We are still in the first round of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2023 but as it is for an event of such category, with a line-up of only the best of the world competing, the level is high right from the beginning.
So far, we have already had upsets, big stories, and great matches. We can expect just the same from today, and we already have the first results in from another long day of world-class badminton.
Special win
The first European players to step on court today were Alexander Dunn/ Adam Hall. The Scots faced quite the challenge for their opening match — they were facing no other than Korea’s Goi Sol Gyu/ Kim Won Ho who have just come from taking the title at the YONEX German Open.
“We always try to analyse our opponents to get some weaknesses; we try to focus on our strengths though. I think that’s the most important point in any match. We watched them last week, we got a good game plan for today, and we did it really well. That’s why we’ve come out on top,” said Dunn.
They came out on top indeed. The Scottish duo delivered a great performance, winning 21-15 21-14. “That was pretty special — to do it at the All England in the first round, at an amazing home arena, it’s really special, and I think that we will remember that one for a while,” said Hall.
A good chance
Tomorrow, the European Championships runner-ups will be facing another big pair. The Scottish pair have already faced Japanese duo Takuro Hoki/ Yugo Kobayashi twice, and it’s been even more times for Hall with other partners. However, despite the Japanese pair leading the head-to-head 2-0, Hall is confident that this could be their chance to beat them.
“I always feel like we come out of those matches with a lot of disappointment because we never quite execute the game plan that we want. If we can execute it as we did today, then I don’t see why we can’t take them out.”
One of the highlights of such a renowned tournament as the All England is, of course, the electric atmosphere. The Scottish pair are not playing far from their home country and so they had some special people in the crowd cheering for them.
“It was amazing. At the court in which we played today, you’re kind of surrounded by the crowd which is pretty nice. All our families have come down, you could hear both our dads cheering very loudly throughout the whole match. It’s super nice to have people supporting you right from the start. You get that everywhere but it’s not quite the same as when you’re playing at home,” stated Hall.
Still more European men’s doubles duos to play
There are more chances for other European men’s doubles pairs. Besides the Scots, Denmark’s Kim Astrup/ Anders Skaarup Rasmussen already secured their spot in the next round yesterday with a win against reigning European champions Mark Lamsfuss/ Marvin Seidel.
Later today, more strong duos will fight to advance to the next round — home favourites Ben Lane/ Sean Vendy, Danes Jeppe Bay/ Lasse Mølhede, and Netherlands’ Ruben Jille/ Ties van der Lecq and France’s Lucas Corvee/ Ronan Labar who will face each other in an all-European match-up.
Watch all matches here and make sure to check all our platforms for the latest photos, videos, and post-match interviews.