First loss for Almere

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Alex Vlaar and Adam Hall had a lead at the break in their match against Wessel van der Aar and Lars Kros. But after the 11-7 it ran out quickly and our men took the game with a big 21-12. Also the second game was for Alex and Adam. Although the lead at the break was minimal, the win was no longer in danger. With 21-15 the win was in.

How different things went for the ladies double of Estelle van Leeuwen and Kirsten de Wit. Opponents Alyssa Tirtosentono and Christine Busch Andreasen put pressure on our girls from the start and only managed to get out of it at the end of the game. After trailing 14-2, the loss of the game became more bearable with 21-13. But that didn’t mean Estelle and Kirsten got into the game better in the second game. They didn’t have a moment to get into their game and with 21-9 the game went thick and therefore also the game lost.

Dyon van Wijlick, who was summoned at the last minute, had to compete against Joran Kweekel. He replaced the unfit Sebastian Li. After a 7-2 deficit he fought back to 7-9 but Joran managed to extend his lead and took the game 21-15. After again falling behind, Dyon managed to come alongside and even took a 14-13 lead. But in the end Joran showed who was the strongest here with 21-16. Nevertheless, Dyon can look back on a good match.

Back from injury, Ieva Pope battled Novi Wieland. Ieva managed to convert an 11-7 deficit into a 15-14 lead, but the first game point for Novi was at 20-19 and she immediately knew how to use that. Not match fit, Ieva also fell short in the second game. The excellent playing Novi turned out to be too strong with 21-14.

Dennis Koppen came to The Hague with confidence after his win on Saturday. After a 7-1 deficit against Lars Kros, things started to improve for Dennis. Already at the break the deficit had been wiped away and Dennis was the winner with 21-15. In the second game Dennis was supreme. Dennis determined the course of the match via an 11-2 score and that resulted in a big 21-7 victory.

A good start for Estelle in her match against Jaymie Laurens. But after an 11-6 lead, the game turned. Jaymie found the answer to Estelle’s game and came in 14-14. From that moment on, she struck hard and played strong to the 21-15 win. Jaymie held onto her level well in the second game and gave Estelle little chance to get into her game. Jaymie also took the second game 21-15.

There was little honor to be gained for Rosalie Teuben and Adam Hall. Against Mathias Thyrri and Alyssa Tirtosentono they were able to keep up until the break with 9-11, but then Alyssa and Mathias quickly ran out and won the game 21-13. Also in the second game Rosalie and Adam fell short against the strong playing couple and again it was 21-13 in The Hague’s favour.

But Kirsten de Wit and Alex Vlaar also couldn’t cope with the Drop Shot couple formed by Christine and Joran. Although the difference in power was less here, our mixed doubles had to recognize their superiority in their opponents. A minor game loss with 22-20 gave hope for the second game, but that faded in the course of the game. With 21-17, Drop Shot booked a 6-2 victory and there was nothing to argue with.

It was Almere’s first defeat since January 15, 2019 when DKC was too strong and only the first under coach Dave Khodabux since he decided to take over from Erik Staats in March 2019. Nevertheless, the team is in good shape to obtain a direct final place for the national title. With 3 games to play, the lead is 8 points on number 2 Drop Shot and 11 points on Duinwijck, who played a game less. The residents of Almere will be free next weekend.