Taking a closer look at the women’s doubles seedings for Danisa Denmark Open 2017 will reveal one European pair; Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark. Former top player and badminton expert and commentator for Danish TV 2 SPORT, Jim Laugesen shares his view on the changing shape of women’s doubles with Badminton Europe, leading up start of Superseries Premier starting this week.
As third seeds, the Danish pair hold the European expectations single-handedly and Jim Laugesen also believes that the hall will favour their game and style.
- Previously, we have seen other aggressive and tactical doubles perform well there. But of course this year will be with a new equipment sponsor, which might have an effect on the speed of the shuttles, Jim Laugesen explains to Badminton Europe.
- Christinna is starting a new partnership in mixed doubles, this could also have an effect. She is used to playing with an extremely experienced partner and now she has to take that role on herself.
New kind of women’s doubles
As a badminton commentator, Laugesen watches and commentates on all the major badminton tournaments for Danish TV and he is experiencing that the game of women’s doubles is starting to change.
- Almost ever since Sudirman Cup, every women’s doubles match has lasted 80 to 100 minutes, which means there are no easy solutions in women’s doubles as it looks right now. They have to take that into account, whether they like it or not.
- You can enter the court with the greatest tactical plan but if you face Takahashi and Matsutomo, they will just be like: “Well, you might have an advantage in the service situation but now we are gonna shoot the shuttles high up under the ceiling”. I have seen them do it a couple of times and they can play like that for a long time, and as a women’s doubles player today, you must be able to do that as well.
Flashback to the final in Kolding
A recap of the 2017 European women’s doubles final could potentially take place already in the second round between Rytter Juhl/Pedersen and Stefani Stoeva and Gabriela Stoeva from Bulgaria.
- If it becomes a technical and tactical match, the Bulgarians will not be able to compete on the same level as Christinna and Kamilla. Even though the Stoeva sisters are in extremely good shape, Laugesen says and continues:
- But I actually think that the sisters show a good example for European women’s doubles. First of all with the physical shape they are in, but also because they really live out their full potential.
Laugesen believes that many other European women’s doubles could experience international success by looking to Kamilla and Christinna and see all they have achieved by being tactically powerful, taking inspiration and being challenged by the Asians, and combining it with the great shape of the Stoeva sisters.
Find the order of play for Day 1
here.