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Marin moves on Barcelona
Date: 2/17/2020 5:43 PM
Published by : Alan Raftery
Following last week major continental team championships, we get straight back into the BWF World Tour with the Super 300 Barcelona Spain Masters, held at the Pavelló de la Vall d'Hebron, commencing tomorrow. 

In the women’s singles, the reigning champion, Mia Blichfeldt would have been seeded number two. However, the Dane, after sitting out of the team championships finals yesterday, has been forced to withdraw. This is what she told fans on Instagram. 

-I will not participate in the Barcelona Spain Masters due to recurrent pain in my feet. I am frustrated and sad about the whole situation because I thought I was ready to play tournaments again, but unfortunately, my feet show the opposite.  

All attention will now be on an Olympic champion playing on home soil, Carolina Marin. The Spaniard is aiming to continue her great form after featuring in two semifinals and a final already this year. She faces Russia’s Natalia Perminova in the first round. 

Winning pedigree
In the men’s singles, we have two Danish former title winners with 2018 champion, Rasmus Gemke, in at number five seed, and last year’s champion, Viktor Axelsen, as the first seed. Axelsen faces Singapore’s Low Kean Yew in the first round, whom he defeated in the quarterfinal here last year on his route to the title. Perhaps this will be a comforting reminder of his victory here, which marked an important moment in his return from injury in 2019.
 
Gemke, who did not participate in the European Men’s and Women’s Team Championships last week through illness, will face China’s Li Shifeng in the first round. 

Fresh faces
Two pairs who swerved the continental team event are Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria and Chris and Gabby Adcock of England, both coming into the tournament as number three seeds in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles respectively. Both also will be hoping to bring a freshness to Barcelona for a big title push. 

While the Bulgarians have a bye in their first round, the English couple will face the newly crowned German national champions, Jones Ralfy Jansen and Kilasu Ostermeyer. 

In the men’s doubles, reigning champions representing Chinese Taipei, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, are here as number one seeds to protect their title. Coming off the back of a historic eighth consecutive European Men’s Team Championship, Denmark’s doubles heroes, Kim Astrup/Anders Rasmussen and Mathias Boe/Mads Conrad-Petersen may well be the ones to pose a challenge if they are to continue their momentum across the border from France into Spain. 

Astrup and Rasmussen face young Indonesian stars, the world junior champions, Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin. If victorious, they may face 2018 Barcelona Spain Masters winners, Lee Yong Dae and Kim Gi Jung. 

For the full list of seeded entries and draws, click here

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