Badminton. Indonesian Masters: after the performance, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue confirm with an incredible match – Badminton

Indonesia Masters in Jakarta (Super 500)

Confirming the match after and overcoming a certain lack of concentration after a monumental feat – often an evil in French sport – is one more step taken by Breton Thom Gicquel and Ile-de-France Delphine Delrue. The day after one of the most beautiful performances of bad French against the planetary numbers 1 and reigning world champions, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, the world N.11s held their rank, this Thursday morning, in the 2nd round of the Masters from Indonesia.

The tension was maximum in an arena, the Istora Senayan (7,166 seats), again full for the big return of the World Tour after the long covid parenthesis, against the Danes Alexandra Boje – Mathias Christiansen (N.15). Leading 2-1 in their duels against the Scandinavians – but only 21-19, 21-19 in their last victory – the Blues knew they were expected and they did not disappoint.

Intoxication and malice

After having had a set steering wheel (22-21), Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue lost the first round 22-24 but they were able to react and then race in the lead (20-16). If they put three points to equalize at one everywhere (21-19), the Bretillien of Red Star Mulhouse and the Val-d’Oisienne of the US Ezanville-Ecouen showed great mental solidity there.

In an intense fight made up of brainwashing and mischief, on both sides of the net, to try to break the rhythm of the serving pair, the third set was rich in twists and turns. Led 15-9, the French came back point by point (14-16), while the referee had all the trouble in the world to keep control of the match and its rhythm. Under pressure from elimination at 19-20, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue pushed Boje into the net and dropped a point to allow the Breton to slam the victory wheel into the net and blow up the room after 1 h 20′ of breathtaking suspense.

Reunion, four years later

Once recovered from their emotions, the vice-champions of Europe 2022, the last French in the running in Jakarta, will be able to turn to their quarter-final of this Super 500 at $ 360,000, the first stage of a tour of four meetings you in Asia.

They who often recall that they prefer to face the best Asian pairs than to meet the top European duos and now want to join the planetary top 8 will be served with the Hong Kongers Tang – Tse (N.7, seeded N.6 ). The 4th of the Tokyo Olympics last summer lead 1-0 in their confrontations but the match dates from 2018 (11-21, 15-21 at the Worlds in Nanjing), when Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (23) started at trouble on the circuit. Since then, they have come a long way and they have certainly not yet arrived at the end of their road…