from 2015, but on Wednesday morning, local Hong Kong time, she was “just” Mette Poulsen's opponent.
- I did feel surprisingly well in there. I actually felt like I was in control for the most parts of the match. I was well prepared for her strengths and put up a tough defense on court, Poulsen, 24, says to Badminton Europe.
Her focus and calm game on court made the match a close affair which unfortunately ended with an Indian victory; 21-19, 23-21.
-It sounds crazy
- I’m quite frustrated that I did not get just one of the sets. It sounds crazy, but I almost felt like I could have won. I am in the lead in the first and the second set, but froze a bit towards the end. So, there was a big ball of disappointment and frustration over the fact that it did not work out for me today.
But Poulsen is able to take some positive aspects with her from this match after all. First of all, the fact that she had the stomach to stay calm;
- The belief to make or create the surprise was there. I was pretty relaxed before the match and was nicely calm in there, which also showed in my game. I had the guts to actually play with her which was my biggest focus.
The next tournament for the Danish women’s singles player will be the International challenge on badminton Europe’s Circuit, Italian International in Milan, this December.