The Orléans Masters 2019 which took place from 19 to 24 March in Orléans, France, ended on Sunday with the finals of all events.
An excellent performance was given by the Europeans players in this BWF Super 100 event considering their presence in four finals today.
French affair in the Mixed Doubles
The Final of the Mixed Doubles ended on a happy note for France. The host pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue faced their compatriots Ronan Labar and Anne Tran, fighting in an arena bursting with excited fans. In their first meeting, Gicquel and Delrue beat their compatriots in two straight games with a score of 21-11, 21-14 that led them on the top of the podium.
-Very happy to win our first BWF Super 100 title and especially in our home country. It was an absolute pleasure to play in front of this amazing crowd, Delrue stated on Instagram.
Women’s Doubles: first title for Birch and Smith in 2019
The English pair Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith gave an impressive performance in the final where they met Hsu Ya Ching and Hu Ling Fang from Chinese Taipei. With a score of 21-18 21-17 the English pair managed to get the better of their opponents and climb on the top of the podium.
An excellent start for 2019, since this is the first title for them and especially in this highly competitive tournament.
Second final for host France
After a spectacular performance during the tournament, the number eight seeded Thomas Rouxel from France played in the final of the Men’s Singles against the Japanese Koki Watanabe. He took the first game with 21-18, but he lost the second one. All through the match the Frenchman was stunning with determination and energy, but eventually the match ended in favour of the Japanese with a score of 21-19 in the deciding.
Women’s Singles: a match full of twists
The Final of the Women’s Singles was certainly a magnificent match, in an absorbing one-hour contest between the number one seed Kirsty Gilmour from Scotland and the Japanese Saena Kawakami, seeded as number two. The Scottish top seed recovered in the second game, conveying a sense of total control with the game ended in her favour with 21-18. However, in the end, Saena Kawakami, runner up of the Swiss Open last week, won the game by 21-16 in the deciding.
Men’s Doubles: A gold for Chinese Taipei
The number five seeds Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin from Chinese Taipei faced in the final today the number six seeds Akira Koga and Taichi Saito from Japan. After a thrilling match, the title went to the pair from Chinese Tapei, winning by 21-15 in the deciding game.
Stay tuned on Badminton Europe with more action and tournaments coming this week.