The Olympic qualification period, which started this month, has kicked-off an action-packed month with many tournaments in Asia but also in our continent. For the third European Circuit tournament of May, we are travelling to the second-largest city in Slovenia.

Maribor will be hosting the I FEEL SLOVENIA YONEX Open from 17 until 21 May. While some of the world's top badminton players are competing for their national teams at the Sudirman Cup this week, the International Challenge is set to captivate fans with a stellar line-up of elite European and international athletes. 

The newly-crowned Swedish Open champion Victor Svendsen, top seed Kirsty Gilmour, Mads Christophersen, Clara Azurmendi, Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley, Maria Stoliarenko and Yelyzaveta Zharka, and Miha Ivančič and Petra Polanc are some of the top players in the main draw. 

Besides Slovenia’s national mixed doubles champions, Ivančič and Polanc, there will be several other Slovenian talents ready for the challenge on home soil. Petra Polanc will also be competing in the women’s singles, starting tomorrow already in the first qualification round. Miha Ivanič will be starting off in the main draw, having been awarded a wild card entry.

From the RSL BEC Centre of Excellence, Slovakia’s Milan Dratva will be playing both men’s singles and mixed doubles together with Katarina Vargova while Czech Republic’s Kateřina Mikelová will be stepping on court tomorrow to compete in the qualifications.

You can watch all matches live on badmintoneurope.tv. 

For more information about the I FEEL SLOVENIA YONEX Open, check the tournament’s website. You can also find more content on the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Badminton Association of Slovenia.