French Badminton Players Shine at Individual European Championships in Saarbrücken- Quarter-Final Recap and Results

Of the four Alsatians competing this Friday in the quarter-finals of the individual European championships in Saarbrücken – while the fifth, the Mulhousien Thom Gicquel, will play his mixed semi-final late in the evening with the Camblysienne Delphine Delrue -, only one invited herself into the final square. Seed n°2 and 19th in the world in doubles, the other Mulhouseian Margot Lambert and the Parisian Anne Tran validated without trembling their ticket for the semi-finals and secured a bronze medal. Their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is also in the bag.

In 34 minutes and two sets (21-10, 21-10), the three reigning French champions, already ”tanned” at the 2023 European Games, dominated the Scots Julie MacPherson and Ciara Torrance, 46th and n°6 , for the third time in four meetings. To maintain their legitimate dream of gold and go to the final, they will have to defeat this Saturday the Dutch Cheryl Seinen and Debora Jille, 34th and n°4, against whom they lead two victories to zero.

Merklé made Antonsen tremble

Unfortunately for them, the three simple Alsatians fell by the wayside. For his first individual Euro, Arnaud Merklé (also Red Star Mulhouse), 46th, nevertheless played eye to eye, during a 1h20′ marathon for only two sets – lost 22-24, 25-27 -, with the world No. 4 (ex-No. 2), the Dane Anders Antonsen, seeded 2, 2019 world vice-champion, 2021 European champion and 2017 and 2022 European vice-champion.

He will regret not having been able to conclude his four sets in the first round, then the two in the second. “It was very hard physically. I had my ups and downs, but I constantly fought. I’m super happy with this. Afterwards, he was more intelligent in his game and more mature in his way of managing the end of the set,” recognizes the 2021 French champion sportingly. “He really controls the game. It’s always him who chooses the tempos. The next step will be to let him dictate the tempos less and to make him suffer even more. Physically, I managed to impact him. That’s what I wanted. Unfortunately, he missed a tiny notch. Bravo to him. There are still a lot of things I need to develop in my game. I know what to do. Now we have to take responsibility and do it. »

Lanier next and Pancasari tired

Favorite against the Finnish Joakim Oldorff, 68th, whom he had beaten during their last three confrontations in two sets, the Strasbourg Alex Lanier, 48th, on the other hand missed out on his match and a medal which seemed to give him arms, despite two match shuttlecocks saved in the second set (12-21, 19-21).

The 2022 European junior champion is also less upset by the result than by the manner. “I didn’t play well. I just haven’t been good. It wasn’t a great day for me. I obviously could have gone further, but it was not with this level that I could claim to reach the semi-finals. It’s a bit stupid (sic) and frustrating to lose like that, to play badly and not to have shown what I showed before. I feel like I disappointed everyone a little and disappointed myself too. »

The great adventure of her ASPTTS comrade, Rosy Pancasari, 87th and double vice-champion of France, also ended in the quarterfinals. The Strasbourg player came up against the Turkish Neslihan Arin, 39th and TDS 7 (15-21, 10-21), for the second time, after Portugal last year. She paid for the excess of energy shown during her exploits in the two previous rounds against the Swiss Jenjira Stadelmann, 67th (10-21, 21-18, 21-9), then the Dane Mia Blichfeldt, 22nd and TDS 2 (19 -21, 21-15, 21-12).

“I hadn’t recovered and I felt tired. But I also had trouble getting into my game,” she slips without looking for excuses, “I should have been a little more patient and made the exchanges last. But I’m still happy to have reached the quarters for my first individual European Championships. I know how much I have to work to get higher. »

2024-04-12 17:27:00
#bronze #Mulhouseian #Margot #Lambert #gold