Ah, Thom Gicquel will surely curse this serve in the net for a long time at 19-19 in the second set! With Delphine Delrue, the 22-year-old Bretillian had a great opportunity to push Jordan – Oktavianti (world No. 4 and seeded 2) in the third set of their mixed semi-final this Saturday in Bangkok. But the Indonesians, who had already known how to make the difference in the “money time” of the first round (16-16 then 21-16), regained control against the Habs (N.15) and their revenge (23-21 ) of their defeat there will be exactly a year on Sunday, in their Jakarta cauldron (21-19, 14-21, 21-18).
“There was room today”
“It’s frustrating because we were really not far from them” explained Delphine Delrue (US Ezanville-Ecouen – 22 years old) after 45 minutes of a bitter battle, on Badzine.
“There was room to win today (they led 11-5 and 17-14 in the second set). They played better and took the attack quickly on the first shots. It’s frustrating, of course, ”added Thom Gicquel, who after offering the French bad his first semi-final in Super 1000 – the Yonex Open of Thailand is endowed with a million dollars in prizes – would have followed well with a final against local Puavaranukroh and Taerattanachai, world number 3 and seed 1, for what would have been a good one since the two pairs are within a victory everywhere.
Revenge in a few hours?
But they won’t have to wait very long to try their luck again. Barely enough time to share their $ 14,000 in earnings (1.4% of the total prize-money, 3.5 ublé% in the event of the final and 7.4% for the winners) and to climb, a priori, to the 13th in the world (their career record, they would be the first Europeans…) since they will continue next week with the Toyota Open of Thailand, still in Bangkok. The draw was naughty since they will face… Jordan – Oktavianti, in the first round.
“We can’t wait to play them again next week,” announces the Bretillian fired from Red Star Mulhouse, who spared no effort during confinement and then during his recovery after his ankle injury. Concentrated with Delphine Delrue on the Tokyo Olympics goal – even if this first meeting did not count for Olympic qualification – the badiste de Gosné will surely analyze every detail of the video of the match with his coach Baptiste Carême to find the keys to revenge. And also to do service in training?
Sailor back on the road to Qi
Like Gicquel and Delrue, Xue Fei Qi (N.37) was not spoiled by the draw which reserved for him, next week, the same first opponent as this week. Strapped to both knees on Wednesday, will the badiste of BC Rostrenen have been able to use these last days to find the loophole in the game of the Spanish Carolina Marin, the three-time world champion now leading 3-0 in their duels?
