On day two, the rest of the first-round matches were played out. It seemed like it will be a day to forget for many Europeans making the trip to Seoul. However, towards the end of the day, two great results were pulled out of the bag.
The first being for 21-year-old Dane, Anders Antonsen. After bursting onto the Badminton scene and breaking into the world top 10, this season has been a struggle. Today’s first round opponent, Sameer Verma, was a tricky one. The Indian has this season won two tournament titles in the Hyderbad and Swiss Open, beating the likes of Kento Momota and Antonsen in the process.
Antonsen displayed his usual high intensity in the rallies, but what was most impressive was his stamina and focus in the deciding game. The match ended 15-21, 21-16, 21-7. Waiting for him now is perhaps the biggest test of them all, World Champion Momota.
Until 2018
Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour seems to have worked out how to overcome Michelle Li. A player she has previously failed to beat until 2018. Victory against the Canadian in the Commonwealth Games was a pleasant surprise; however, she has now backed this up with another win, with the match ending 20-22, 21-14, 21-11. Waiting for her now is second seed Ratchanok Intanon.
The brilliant run for Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen came to an abrupt end in their opening match in Korea. After sensationally winning the China Open on Sunday, it was a quick turn around to today’s match. The 5th seeds lost in 3 games to Taiwan’s Lee Yang and Lee Jhe-Huei, 21-12, 14-21, 11-21.
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here.