With some duos having already had the chance to play their opening games at the Malaysia Masters, today was the first day of the main draw for most. Many European contenders triumphed in hard-fought three-game challenges.
The second day of the PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2023 presented by DAIHATSU kicked off with a bang as the main draw took centre stage. It proved to be a day filled with intense battles for European athletes, who fought hard to secure spots in the upcoming Round of 16. With many of their matches stretching to three games, the players left no stone unturned in their quest for victory.
In a clash of European titans, the sixth-seeded Dutch pair of Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek met the Danish duo of Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje. It was bound to be a closely contested encounter with the head-to-head record standing at 3-3 — the Danes emerged victorious in their previous showdown in the same country, at last summer's Malaysia Open. However, this time it was the Dutch pair who triumphed with a 21-14, 18-21, 21-19 win.
Adding to the excitement of the first day, two other strong European pairs clashed in the opening round. England’s Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith faced off against Danes Mathias Thyrri and Amalie Magelund, with the English pair ultimately securing a close victory of 19-21, 21-19, 21-17.
Germany's Yvonne Li faced a formidable challenge against local favourite Goh Jin Wei. However, Li overcame the Malaysian opponent with a 21-17, 17-21, 21-15 triumph. Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall also faced Malaysian opponents, Tan Kian Meng and Tan Wee Kiong, and emerged victorious, sealing their win with a score of 21-23, 21-14, 21-16.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt claimed a notable victory against Putri Kusuma Wardani from Indonesia, who had advanced from the qualification rounds, with a three-game win, 10-21, 21-14, 21-7. In a swift and dominant performance, fellow women’s singles Danish player Mia Blichfeldt made quick work of USA's Iris Wang, securing a convincing victory in straight games, 21-5 21-15.
Follow the action live on
BWF TV. The Round of 16 will be starting tomorrow, Thursday 25 May at 10.00am Kuala Lumpur time (04.00am CEST).