With Carolina Marin not present all European eyes are on Mia Blichfeldt.

On Wednesday afternoon the European Games champion entered the venue for her first match at the World Championships.

After a solid performance Mia Blichfeldt won in straight games, 21-8 21-16, against Lianne Tan from Belgium.

- I fell out of my game plan. I had a plan and I kept it for one and a half game. Then I tried to play too fast and too flat, and she is a small girl and ready to attack, Mia Blichfeldt said.

Want to be a role model
With the Queen of European badminton, Carolina Marin, still not ready to play, Mia Blichfeldt is the highest ranked active European women’s singles player. The Dane is ranked 12 in the world and is seeded 12 at the Worlds, but the young Dane, who turned 22 on Monday, feels no pressure.

- I see it in a positive way. I am not afraid to be the best in Europe, Blichfeldt stated.

- I like to be a role model for other young players, so I am just very excited.

Happy for the short trip to Basel 
The last time Mia Blichfeldt walked on court at a European tournament, she went all the way and was crowned European Games champion. This week she is only a little less than two hours away from home.

- I love to travel, but it is nice that we only have 1,5 hours here. It is nice that we have like a home court here for the World Championships, and the setup is nice, Blichfeldt mentioned.

In the third round the Dane will face either fellow European Soraya de Visch Eijbergen from the Netherlands or Indian super star Saina Nehwal.