Quarter finals
The quarter-finals brought plenty of exciting matches and several surprises at the Yonex Belgian International.
In mixed doubles, Begga and Jacob caused an upset by defeating the 3rd seed Kolding and Werge in three sets (16-21, 21-18, 21-12). Deschamps and Bergstein also eliminated the 2nd seed Garcia and Rodriguez (21-17, 15-21, 21-08). Lalot Trescarte and Cuevas progressed comfortably in two sets, while Søby and Røjkjær won a thrilling three-setter against Nebel and Klausholm (20-22, 21-18, 21-17).
The women’s singles largely followed expectations. 3rd seed Zhang defeated qualifier Chiang in three sets (14-21, 21-11, 21-11), while 2nd seed Nalbantova and 4th seed Yvonne Li both progressed in two sets. European champion Gilmour also comfortably defeated Neimann 21-10, 21-10.
The men’s singles produced more surprises. Rajarajan defeated the 4th seed Dinata (23-21, 21-15), while 6th seed Bøgebjerg eliminated the 2nd seed Dubovenko (21-10, 21-15). Belgian 1st seed Julien Carraggi’s tournament unfortunately came to an end against Holm (21-16, 22-20). Oldorff also progressed after defeating Abian 21-14, 21-14.
In men’s doubles, the Grimley brothers and Kral brothers both reached the semi-finals. Nebel and Søby also progressed comfortably, while Kolding and Lundsgaard caused a small upset by defeating the 3rd seed Green and Russ in three sets (21-18, 16-21, 21-15).
The women’s doubles delivered some exciting battles, with Nielsen and Røjkjær causing the biggest upset by defeating the 1st seed Macpherson and Torrance after 70 minutes (13-21, 25-23, 21-16). Kudsk and Pilgaard, Hvid and Klausholm, and Chen and Chen also secured their places in the semi-finals.
Semi finals
With the quarter-finals completed, the semi-final line-up is set. In mixed doubles, Begga and Jacob face Deschamp and Bergstein, while Lalot Trescarte and Cuevas take on Søby and Røjkjær. With all seeds eliminated, anything is possible.
In men’s singles, 3rd seed Oldorff faces 6th seed Bøgebjerg, while 5th seed Holm takes on Rajarajan. In women’s singles, 3rd seed Zhang meets 2nd seed Nalbantova, while 1st seed Gilmour faces 4th seed Li. With seeds 1 through 4 still in the competition, a high-level battle awaits.
The men’s doubles semi-finals see the Grimley brothers take on Kolding and Lundsgaard, while Nebel and Søby face the Kral brothers. In women’s doubles, Kudsk and Pilgaard meet Hvid and Klausholm, while Nielsen and Røjkjær take on Chen and Chen.
-Tammi Van Wonterghem