The quarterfinals day was full of surprises as some higher-seeded players lost to their less favoured opponents.
The proceedings began on the centre court with the superbly-talented young Danish mixed doubles pair Mikkel Mikkelsen/ Rikke Søby taking on the top seeds Marcus Ellis/ Lauren Smith. Despite being one of the top European pairs for a long time, a European Championships gold is still missing from the English duo’s resume. Unfortunately, the last year’s runner-ups will have to wait yet more.
- We were feeling a little bit behind in every area throughout the match. That makes it very difficult to win, Ellis said.
- We were off pace and our opponents played a good tactical game. They had a great variety from the mid court and used over-the-top shots to expose the gaps in the front court, Smith agreed.
However, the highly-accomplished pair is ready for more opportunities.
- There will be many more chances, even in the biggest tournaments this year. We will learn from what went wrong and try to win, Ellis concluded.
An upward trajectory
The youngsters had a comfortable victory over their opponents, winning 21-11, 21-17. Despite being ranked much lower than Ellis/ Smith, the Danes have had important victories this season and are on an upward trajectory.
- We are really happy. We will go home, make a good plan, and try our best in the semifinals, Mikkelsen promised.
They face Mark Lamsfuss/ Isabel Lohau tomorrow for a place in the final. The Germans saved five game points to overcome the in-form Scots Adam Hall/ Julie Macpherson 25-23, 21-17.
- It was a tricky match but we found our rhythm in the end. Mark played really well and helped me get into the match, Lohau explained.
Tabeling/ Piek shine
Having had an uneventful season so far, the Dutch pair of Robin Tabeling/ Selena Piek struck form on the right time. Facing Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje with a head-to-head record tied at 2-2, the fifth seeds came back from a game down to win the thriller 18-21, 21-17, 21-14 in 50 minutes.
The Dutch will have yet another battle on their hands as they are up against the title favourites Thom Gicquel/ Delphine Delrue. The second-seeded French eased past Callum Hemming/ Jessica Pugh 21-15, 17-21, 21-8.
- This is our first semifinals at the European Championships. We are very happy since we played at a high level, Delrue chirped.