DM 26: Unexpected Starts & Key Moments

The start of the 74th German Badminton Championships – for the second time in history in Cloppenburg (Lower Saxony). On Thursday the first rounds of mixed doubles, men’s singles and women’s singles were on the program.

93 games, more than twelve hours of action – the first day of the German Championships was tough. The biggest surprises in men’s singles: Elias Beckmann (TV Refrath) won the first round against national player Kian-Yu Oei (SV Fun-Ball Dortelweil) in two sets (21-9, 21-18). He said: “Everything worked well. The pressure wasn’t on me, it was fun.”

In the second round, Beckmann failed against Milan Zeisig (SV BerlinerBrauen) and missed four match points in the second set (21-16, 20-22, 15-21). The 17-year-old Zeisig: “I wouldn’t say that I gave up the game. But I didn’t put pressure on myself anymore. Suddenly it was going. The third set went like a dream for me, I can hardly remember it.” Also surprising: Aaron Sonnenschein (1. BC Wipperfeld), third in the German Championships last year, lost in the second round to Nikolaj Persson (TSV Trittau) – 18-21, 15-21.

Close games in the women’s singles too. Breana Arem (BC 68 Hamburg) defeated Jule Giebeler (TV Refrath) in three sets (21-11, 18-21, 21-19). Smilla Fuhrer (SG Schorndorf) also went the full distance, winning 22-20, 17-21, 21-14 against Lena Moses (MTV Vechelde). Sidonie Krüger (SG Gittersee) prevailed against Jule Meinhardt (GutsMuths Jena) (21-12, 12-21, 21-13). Tomorrow, Friday, the top seeds Yvonne Li (Dortelweil) and Miranda Wilson (Refrath) will enter the tournament.

The favorites in the mixed doubles are all in the quarter-finals. Marvin Seidel and Thuc Nguyen (Saarbrücken-Bischmisheim/Wipperfeld) prevailed in the round of 16 against the new mixed pairing Danial Marzuan/Aurelia Wulandoko (Dortelweil/TSV Freystadt). Malik Bourakkadi and Leona Michalski (both Refrath) had small problems in the first round of their round of 16 against their Refrath club colleagues Fynn Ohliger/Kalliope Hermel, but ultimately won comfortably 21-14, 21-10.

The second day of the German Championships in Cloppenburg begins at 9 a.m. with the second round of the women’s singles. The round of 16 in the men’s singles starts at 11 a.m. and the first round in the men’s doubles starts at around 1 p.m. The elimination of the women’s doubles begins at 4:30 p.m.

The results of the 74th German Championships 2026.

James Whitfield

James Whitfield is Archysport's racket sports and golf specialist, bringing a global perspective to tennis, badminton, and golf coverage. Based between London and Singapore, James has covered Grand Slam tournaments, BWF World Tour events, and major golf championships on five continents. His reporting combines on-the-ground access with deep knowledge of the technical and strategic elements that separate elite athletes from the rest of the field. James is fluent in English, French, and Mandarin, giving him unique access to athletes across the global tennis and badminton circuits.

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