Battling Kirsty Gilmour roars back to move into Thailand Masters second round

Kirsty Gilmour strung together a remarkable first-game comeback to move into the second round at the Thailand Masters.

The Scot found herself facing five game points against Ruselli Hartawan but stunned her Indonesian rival with seven straight points to move into the advantage.

Gilmour then raced into a 9-1 lead in game two, which Hartawan steadily closed as near as one point at 18-17.

But from there Gilmour held her nerve to progress 22-20 21-17.

She will now face third seed An Se Young in round two for the second consecutive tournament. The Korean teen won in straight games at last week’s Indonesia Masters.

For England, Lauren Smith made it through to the second round in both her doubles disciplines at the BWF World Tour Super 300 event.

Both wins came in straight games. Alongside Chloe Birch, she saw off home pair Chasinee Korepap & Kwanchanok Sudjaipraparat 21-19 21-16.

And later in the day, Marcus Ellis – who already found himself through in the men’s doubles on Tuesday – partnered up with Smith to down Rodion Alimov & Alina Davletova 21-19 21-7.

After a hard-fought first game which saw the pairs separated by no more than three points, the second was a breeze for the sixth seeds.

They entered the mid-game interval 11-4 up and a run of seven straight points made victory a formality.

Birch & Smith’s women’s doubles opener was equally as close, but Korepap & Sudjaipraparat led 14-10 in the second, only for the English combination to win 11 of the final 13 points to progress.

Birch & Smith face a tough test in fourth seeds Lee So Hee & Shin Seung Chan on Thursday, while Ellis & Smith tackle China’s Ren Xiang Yu & Zhou Chao Min in the mixed.

Ellis & Chris Langridge found out their men’s doubles opposition on Wednesday – Indonesians Muhammud Shohibul Fikri & Bagas Maulana.

However, top British men’s singles hope Toby Penty lost out in a tough first-round draw against second seed Shi Yu Qi of China 21-10 21-18.

And elsewhere in the mixed doubles Irish pair Sam & Chloe Magee lost 21-16 21-14 to Honk Kongers Yeung Ming Nok & Ng Tsz Yau.

From 8-1 down the Magees fought back to level at 16-16 in the first, but late bursts in both games sent Yeung & Ng through.

PICTURE: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Ellis & Langridge push World No1s to the limit in agonising Indonesia Masters defeat

Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge came within a whisker of a major shock as they pushed World No1s Marcus Gideon & Kevin Sukamuljo to a dramatic third game at the Indonesia Masters.

The Olympic bronze medalists bounced back from a first-game defeat to force a decider, which went the way of the Indonesians after a thrilling denouement.

There was British success, however, as Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour progressed into the women’s singles second round.

Embed from Getty Images

After Ellis & Langridge traded the opening two games with their Indonesian rivals, they looked dead and buried in the third at 19-9 down, but a stunning run of eight straight points hauled them back into the contest.

The Englishmen would still have to save three match points after that, but another four-point stretch gave them the first of two match points.

They were unable to convert either and then saved two match points themselves before Gideon & Sukamuljo won out 26-24, closing out the contest at their sixth attempt.

Meanwhile, Gilmour returned to court for the first time in 2020 and brushed aside Singaporean Yeo Jia Min in straight games 21-15 21-14.

The 26-year-old was never behind in the first but the second was much tighter, the Scot leading 11-10 at the mid-game interval.

That was the second point in a decisive eight-point streak that enabled Gilmour to progress to a second-round showdown with Korean phenom An Se Young, the teenage eighth seed.

Elsewhere, Ben Lane & Sean Vendy saw their men’s doubles hopes ended at the first hurdle in a 21-17 21-18 defeat to Lu Ching Yao & Yang Po Han to Chinese Taipei.

Chloe Birch & Lauren Smith also lost out 21-14 21-14 to Danes Maiken Fruergaard & Sara Thygesen in the women’s doubles.

Ellis & Smith will return to court together on Thursday for their mixed doubles second-round tester with second seeds Wang Yi Lyu & Huang Dong Ping, while Chris & Gabby Adcock meet newly formed Indonesian pair Tontowi Ahmad & Apriyani Rahayu.

Marcus Ellis & Lauren Smith move into Syed Modi International semi-final

Marcus Ellis & Lauren Smith are just a step away from the Syed Modi International Championships final after easing through their last-eight match in straight games.

The English duo saw off new-look Korean partnership Kim Won Ho & Kim Hye Rin 21-11 21-12 in their Lucknow quarter-final to set up a final-four meeting with Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss & Isabel Herttrich.

Ellis & Smith pulled away from the Koreans relatively early in the first game – their dominance compounded by a run of seven straight points that put the opener well out of reach.

They claimed the first four points of game two as well, the English combination’s early aggression making inroads that allowed them to see out the match with another comfortable triumph.

Saturday will be Ellis & Smith’s second appearance in the semis of a BWF World Tour Super 300 event this season following their run at the Barcelona Spain Masters in February.

Standing in their way will be world No17s Lamsfuss & Herttrich, the fifth seeds who were taken to three games by Thais Supak Jomkoh & Supissara Paewsampran in the quarters.

Their last meeting ended in victory for the Germans at the French Open last month, but it is Ellis & Smith that lead the head-to-head 3-2, including two wins this year.

It was not a perfect day for Smith however, as she and Chloe Birch were beaten 21-14 22-20 by Chang Ye Na & Kim Hye Rin in their women’s doubles quarter-final.

Five straight points from 16-14 allowed the Koreans to take game one before a dramatic finish to the second.

Birch & Smith were at one point 12-3 up but Chang & Kim gradually closed the gap.

Nevertheless, the English would go on to hold two game points, but a run of four consecutive points saw the fourth seeds into the semi-finals.

Despite elimination, the result represents a first run to the quarter-finals at a Super 300 or higher event as a partnership for Birch & Smith.

Lauren Smith through to last-eight double at Syed Modi International

Lauren Smith will double up for the Syed Modi International Championships quarter-finals – and face the same opponent twice on the day.

Seeded first in the mixed doubles alongside Marcus Ellis, Smith and her partner made their way through to the last-eight in straight games.

They edged a close first game against home duo Dhruv Kapila & Jakkampudi Meghana 22-20, before easing through the second 21-8.

That sets up a quarter-final meeting with Korean pair Kim Won Ho & Kim Hye Rin, a relatively new pair playing just their third tournament together and entering on the back of a last-16 appearance at last week’s Gwangju Korea Masters.

They came from a game behind to oust Irish pair Sam & Chloe Magee 13-21 21-17 21-13 in the second round.

Smith, partnering Chloe Birch, will also face Kim Hye Rin in her women’s doubles quarter-final; Kim & Chang Ye Na the fourth seeds in Lucknow.

The English pair played just two points of their second-round meeting with Ashwini Ponnappa & Reddy N Sikki before the former was forced to retire injured.

However, there was disappointment for Birch in the women’s singles event as she was downed in three games by China’s Wang Zhi Yi.

The 24-year-old was soundly beaten 21-8 in the opening game before rallying back to level the match with a 21-18 second-set triumph, but would ultimately finish eliminated after the 21-11 decider.

And in the men’s doubles Ben Lane & Sean Vendy also fell to Chinese opposition as fifth seeds He Ji Ting & Tan Qiang won out 21-18 21-17.

Top seeds Ellis & Smith spearhead English sweep at Syed Modi International

English shuttlers made a clean sweep into the second round of the Syed Modi International Championships.

Mixed doubles top seeds Marcus Ellis & Lauren Smith closed out the day by breezing through 21-17 21-19 against home pair MR Arjun & Maneesha K.

The final event of the BWF World Tour season – bar the Tour Finals in Guangzhou – the Syed Modi was hit with a rash of withdrawals by seeded players, among them Chris & Gabby Adcock in the mixed.

That offers Ellis & Smith an opportunity to add to their cause in a bid to get a jump on their compatriots to the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Standing in their way in round two are another Indian pair, world No121s Dhruv Kapila & Jakkampudi Meghana, who were handed a walkover for starters.

Smith was also in action alongside Chloe Birch in the women’s doubles, the duo brushing aside Deeksha Choudhary & Shivani Santosh Singh in just 28 minutes, 21-16 21-3.

They will face the challenge of home eighth seeds Ashwini Ponnappa & Reddy N Sikki next up.

It took even less time – a mere 18 minutes in fact – for Ben Lane & Sean Vendy to romp past Vikrant Chawat & Rohit Ruhari 21-12 21-2. Their reward will be a much stiffer test against men’s doubles fifth seeds He Ji Ting & Tan Qiang on Thursday.

And in the women’s singles Birch was given a tougher three-game test before coming through 21-10 19-21 21-15 against Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka. China’s Wang Zhi Yi awaits in the second round.

Irish mixed siblings Sam & Chloe Magee also progressed with a 21-15 14-21 21-11 triumph over Reddy B Sumeeth & Kuhoo Garg, but Nhat Nguyen was eliminated from the men’s singles in straight games by Zhao Jun Peng.

Chris & Gabby Adcock set up rematch with on-song Indonesians at Fuzhou China Open

The Fuzhou China Open has presented Chris & Gabby Adcock with a shot at instant revenge over the pair that denied them a French Open final two weeks ago – but they will need to be at the top of their game to beat them.

The Adcocks made it through the opening mixed doubles round of the Fuzhou Open – the last Super 750 event of this year’s BWF World Tour – by easing past Russian duo Rodion Alimov & Alina Davletova 21-11 21-17.

And that has set up a second round clash with on-song Praveen Jordan & Melati Daeva Oktavianti on Thursday.

The Indonesians are on a roll having won both the Denmark and French Opens in consecutive weeks last month, including a 21-19 21-12 semi-final win over the Adcocks in Paris.

That was their second face-off this year, the record standing at one apiece, but Thursday’s match will take place exactly a year on from their encounter at 2018’s Fuzhou China Open, which Jordan & Oktavianti hurried through 21-6 21-16.

Meanwhile, there was further English success for Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge, who saw off Jelle Maas & Robin Tabeling 21-19 21-11 in the men’s doubles.

Victory extended Ellis & Langridge’s dominance in the match-up over the Dutchmen, a head-to-head they now lead 5-1.

It also lays on a second round clash with home pair Huang Kai Xiang & Liu Cheng, the world No8s who enter the tournament having come so close to winning the Macau Open last week when they wasted two match points in an agonising defeat to compatriots Li Jun Hui & Liu Yu Chen.

However, there was no progress for Ellis in the mixed doubles, as he and Lauren Smith lost out 21-18 21-19 to Malaysians Goh Soon Huat & Lai Shevon Jemie.

It was double disappointment for Smith, who also fell in the women’s doubles first round with Chloe Birch, the pair unable to build on last week’s run to the SaarLorLux Open final.

They were beaten in three games – 16-21 21-17 21-13 – by Ekaterina Bolotova & Davletova.

In Tuesday’s first-round matches, Scot Kirsty Gilmour stunned Kim Ga Eun with a first game 21-5 win, only to go on to lose in three against the Korean.

Birch & Smith beaten in SaarLorLux Open final but Lakshya Sen denies Chinese sweep

Chloe Birch & Lauren Smith’s bid for the SaarLorLux Open women’s doubles crown ended in defeat at the final hurdle.

The English duo were beaten in straight games by Chinese third seeds Liu Xuan Xuan & Xia Yu Ting 21-16 21-13 in the showpiece game at the BWF World Tour Super 100 event.

That victory was one of four on the day for China, who were only denied a clean sweep in the men’s singles by Indian competitor Lakshya Sen.

Birch & Smith may have been seeded one spot higher than their final opposition but came up against a partnership entering on the back of two good performances at Super 750 events.

Liu & Xia now sit nine places above the English pair at No21 in the world rankings, having risen seven spots this week as a result of a run to the quarter-finals of the Yonex French Open, and a last-16 defeat at the Danish Open.

Back in Saarbrucken, the Chinese opened strongly by opening up a 6-1 advantage from the off, never allowing Birch & Smith to level before taking the opening game.

The second stanza was closer as the pairs were never more than two points apart heading into the mid-game interval.

But from there Liu & Xia took control, putting together a run of four points and then three points twice to finish strongly and take the title.

Despite defeat the run to the final was an important uptick in form for Birch & Smith on the back of four consecutive first-round defeats – albeit three of them taking place at high echelon events on the World Tour.

It was also an improvement on last year’s SaarLorLux run, when they reached the semi-finals.

Elsewhere on the day, Guo Xin Wa & Zhang Shu Xian overcame compatriots Ren Xiang Yu & Zhou Chao Min 21-18 21-19 in the mixed doubles final, while Li Yun eased past Dane Line Christophersen 21-12 21-13 for the women’s singles crown.

But ultimate Chinese dominance was denied when eighth seed Sen came from a game behind to best Weng Hong Yang 17-21 21-18 21-16.

The day ended with World Junior Championships silver medalists Di Zi Jian & Wang Chang – responsible for ousting Olympic bronze winners Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge in the last eight – overcoming Denmark’s Mathias Bay-Smidt & Lasse Molhede 21-17 21-15.

Birch & Smith’s characterful display seals SaarLorLux Open final place

Two gutsy games booked Chloe Birch & Lauren Smith into the women’s doubles final at the SaarLorLux Open.

The English duo saw off the challenge of home players Linda Efler & Isabel Herttrich 24-22 21-19 to go one better than last year’s run to the semi-final in Germany.

But they did not have it all their own way, having to claw back into both games late on to seal a showdown with China’s third seeds Liu Xuan Xuan & Xia Yu Ting.

The lead changed hands multiple times in the first game before Efler & Herttrich opened up a 19-16 lead, only for the English pair to go on a run of four straight points.

It took Birch & Smith three game points to clinch it – having also had to save one.

They found themselves behind throughout game two, including an early 7-1 disadvantage, and would not take the lead until again fighting back from 19-16 behind, reeling off five straight points to make it through.

“Into The Final!” Smith posted on Instagram. “Good bit of character coming back from a deficit in both sets to win today! One more to go.”

Birch & Smith are second on the bill for Sunday’s finals day as they chase a fourth title of 2019 and second at BWF World Tour Super 100 level.

In other English action on semi-finals day, Ben Lane & Sean Vendy were knocked out by Danish duo Mathias Bay-Smidt & Lasse Molhede 21-18 22-20.

After Bay-Smidt & Molhede saw out the first game well, Lane & Vendy passed up a game point in the second as the seventh seeds pushed through to a final meeting with Chinese up and comers Di Zi Jian & Wang Chang, responsible for knocking out Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge the previous day.

In the men’s singles Toby Penty had a tough time against Weng Hong Yang, whose eagerness to pounce at the net saw him win 21-12 21-11 for a final place against Lakshya Sen of India, who bested compatriot Kiran George in three games.

The women’s singles final in Saarbrucken will pit Li Yun of China against Dane Line Christophersen, while Ren Xiang Yu & Zhou Chao Min compete with compatriots Guo Xin Wa & Zhang Shu Xian in the mixed doubles, as a strong Chinese team attendance chase a sweep of the titles.

PICTURE: Badminton Photo

Top prospects Di & Wang impress as Ellis challenges for consecutive titles fall

Marcus Ellis entered the SaarLorLux Open looking to defend two titles, but both runs at retention ended in the quarter-finals.

Top seeded in both events, Ellis and men’s doubles partner Chris Langridge were beaten in three games by Chinese upstarts Di Zi Jian & Wang Chang, while his mixed doubles campaign with Lauren Smith also ended in defeat.

Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalists Ellis & Langridge fell 21-19 14-21 21-15 to fifth seeded Di & Wang.

The Chinese might be ranked 61st in the world, but already look exciting prospects, entering on the back of silver medals at the World Junior Championships last month, and having then pushed world No1s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo to three games at the French Open a week ago.

They already boast experience on the senior tour this year having reached the semi-finals at another BWF Tour Super 100 event in the Lingshui Chinese Masters in March.

Di & Wang edged a close-run first game, with the second similarly tight until a fine run of points saw Ellis & Langridge finish strongly to level up.

But the Chinese 18-year-olds put together their own streak around the interval in game three, an advantage they would not relent to move on.

Earlier in the day, Ellis & Smith also came up short against Danes Niclas Nohr & Sara Thygesen, who progressed to the last-four with two 21-15 frames.

However, Smith put that defeat behind her to reach the semi-finals in the women’s doubles as she & Chloe Birch, seeded second, took out Russian’s Anastasiia Akchurina & Olga Morozova 21-17 21-16. They now face home players Linda Efler & Isabel Herttrich in the semi-finals.

Thygesen, alongside Maiken Fruergaard, was also responsible for knocking out Jenny Moore & Victoria Williams, although the English pair took it to three games before falling 16-21 21-17 21-15.

Toby Penty eased into a men’s singles semi-final against world No102 Weng Hong Yang with a 21-9 21-15 victory over Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen.

Nguyen’s compatriots Sam & Chloe Magee lost in straight games to Ren Xiang Yu & Zhou Chao Min in the mixed doubles.

A Saturday meeting with Mathias Bay-Smidt & Lasse Molhede await men’s doubles pair Ben Lane & Sean Vendy, who recovered from a game down to beat French duo Samy Corvee & William Villeger 19-21 21-15 21-15, while Scots Alexander Dunn & Adam Hall lost in three to Jones Ralfy Jansen & Peter Kaesbauer, including a thrilling 28-26 loss in the first game.