Round 2 – MX doubles : The European resistance

Here we are for a second day in Coubertin. The mixed draw revealed some amazing performances, especially from the Europeans pairs !

Dutch power

The Dutch made quite an impression against the 7th seed, the Malaysian Chan and Goh. Tabeling and Seinen lost the first game 21-19, but they knew they could do more. With a lot of patience, they managed to resist to the pressure and took the second game 21-18. The crowd was on fire, waiting for the ultimate game. They finally took it 21-18. “We are very happy to be into the 2nd round. We play against amazing opponents but today we actually manage to win the match!” Once again the crowd showed his support and this is maybe what made the difference!

United Kingdom represented

It went as good for another European pair. Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith from England made their entrance on the court this afternoon willing to do their best. Facing the Indonesians Ricky Karandasuwardi and Debby Susanta, they knew it was going to be a huge challenge for them. Indeed, they prevailed but not without difficulties ! They had to struggle to come out as the winner of this epic battle. Final score: 21-18 21-18.

Speaking of England, the favourite couple on the court and in life (Gabrielle and Chris Adcock) played their 1st match in Paris. This is an amazing comeback as they had to withdraw last year. And today, they gave the public a long match full of rallies. Their opponents from India made it quite difficult for them. The English pair won the first set 24-22, saving 2 game points ! Frustrated, the Indian pair raised its level for the 2nd set. The European champion made some easy mistakes that cost them the 2nd game 18-21. For the ultimate set, the Adcocks had the whole audience behind them. In the end, they manage to won the match point. “It was not our best performance. We felt a lot of pressure during the game. I guess at the end we found a solution and the pleasure came back. In general, this is amazing to play in Paris. I love being here”, said Chris after the match.

Everything under control for the Asian pairs

The title holder from Indonesia, Hamad and Natsir, also started the competition without difficulties. In 24min, they beat a pair from Taipei (HSU/LEE) with a final score of 21-14 21-17.

Same thing goes for the world number 1 : the Chinese Zheng and Huang didn’t shake at all for their first match. They won their match against an Indian pair, 21-10 21-5.