The HYLO Open 2023 started today in Saarbrücken, Germany, making it the fourth tournament in the European leg of the World Tour.
As some of the top players chose to recharge, there is a formidable European presence at the event, also with many Asian talents fighting for key points. The tournament drew several entries from reserve lists and qualifiers who briskly wrapped up their matches this morning.
Among the spotlighted home players of the day, the experienced Jones Ralfy Jansen teamed up with young talent Kenneth Neumann, both of whom were promoted from qualification.
The German duo hit the international stage at the Egypt International 2023 earlier this month, where they reached the finals, securing a runners-up position. Now, on familiar territory, they seek to further test and strengthen their partnership.
"It always feels great to play in front of the home crowd, for sure,” noted Jansen, expressing the thrill of playing to a home audience. He also acknowledged the challenges faced by their emerging duo in their clash against England’s Rory Easton/ Zach Russ. “As a new pair, it’s quite tricky. We have to find our rhythm – what we want to play, how we want to play. We fought and we’re quite proud of that.”
For Neumann, who just celebrated his 19th birthday last month, the transition to the senior level is still fresh. “I don’t have much experience in the seniors, so it’s a lot different in the level and the speed. It’s good that he helped me a lot in the match. We played well together.”
Remarkably, not only is Neumann venturing into senior-level competitions with this novel partnership, but they're doing so in a Super 300 tournament, only their second outing as a pair.
“It’s a great opportunity and it’s just a ten-minute drive with the car. We’ve also practiced here before so it’s just nice to play a tournament in Germany,” Neumann warmly concluded.
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