Pictured: Lin Ying Xiang (Australia) takes on the world number 10, Lakshya Sen (India)
Two more pairs from Australia are through to the quarterfinals tomorrow, bringing the total tally of Oceania representatives to five across the women’s singles and all three doubles disciplines.
In one of the first games on court, Australia’s young pairing of Jack Yu and Kaitlyn Ea had a mountainous challenge ahead, as the world number eight and fifth seeded duo from Malaysia awaited on court. Unphased by the prestige of their opponents, Jack Yu and Kaitlyn Ea made a valiant attempt to contend with the favoured pairing across numerous long rallies, with many cleverly composed winners. Despite losing in two games, the Australians have plenty of positives to take from a memorable match.
Chan Peng Soon/Cheah Yee See (MAS)[5] vs Jack Yu/Kaitlyn Ea (AUS) 21-16 21-12
“Even though we lost, I think we played a really good game against them. I think pairs like that are good at anticipating our shots, so we had to mix it up with a variety of shots”, says Jack
“Against a pair like that I don’t think we had anything to lose so we just gave it our all”, says Kaitlyn
Jack Yu will be back on court tomorrow with Tran Pham in the men’s doubles quarterfinals, where they will take on home favourites, Ben Lane and Sean Vendy.
Next on court, Australian singles specialist Lin Ying Xiang also had a tough task on his hands – world number 10 from India, Lakshya Sen. A slow start from Lin saw the Indian take an early 1-0 lead. Lin returned to the court with a more determined spirit which allowed him to demonstrate a better tactical game, but it was too little, too late as the more experienced Lakshya claimed the quarterfinal spot.
Lakshya Sen (IND) vs Lin Ying Xiang (AUS) 21-9 21-16
“The first game wasn’t so good, but in the second I was playing against the drift, so I was able to control the shuttle much better. Overall, I’m quite happy with my performance. I’m very tired. I feel like I just need to improve my fitness and get more match experience, so I can keep up with those world class players. It has been amazing to have the opportunity to play against two of the top ten players in the world”, says Lin
Despite usually focussing her efforts on a singles career, Wendy Chen managed to claim a second quarterfinals spot tomorrow. Partnering with Gronya Somerville in the women’s doubles, the pair celebrated another comfortable win against a pair from Guernsey.
Wendy Chen/Gronya Somerville (AUS) vs Elena Johnson/Chloe Tissier (GGY) 21-9 21-7
“It’s going to be fun playing in two quarterfinals. I just need to look which game is coming first and prepare my mindset for the interesting matches ahead”, says Wendy
“I think each match is getting more familiar and we’re figuring out our game. It was pretty comfortable today, so we just need to refocus and prepare for the next one tomorrow”, says Gronya
Nathan Tang and Jacob Schueler, who also tend to specialise in the singles game, teamed up in this year’s men’s doubles draw and are celebrating a quarterfinal appearance following their compelling victory against Malta.
Jacob Schueler/Nathan Tang (AUS) vs Matthew Abela/Samuel Cassar (MLT) 21-15 21-9
Quarterfinals – Saturday 6 August 2022
The quarterfinals start at 11am (local time, BST) at the NEC Arena Birmingham, opening with New Zealand’s Oliver Leydon-Davis and Anona Pak.
Follow the draw and results here.
