For England’s Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith, getting to the latter stages of the prestigious All England was a dream they have held for a very long time.
As children, they have come to the All England and watched the legends of yesteryear, aspiring to do the same.
Today opponents were Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet from Hong Kong China, who were standing on the other side of the net.
The English pair, Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith, surprised people yesterday when they defeated fourth seeded Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino from Japan.
The first game was a real thriller, with the English pair having the first game point. But a call from the chair judge made the two pairs even on 20-20. Tang and Tse got needed 5 game points before they close the first game 26-24. The second game was almost as close, but in the end, Ellis and Smith survived three match points and managed to send the match into a deciding third game with a 22-20 win.
- Sometimes you cannot explain it. It just shows how much momentum can swing in any sport. Out of nowhere people can just go 5 or 6 points in a row. Obviously when you have match points yourself, you are a little nervous. And that is where Lauren and I will not give up, you are guaranteed if you want to beat us, you have to work hard, Ellis said.
No batteries left
After the two first games, the expectations for the last game were high, but it seemed like Tang and Tse had run out of battery and were down 2-11 before they switched sides. But Ellis and Smith kept their focus and won 21-11.
Tomorrow they play Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti, a pair they narrowly lost to last year at the Korean Open. However, it all seems to be going right for the English pair on home soil.
- The crowd were playing every single point with us. It does make a difference, there is 100% a home advantage to play in front of your own crowd, Smith said.
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