Linda Efler and Thuc Nguyen are eliminated in the semi-finals of the HYLO Badminton Open
The German pairing Linda Efler and Thuc Nguyen had to admit defeat in the semi-finals of the HYLO Badminton Open in Saarbrücken. The local heroes got off to a very bad start in the first set, were already 0:9 behind after just three minutes and were unable to catch up. Despite an improvement, they only came within 15:21 in the first set against the Ukrainians Polina Buhrova and Yavheniia Kantemyr. The gap remained in the second set and the game ended in a clear defeat for Efler and Nguyen. “We are disappointed, they simply overran us with their power,” commented Efler after the game. The Ukrainian doubles will face top seeds Taiwanese Sung Shuo Yun and Yu Chien Hui in the final.
Popov brothers in the men’s singles final of the HYLO Badminton Open
For the first time on the BWF World Tour, the French brothers Toma Junior and Christo Popov will meet in the final. In the semifinals, the younger brother, Christo Popov, confidently beat Ayush Shetty from India (21:17, 21:13). Toma Junior, on the other hand, benefited from the injury-related retirement of Dane Rasmus Gemke, who had to abandon the game when the score was 8:17 in the first set. The two brothers last played against each other at the French championships, with Christo coming out on top. Today’s final promises an exciting duel between two up-and-coming badminton talents.
Danish men’s doubles and English doubles fight for titles
In the men’s doubles, the Popov brothers also had a chance of reaching the final, but had to admit defeat to the second-seeded Danes Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Søgaard 14:21 and 9:21. Kjaer and Søgaard, who surprisingly failed in the semi-finals at this year’s European Championships, will now face Englishmen Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in the final. Lane and Vendy showed strong nerves in the semifinals as they fended off a total of six set points and ultimately prevailed 23:21, 22:20 against the Danish duo Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard.
Mia Blichfeldt in the women’s singles final against Malvika Bansod
Mia Blichfeldt from Denmark reached the final after a convincing semi-final victory over her compatriot Line Christophersen (21:19, 21:12). Blichfeldt, who is in a relationship with Toma Junior Popov, now has the chance to win her second title in Germany after winning the title at the German Open 2024. In the final she will face India’s Malvika Bansod, who beat Julie Dawall Jakobsen in an exciting semi-final (22:20, 21:18). This is Bansod’s first World Tour final in three years.
Early mixed final: Danish duo prevails
In the mixed doubles, the Danes Amalie Magelund and Jesper Toft prevailed against the French duo Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue after a hard-fought game. The match developed into one of the highest-class encounters of the tournament and ended after three sets with 22:20, 21:13, 21:19 in favor of the Danes. In the final, the Danish duo will face Scots Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson, who defeated William Villeger and Flavie Vallet from France in a dramatic game (22:20, 18:21, 23:21) in the semifinals.
Photo: Sven Heise
