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Meril Loquette into the semi finals in Canada (Badminton Europe/Mark Phelan)
Loquette’s greatest day
Date: 5/10/2019 11:17 PM
Published by : Bobby Griffin (BEC)

The world number nine in the Last 16? The European Champion in the quarter-final? Surely Meril Loquette couldn’t beat them both.. could he?




Meril Loquette has been emphatic today. All week in fact. He might be the most proud of all European players with his performance after wins against Gen Shogaki and Bartlomiej Mroz.


Under normal circumstances we would applaud Loquette for winning SU5 men’s singles Group E. 


He overcame India’s Raj Kumar to do so, a man who beat the Frenchman in straight games two weeks ago in Uganda and went on to take the silver medal.


That would usually have been the end of a good story for Meril Loquette.  But this week he has other ideas and is showing us something different. Something new. He is winning!



Read: Kalle Koljonen has beaten Jan O Jorgensen



I had to be a warrior


Japan’s Gen Shogaki, the Group B runner up was the toughest opponent, on paper, that Loquette could have faced. The highest ranked of all the group runner ups in the last 16 of the knockout stages. 


This morning’s thrilling 21-19, 12-21, 21-17 win was the first time the Frenchman has beaten Shogaki, who is ranked inside the SU5 world top 10.


Surely the end of the road would come in the quarter finals? Firstly, Loquette has only ever got further in one International Open competition. That was Uganda, where only two players inside the world top 10 were present. Secondly, he was up against Bartlomiej Mroz.


Mroz the world number 4. Mroz the European Champion. Mroz his men’s doubles partner. But today really belongs to Meril Loquette, who found a way to beat Mroz 13-21, 21-12, 21-17. We managed to catch up with both players after the terrific match. Loquette, unable to put today into many words, said


“Pfff wouahhhh I’ so happy! I didn’t let go of the match. I couldn’t. I did everything I could to be a warrior today! I always hope to win, otherwise there is no point in playing, but sometimes we surprise even ourselves”


“I want to thank my Coach and everybody else that supports me. I don’t know what to say.. I just know we all have to believe in ourselves. I feel so proud!”




I want to wish Meril all the best


Bartlomiej Mroz after the match, was magnanimous in defeat. You could tell he has a lot of respect for his opponent today and was pleased to be part of yet another thrilling match. He said


“the game was so good, I felt I played very well and the standard was high. Meril had a great day, beating Shogaki and myself for the first time.” 


“He had a great mindset and made changes after the first game that I won, which worked really well looking back. He was up 11-6 in the third game but I came back to 15-15 and the last few points were amazing”


“I’m so proud of the game, a good game for both of us and I want to wish Meril all the best, and good luck for the semi-final against Suryo”



Meril Loquette faces world number 3, Suryo Nugroho in tomorrow’s semi-finals, the silver medallist from the last world championships.




The Canada Para-Badminton International 2019 continues this week. Watch the matches live on YouTube, type ‘canadian badminton’ into the search for 8 live courts, and look out for updates and results each day on tournament software here.

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