On Day Two in Almere, Rikke Søby and Mathias Bay-Smidt had to face their first close match together. Luckily for the Danes, there was a happy ending. Now, the pair is the underdog.
16-21, 21-13 and 21-18, that is the result for the mixed double of Rikke Søby and Mathias Bay-Smidt on Wednesday at the Dutch Open. After winning the close match against French pair, Gaetan Mittelheisser and Lea Palermo, the Danish players reached the round of 16 in Almere.
- I feel very relieved that we won our match today. It is the first close match we have played together. Of course, we were very nervous, but I am pleased with the way we handled things on court and am happy that we won, says Rikke Søby after the match.
The first time together in the round of 16
Søby and Bay-Smidt are partners on court since February 2018. In all tournaments that the mixed double has participated in so far, both were not able to reach the round of 16. Thus, reaching the next round at the Dutch Open on Day Two is a small success for the Danes.
- We have not made any specific goals for this tournament, as we have not played that many matches together so far. Instead, we take one match at a time and do not think too much about whether we win or lose.
The Danish underdog
The next match for Søby and Bay-Smidt in Almere will be a coming together with well-known opponents: Niclas Nohr and Sara Thygesen, team mates from Denmark. Rikke Søby expects a tight match against the currently 17th world ranked mixed double:
- I expect a tough match against our compatriots. They play very well together, and I know that it is going to be a very tactic match against them.
- We are the underdogs in this match. But, this also means that we can play without any pressure. Hopefully, that will give us the courage to take some chances on court to win.
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