General

Title showdown between Gilmour and Marin?
Date: 11/6/2013 10:34 AM
Published by : Manuel Røsler

Kirsty Gilmour is on course for another title showdown with Spain’s top seed Carolina Marin (pictured) after the seedings for this month’s Scottish Open Grand Prix were confirmed on Monday.

The 20-year-old from Bothwell lost to the Spanish No. 1 when Gilmour contested her first Grand Prix Gold final in London last month and will be eager to avenge that if they meet in the women’s singles final at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena.

Since the London Grand Prix the young Scot, who won the Czech International title in September, has reached her first Superseries quarter-final, sampled the pressures of a Superseries Premier event, and is now the third highest European and fourth highest Commonwealth player in the world rankings.

Bulgaria’s Petya Nedelcheva and Spain’s Beatriz Corrales, who was the winner of the Bulgarian International while Marin was winning in London, are also strong title contenders at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.

But Gilmour is not the only Scot to be in title contention when the Scottish Open starts at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on November 20.

In the women’s doubles Glasgow’s Imogen Bankier is top seed with Bulgaria’s Petya Nedelcheva, with Gilmour and Edinburgh’s 2008 winner Jillie Cooper seeded at No. 3. Bankier and Nedelcheva have won the Czech, Kharkov and Belgium titles this season following on from their Finnish success back in April.

Russia’s three-times champion and current Olympic bronze medallist Nina Vislova is back in Glasgow to challenge the seeds with new partner Anastasia Chervaykova while England pair Heather Olver and Kate Robertshaw are the fourth seeds.

In the mixed doubles 2007 champions Bankier and Glasgow team-mate Robert Blair are No. 5 seeds behind England’s top seeds Langridge and Olver. Blair, the 2006 world men’s doubles silver medallist, is chasing a fourth mixed title after his 2001 and 2002 wins with England’s Natalie Munt.

Bankier is going for a hat-trick of Scottish Open mixed titles after winning in 2007 with Blair and in 2010 with Chris Adcock, her 2011 world championships silver medal partner. Blair and Bankier have already lifted two titles this season, winning the Kharkov and Bulgarian titles to follow up their French International success last season.

In the men’s doubles Longniddry’s Paul Van Rietvelde is fourth seed with England’s Marcus Ellis behind England’s top seeds Langridge and Peter Mills. Ellis is the only one of last year’s winners competing, having won the 2012 mixed doubles title. He and Van Rietvelde won the Denmark International in May.

Poland’s top two pairs of Wojciech Szkudlarczyk and Lukasz Moren and former singles winner Przemyslaw Wacha and Adam Cwalina are second and third seeds with 2009 winners Mads Conrad and Mads Kolding of Denmark at No. 5.

Glasgow’s two-times Scottish National champion Kieran Merrilees is seeded No 14 in the men’s singles, which has attracted the biggest entry. Finland’s two-time finalist Ville Lang is the top seed as he returns to try to recapture the title he won in 2006.

The Championships runs from November 20-24 with the tournament starting on the Wednesday with qualifying rounds followed by the men’s singles first round at the end of the day’s programme. Scotland’s teenage prospect Josh Neil is third men’s singles seed in the qualifying events with Danny Leinster and Steven Stewart fourth seed in the men’s doubles qualifying.

Anne Smillie, Chief Executive of BADMINTONscotland, said: “To have so many Scots seeded reflects the strides our players have made in recent months, especially since that fine Sudirman Cup campaign in May when they finished unbeaten in Division 2 against higher-ranked nations.

“Now this is the players’ chance to make their mark in an individual tournament at home in front of the kind of crowds that will greet them at the Commonwealth Games in the same arena next summer.

“We are grateful to Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life and EventScotland for their vital support in helping us achieve this Grand Prix status. We are the world’s third oldest tournament and this elevation to Grand Prix level has enabled us to increase prize money and ranking points for the players, attract a stronger entry and to ensure TV coverage as well and ensure a bright future for the tournament over the next four years and beyond.”

Archie Graham, Executive Member for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “The Scottish Open Grand Prix promises to be one of the country’s top sporting events this year and I’m delighted that we will host all the action at the Emirates Arena.

“The fact that six Scottish athletes are among the top seeds will make the championships even more exciting for the thousands of spectators, and I wish them all well in the competition.

“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games badminton event will also be staged at the Emirates Arena, and so the Scottish Open is a fantastic opportunity for sports fans to get a taster of what’s to come next summer.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for events and in the Scottish Open Grand Prix we have an event that will showcase our top badminton talent just eight months out from the Commonwealth Games. With a number of Scots seeded, there will be plenty for the home crowd to cheer on at the Emirates Arena.”

The entire event will be covered by Badminton Europe's YouTube channel.

For tickets and schedules go to www.badmintonscotland.org.uk

SEEDINGS FOR THE SCOTTISH OPEN GRAND PRIX

Men’s singles
1 Ville Lång (Fin)
2 Henri Hurskainen (Swe)
3 Brice Leverdez (Fra)
4 Misbun Ramdan Mohmed Misbun (Mas)
5 Sattawat Pongnairat (USA)
6 Dmytro Zavadsky (Ukr)
7 Scott Evans (Irl)
8 Andre Kurniawan Tedjono (Ina)
9 Joachim Persson (Den)
10 Petr Koukal (Cze)
11 Lucas Corvee (Fra)
12 Eetu Heino (Fin)
13 Christina Lind Thomsen (Den)
14 Kieran Merrilees (Sco)
15 Thomas Rouxel (Fra)
16 Raul Must (Est)

Women’s singles
1 Carolina Marin (Esp)
2 Kirsty Gilmour (Sco)
3 Petya Nedelcheva (Bul)
4 Beatriz Corrales (Esp)
5 Kristina Gavnholt (Cze)
6 Sashina Vignes Waran (Fra)
7 Linda Zetchiri (Bul)
8 Jamie Subandhi (USA)

Men’s doubles
1 Chris Langridge & Peter Mills (Eng)
2 Wojciech Szkudlarczyk & Lukasz Moren (Pol)
3 Przemyslaw Wacha & Adam Cwalina (Pol)
4 Marcus Ellis & Paul Van Rietvelde (Eng/Sco)
5 Mads Conrad & Mads Kolding (Den)
6 Kim Astrup & Anders Skaarup (Den)
7 Jelle Maas & Jacco Arends (Ned)
8 Sattawat Pongnairat & Phillip Chew (USA)

Women’s doubles
1 Petya Nedelcheva & Imogen Bankier (Bul/Sco)
2 Marie Røpke & Line Damkjaer Kruse (Den)
3 Jillie Cooper & Kirsty Gilmour (Sco)
4 Kate Robertshaw & Heather Olver (Eng)

Mixed doubles
1 Chris Langridge & Heather Olver (Eng)
2 Phillip Chew & Jamie Subandhi (USA)
3 Anders Skaarup Rasmussen & Lena Grebak (Den)
4 Nico Ruponen & Amanda Hogstrom (Swe)
5 Robert Blair & Imogen Bankier (Sco)
6 Jacco Arends & Selena Piek (Ned)
7 Sam & Chloe Magee (Irl)
8 Ross Smith & Renuga Veeran (Aus)

Article by Peter Dean. Photos by BadmintonPhoto.

©badmintoneurope.com. All rights reserved.

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