SUDIRMAN CUP Day 1 – Russian and German diamonds in the rough

On a night where the all the ties unfolded according to country strength expectations, Germany’s Yvonne Li and Sergey Sirant of Russia were making waves in a big pond.  Both can be proud of the personal flair with which they played their shots in the two evening Group 1 ties.

By Aaron Wong, Badzine correspondent live in Gold Coast.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

A bigger splash

Sergey Sirant (pictured right), representing Russia in men’s singles on the BWF television commentary court, would have been responsible for overturning any presumptions of casual spectators that Russia is unknown in badminton.

Although not a win on the board, his singular performance against Jeon Hyeok Jin here mirrors Jeon’s own pivotal development throughout the 2016 Australian Superseries that saw him become a surprise runner-up.  The Russian put in the kind of performance where he was improving minute to minute because he was ripe for it.

Similarly, neither the score of 10-21, 5-21 nor her world ranking of #95 does justice to Yvonne Li‘s undaunted performance against the world #10, Nozomi Okuhara (pictured) of Japan.  In a match showcasing the best from both ladies, the young German acquitted herself genuinely as a singles player.  Her businesslike demeanour insisted on making the first move constantly within rallies as she wielded the correct shot for every court position which were chosen from her full palette.  Altogether, Li made the most of this wonderful opportunity on the world stage and playing Okuhara in particular was the most effective encouragement towards improving one’s footwork.

Missed opportunities

The Russians and Germans were more seasoned in mixed doubles and hence the upset opportunities that went begging would have hurt.  A healthy first game lead by Evgenia Dimova / Evgenij Dremin evaporated against Chae Yoo Jung / Choi Sol Gyu (pictured) and it was another straight-game affair for the tournament’s second seeds.  21-14, 21-12.  Afterwards, Dimova removed her shoes and threw them down with thuds of frustration.

Back in the Group 1C tie between Germany and Japan, Mark Lamsfuss returned later with Isabel Herttrich and grabbed the second game, as he was close to but unable to do in men’s doubles.  Kenta Kazuno’s still vibrant offence after 16-16 in the rubber game was the key to Japan’s victory in the last – as well as loudest – match of the night in the stadium.

Click here for complete Day 1 results