On semifinals day at the Swiss Open 2021, there was some top-level doubles on show at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. Here is who booked there places in tomorrow’s finals.
Despite top seeds in the doubles coming from Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand, all coming to fight for the top prize in Basel, five out of six final spots were snapped up by European pairs.
Having knocked out the Olympic silver medallists from Malaysia, the unseeded Germans Mark Lamsfuss/ Marvin Seidel proceeded to dispatch the best Malaysia has to offer in number one seeds, Aaron Chia/ Soh Wooi Yik. When asking how they surpassed the famed Malaysian defence, Seidel explained simply.
-Sometimes you just have to power through. It’s something that works. Of course, some steep smashes and slices. When they feel that you are getting through, I think they struggle a lot.
Winning 21-13 13-21 21-16, the pair went to get some much-deserved rest before knowing who they would play tomorrow.
The rejuvenated Danes, Kim Astrup/ Anders Rasmussen, stepped onto court against India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/ Chirag Shetty and brought confident energy from the very first rally. With Mathias Boe watching from the back of the court on the Indian side, the European champions did not stop until the job was done, winning 21-10, 21-17.
- Beating those guys is what we have waited for and we believe in ourselves that we have that level. After the first game, I said to Kim that it is in our own hands to give him the perfect birthday present and we took it.
Looking towards the final against the Germans who are four ranking spots behind them, birthday boy Kim Astrup grinned and stated.
-I think they are the favourites!
Another all-European affair in the mixed doubles
Danes Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje overcame a big scare in their semifinal against English pair, Marcus Ellis/ Lauren Smith. Surging to a one-game lead, they had two match points in the second game, but squandered them both and saw the European Games champions get one of their own. Battling hard, they eventually got the win, 21-16, 23-21.
-It got so close. I do not know what I was thinking in there when they got 21-20. I am just so relieved right now and so happy!
They meet the French combination of Thom Gicquel/ Delphine Delrue who backed up their form against Tan Kian Meng/ Lai Pei Jing, winning 21-19, 21-10.
Stoevas do it in two
Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva have been faultless so far in Switzerland, but today faced the number one seeds, Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai. On the last two occasions, the Bulgarian sisters have been victorious, however, needing three games to do it. Today they did it in two, winning 21-16, 21-14.
-I think we were working as one on court and we were not making easy mistakes. And today there was less pressure than yesterday, said Stefani Stoeva.
Their opponents in the final, Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharanscored, scored a surprise win over the second-seeded Malaysian compatriots.
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