Day two of All England was all about securing spots in the second round. Like on the tournament’s opening day, many European stars were in action on the grey Yonex courts — a unique feature of this historic event, setting it apart from the usual green mats.
The day kicked off with three mixed doubles matches featuring European players. Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch, last week’s winners in Orléans Jesper Toft/Amalie Magelund, and home favorites Callum Hemming/Estelle Van Leeuwen all stepped onto the court.
Vestergaard/Busch had to bow out of the tournament after a 15-21, 21-17, 13-21 defeat to Korea’s Lee/Chae. Meanwhile, Toft/Magelund continued their winning streak, beating Wong/Lim from Malaysia 21-16, 21-19 — a perfect debut for Jesper Toft at All England.
Another debutant was 20-year-old Estelle Van Leeuwen, who, alongside Callum Hemming, played an impressive match against 4th seeds Yang/Hu from Chinese Taipei. Despite a valiant effort, they lost 21-17, 12-21, 19-21. After the match, I spoke to the disappointed English pair... Insert quote.
In women’s singles, Kirsty Gilmour secured a second-round spot yesterday, and today, it was Line Kjærsfeldt and Mia Blichfeldt’s turn to try and follow suit. Kjærsfeldt fought hard but fell short against China’s Chen Yu Fei, losing 21-10, 21-18. Blichfeldt also struggled to find her top form, exiting in the first round with a 21-18, 21-16 loss to Wen Chi Hsu from Chinese Taipei.
The Stoeva sisters faced world No. 18 Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun — a pair they had beaten twice before. They extended their lead to 3-0 with a dominant 21-14, 21-11 victory. After the match, Stefani Stoeva shared how a new, more aggressive playing style has been working well for them:
"Our coach changed our style of play. Instead of only defending, she pushed us to be more aggressive — and I think it’s working out pretty well."
Tomorrow, they face an even bigger challenge against 3rd seeds Matsuyama and Shida.
Anders Antonsen looked sharp and in control throughout his match, cruising to a 21-15, 21-8 victory.
Meanwhile, Gregory and Jenny Mairs, who announced this would be their final international tournament, refused to give up. They faced 8th-seeded Midorikawa/Saito and delivered a stunning performance, winning 21-17, 13-21, 21-13 — their first-ever victory at All England.
In an all-European clash between Rasmus Gemke and Alex Lanier, the French star flew out of the gates, taking the first set 21-10. Gemke found his rhythm in the second set, racing to a 6-0 lead, but Lanier regained control to close the match 21-10, 21-18, earning applause from the English crowd.
The last European on court was Viktor Axelsen — but it’s not a match he’ll look back on fondly. The Danish star struggled to find his usual flow and movement, eventually losing 19-21, 21-13, 11-21.
After the match, Axelsen expressed his disappointment and said taht he is probably looking into a longer longer break from tournaments to focus on recovering fully. We wish Viktor a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on court when his body again is ready to compete.
Other European Results:
Paulina Hankiewicz/Kornelia Marczak vs. Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard — 16-21, 15-21
Jesper Toft/Andreas Søndergaard vs. Peeratchai Sukphun/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul — 11-21, 18-21
Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard vs. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty — 17-21, 15-21
Julie Finne-Ipsen/Mai Surrow vs. Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida — 13-21, 17-21
Tomorrow, the second round begins, and we still have plenty of European stars ready to fight for glory