It was coming and today Michelle Skodstrup delivered as she won her first senior international title lifting the women’s singles at the Swedish Open to go one better that her runners up spot in Estonia last week.
The 18-year-old Dane battled through qualification to lift her maiden title and had to do it the hard way against top seed and compatriot Julie Dawall Jakobsen.
“This was a very tough final.” Skodstrup said immediately after her victory. “Both of us were very tired in the end and my legs were almost gone after two tough weeks.”
The Danes battling qualities saw her through in a thigh three set match and she was delighted to win her first big senior title.
“This is great and also gives me great motivation to keep practising hard and get better. I will now look forward to the Danish national in a few weeks and train hard between now and then.”
In the men’s singles final Mads Christophersen came up short after a great week loosing out to India’s Siddharth Pratap Singh in a one-sided men’s singles final.
Euro junior champs lift first senior title
Lund proved for the second year running the happiest of hunting grounds from a Swedish women’s doubles perspective. Last year Wengberg and Nistad lifted the title and this year European junior champions Emma Karlsson and Johanna Magnusson (pictured above) completed the double.
The Swede’s did not have it all their own way in the final being taken to three sets by the powerful Dutch pair of Imke Van Der Aar and Debora Jille. 21-19 in the third game reflected the intensity of the battle with the Karlsson and Magnusson delighted to get it across the finish line.
“This is our first senior win in our first year out of junior. It is a great feeling to achieve this here at home in Sweden. It also gives just great motivation to keep working and training to get better and be better.” Said Karlsson to Badminton Europe.
“We were a bit nervous for sure as we were walking out in front of our home crowd and family and we knew the fight would be great against Debora and Imke because they are strong and powerful and we all know each other coming up through junior.”
In the men’s doubles Lasse Molhede and Oliver Leydon-Davis claimed the title while Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue got a circuit mixed doubles victory that had eluded them over the past twelve months.