The Welsh International women’s doubles reigning champions, Margot Lambert/ Anne Tran, win their second consecutive title in the tournament while Danish players dominate most events.
The women’s doubles champions of the Welsh International Badminton Championships 2021, France’s Margot Lambert/ Anne Tran, hold the title by winning the tournament once again. The French duo won the semifinal against Danes Christine Busch/ Amalie Schulz to face top seeds Chloe Birch/ Lauren Smith.
Lambert/ Tran got off to a slow start in the fight for the gold, losing the first game 9-21, but then bounced back to take the title by winning the next two games, 21-14 21-9. Fellow French player Alex Lanier reached the semifinals but fell to Denmark’s Mads Christophersen in what was the first-ever encounter between the Juniors champion and the Dane, who have both achieved great results in the European Circuit this year.
Another important win in Cardiff was that of Yvonne Li. The German player earned her second International Challenge title — her first being at the Czech International Championships in 2018 — in a final against Belgium’s Lianne Tan.
Quick return for some nostalgia
It has not even been two months since Lauren Smith suffered an ankle injury during a much-acclaimed final at the Dutch Open 2022, but the English player made her comeback just last week at the Welsh International. “I’m really excited to be back on court. It’s been a quick return, but I had a great team around me at Badminton England. I’m ready to go”, said Smith ahead of her first match in Cardiff.
This is an important tournament for Smith that brings a lot of memories, having either taken the title or finished as runner-up four times. “I’m pretty excited because this is a tournament that I played when I was a junior and one of my first internationals. It’s very nostalgic for me to be back”. This was her first big result in the tournament with partner Chloe Birch, finishing as runner-ups.
Denmark dominates
The tournament may have been successful for a number of top European athletes but none more so than the Danes. Three out of the five titles went to Denmark athletes — Mads Christophersen in the men’s singles, Rasmus Kjær/ Frederik Søgaard in the men’s doubles, and Jesper Toft/ Clara Graversen in the mixed doubles, being the first International Challenge title for the duo.