At the end of the second day of the Orléans Masters 2019, the Europeans did their best in Orléans, France, where this event got underway from 19th to 24th of March.
A significant number of European players managed to qualify for round 16, playing on Thursday in Palais des Sports, Orléans, at 12:00 PM (local time).
Toma Junior Popov: My attack will be the key
In this BWF Tour Super 100 tournament the Frenchman Toma Junior Popov, seeded as number seven, faced Daniel Nikolov from Bulgaria, who started from qualification round.
A very good start for Popov who had a bye in the first round and the day ended with a solid win against his opponent with 21-18, 21-15.
-My first match was very tricky, so I tried to play with a lot of control and patience without taking risks, Popov told Badminton Europe.
After his calibrated performance today, Popov will have to deal with a de ja vu, meeting a familiar opponent. He will face Nhat Nguyen from Ireland in the last 16, who also seems in great form after his win against Alexander Roovers from Germany.
In the hope of moving forward to the Quarterfinals, Popov revealed to Badminton Europe his key to achieving his goal in his home country.
- I have played against Nhat four times in the last few years. So, I think the key is to execute my attacking style of play and enjoy the match, he added.
Gilmour: ready to repeat her triumph
The number one seed Kirsty Gilmour from Scotland, winner of the Orléans Masters two years ago, made a great start by beating Brittney Tam from Canada with 21-12, 21-10.
In round two, the Scottish will face Lianne Tan from Belgium, who beat the Spaniard Sara Penalver with 21-11, 21-16.
A huge surprise in the Men’s Doubles
The Russians Nikita Khakimov and Alexandr Zinchenko managed to unseat the current Olympic medalist Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge from England in a result that ran counter to most pre-match predictions.
The Russians played with a very high tempo that eventually led them to victory with 21-19, 8-21, 21-19.
Moving forward, the Russian pair will play against Chang Ko-Chi and Fang-Jen Lee from Taipei.
It will be without doubt a very interesting day. Do not miss the action on court and stay tuned on Badminton Europe for the recent results!