All live on https://badmintoneurope.tv/ but you'll need to sign up for a free account. Whilst watching the action on court 1 I could hear Marin shouting on another court...except it wasn't her - when I flipped across it's actually Lianne Tan of bElGiuM doing a perfect impression. Oh dear, it's spreading Anyway, I challenge you to close your eyes and tell the difference "HOOOOOO ho"... Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk
Roundup of main upsets so far: Christo Popov lost to Alex Lanier Mia Blichfeldt lost to Rosy Pancasari (France) Magnus Johannesen lost to Ade Dwicahyo (Kazakhstan) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Young Finnish shuttler Joakim Oldorff (rank 67) made it to QFs, which may seem unexpected at first glance, but he's actually been improving consistently in recent times. His compatriot Kalle Koljonen, a bronze medalist from 2021, lost out to Axelsen in the round of 16. It's rare to witness two(!) Finns make it this far in pretty much any international tournament, let alone the European Championships...
Yes that is nice to see. He won some titles on Int Series/Challenge level recently. Otherwise I thought Nella Nyquist would be the future of Finnish badminton, but her ranking now is far from sufficient to qualify it seems. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Young gun Oldorff is through to SFs, thus securing a bronze medal. Lanier grew tired towards the end of the second game. Joakim seemed unbothered by the longish rallies. Antonsen will get a true run for his money tomorrow, hopefully.
More upsets: Turkish WD pair Ercetin/Inci beat Fruergaard/Thygesen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Some unfamiliar names (for me) made it to the semi-finals. The Dutch WD Debora JILLE and Cheryl SEINEN. Joakim OLDORFF from Finland in MS. Neslihan ARIN from Turkey in WS. Bengisu ERCETIN and Nazlıcan INCI in WD also from Turkey. This must be good for the sport.
Semifinals just kicked off, looking forward to a full evening of the good action, as they call it. It glads me to see that the Finnish public broadcasting company Yle decided, on a whim, to feature the upcoming MS match between Oldorff and Antonsen. Overall, badminton still has confusingly little exposure in Finland, considering the amount of high profile events the small nation has hosted in recent years. Better times might be ahead, but continued national success at top-level international events is probably needed to get local media invested in the sport. As of now, Finland is mainly a nation of winter sports. Edit: I like this quote from Oldorff after his match yesterday: "I didn't do anything I can't do. For some people this might seem like a surprise, but I'm confident this is my level." Sounds to me like he's got some understanding of his own potential. He's "only" 21 years old, but judging by the mild reaction after securing a medal yesterday, he doesn't seem to think he's over his head. Going forward, this is probably a good way to be.
I will join team Finland to cheer for Oldorff I have never watched him play before, should be interesting.
Yeah, his attack was rarely good enough to pierce through Antonsen's defence. I would say Antonsen was forced to put in some work through most of the first game, but he didn't seem to be in trouble at any point. Unfortunately, mistakes started creeping in on Joakim's part during the second game. Additionally, Antonsen plays an excellent drive game and gave a masterclass on the subject today. Overall, a solid performance by the up-and-coming Finn.
Axelsen destroyed in G3 by Popov. Dont think Antonsen will stand a chance tomorrow, could be single digits.
