The German pair were the only home players to win on the second day at the Hylo Open 2021, while European players try to work their way onto the next stage.
After yesterday’s shock loss for Mark Lamsfuss/ Marvin Seidel against Christopher Grimley/ Matthew Grimley, all eyes were set on the other German stars whose turn to step on court was today, the second of this year’s Hylo Open. There were some tough matches, and the other Europeans at the event also had big challenges ahead if they wanted to make it onto the next round.
The mixed doubles stars to the rescue
Mark Lamsfuss/ Isabel Lohau are back, and they have shown it with a win against Tang Chun Man/ Tse Ying Suet, Hong Kong. It was payback time, as the European Championships bronze medallists were facing a pair that they had met this summer at Tokyo 2020.
- We watched a lot of videos and we just played our game. We got to the attack, especially in this hall. It is quite fast, so it played out quite well, Lamsfuss explained.
They shifted from a three-game loss, their result at the Olympics, to a win in straight games. Lamsfuss/ Lohau’s efforts definitely paid off, but it was not without hard work from their part. Still, it is a reason to celebrate, as they gave the home crowd a pleasant victory.
- It was so intense during both games. It was intense all over. It was quite tiring and stressful. It is a tournament in Germany, so it is good that some Germans get a win here, Lohau said.
No luck for the other Germans
It was not such a good day for the other Germans playing today at the tournament. With Max Weisskirchen withdrawn due to an injury, it was the turn for Jones Ralfy Jansen/ Linda Efler and Yvonne Li to please the local and national fans.
Jones Ralfy Jansen/ Linda Efler had a tough challenge ahead. Their opponents were the European Championships silver medallists and third seeded Marcus Ellis/ Lauren Smith. The English pair gave the German duo little to no chance to recover, taking the win with the result of 21-9 21-14.
Yvonne Li got an early yet close lead in her first game against Iris Wang, USA. However, Wang took control in the second game which led the encounter into a nerve-wracking decider. Li, who was the runner-up of last year’s edition of the event, tried to counterattack but Wang came out stronger, 19-21 21-11 21-18.
- I was able to win some good points in that first game. In the second game, I made many mistakes, and I got way too impatient from the beginning, Li pointed out.
However, it’s not all bad news for Germany and not only thanks to Lamsfuss/ Lohau. Linda Efler/ Isabel Lohau will also be fight tomorrow for a spot in the quarterfinals, against Danes Julie Finne-Ipsen/ Mai Surrow.
Some sad exits, some hopeful victories
We had to say goodbye to some other Europeans on this second day. Pablo Abian tried his hardest against a strong Lee Zii Jia, and despite the Spaniard’s powerful shots, it could not be for Abian. Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt sent Yaelle Hoyaux home in a three-game marathon, 27-25 18-21 21-10.
Three of Denmark’s strongest pairs, Maiken Fruergaard/ Sara Thygesen, Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje, and Alexandra Bøje/ Mette Poulsen, all lost their matches today. Still, there are seven Danish pairs who will be trying to make it to quarterfinals on day three, so the country is no short of opportunities.
One happy player today was Nhat Nguyen. The Irishman will be facing Lee Zii Jia tomorrow after his win against Prannoy H. S., India. After losing the first game, Nguyen bounced back and got to keep the momentum going to win the remaining games and therefore the clash.
- Last week I did not perform to my best so this week that gave me more motivation to give my all on court. Today I did not stop to break my rhythm, I just kept going, Nguyen stated.