GERMAN OPEN 2015 SF – Pieler Kolding looks for two

Danish shuttlers have wrapped up one title at the German Open and have their eyes on three more as Mads Pieler Kolding and Kamilla Rytter Juhl won both together and separately in Saturday’s semi-finals in Mulheim.

By Don Hearn.  Photos: Sven Heise (live)

Mads Pieler Kolding stormed into both the mixed and men’s doubles finals in Mulheim this weekend.  This is the second time in under a year that he has appeared in two finals and if he wants a title, he will have to make it happen against one or both of the same opponents who denied him last year at the European Championships.

One of those opponents is Christinna Pedersen, whose double-gold performance in Kazan was one of many in her career and one she is on track to duplicate here in Mulheim.  Mads Pieler Kolding and Kamilla Rytter Juhl (pictured) stopped the dream run of Ireland’s Sam and Chloe Magee to earn a spot in the mixed final.

Pedersen and Joachim Fischer Nielsen trounced world #6 Chris and Gabrielle Adcock to seal the mixed title for Denmark.  She and Rytter Juhl, meanwhile, sent the last Korean doubles pair packing when they disposed of Jang Ye Na and Yoo Hae Won (pictured).  The Koreans have traditionally done well at the German Open and even swept all five titles when it was a Grand Prix event in 2008.  This time, it is looking to be more like Denmark’s year.

Indonesians are standing in Denmark’s way in two finals, however.  For Pedersen and Rytter Juhl, they will have to face now the new pairing of Della Destiara Haris / Rosyita Eka Putri Sari.  They beat top seeds Matsutomo/Takahashi in the second round and then won the longest match of the day on Saturday, beating Hoo/Woon of Malaysia in three.  This marks the first Grand Prix Gold final in their very new partnership, of course and is the first ever for Vietnam Open winner Sari.

Rumbaka’s back

Indonesia’s Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka not only scored his first win over world #4 Son Wan Ho after four unsuccessful attempts.  In winning his  semi-final, he also reached his first overseas Grand Prix Gold final, his four other appearances at this level all coming at his home Indonesia Grand Prix Gold.  Though winner of last year’s Vietnam Open, Rumbaka has seen his ranking slip and this is his first Sunday appearance at the Grand Prix Gold level since late 2013.

If the Indonesian wants a title, he too must do battle with a heavily-favoured Dane.  Jan Jorgensen won his semi-final against Wong Wing Ki in straight games.

World trumps defending

In the women’s singles, reigning World Champion Carolina Marin (pictured) of Spain completely outclassed defending champion Sayaka Takahashi of Japan, particularly as the second game drew to a close.  With her signature celebratory shouts, Marin marched into the final, winning the second game 21-12.

Top seed Sung Ji Hyun is thus in a tricky situation.  While spared having to face again the woman who denied her in last year’s final, she instead must face Marin, whom she has never beaten.  In her semi-final, Sung extended a winning streak of her own.  It was the first loss of the year for Nozomi Okuhara but losing to Sung is a road she’s gone down before, though never on neutral ground until Saturday in Mulheim.

The big men in the big rematch

On one hand, chances look good for Russia’s Vladimir Ivanov / Ivan Sozonov (pictured) to take their first actual Grand Prix Gold title.  Their only other title at this level was last year’s European Championship and they are facing their opponents from that final again on Sunday in Germany.

However, the Russians have lost three times to Denmark’s Mads Conrad-Petersen / Mads Pieler Kolding (pictured bottom) since last April in Kazan.  Ivanov and Sozonov struggled in their semi-final but after three games, still prevented two-time Bitburger Open runners-up Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen from making a third career finals appearance on German soil.  Meanwhile, the two Madses scored their upset over Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan in just forty minutes.

Finals line-up
XD: Joachim Fischer Nielsen / Christinna Pedersen (DEN) [1] vs. Mads Pieler Kolding / Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN) [6]
WS: Sung Ji Hyun (KOR) [1] vs. Carolina Marin (ESP) [2]
MS: Jan O Jorgensen (DEN) [1] vs. Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka (INA)
WD: Christinna Pedersen / Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN) [2] vs. Della Destiara Haris / Rosyita Eka Putri Sari (INA)
MD: Mads Conrad-Petersen / Mads Pieler Kolding (DEN) [4] vs. Vladimir Ivanov / Ivan Sozonov (RUS) [6]

Click here for complete semi-final results