Mülheim an der Ruhr. The YONEX German Open Badminton Championships 2026 are underway at the Westenergie Sporthalle in Mülheim an der Ruhr, with the qualifying rounds delivering some exciting results for local players. While some German hopefuls faced early exits, Miranda Wilson and the duo of Malik Bourakkadi and Kenneth Neumann secured their places in the main draw, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Miranda Wilson (TV Refrath) wasn’t initially expecting to compete at the tournament, a Super 300 event on the BWF World Tour. Ranked fourth on the reserve list, she benefited from late withdrawals, earning a spot in the qualification tournament. Wilson capitalized on the opportunity, defeating Agnes Korosi of Hungary in three sets (21:13, 16:21, 21:11) on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026. This victory propels her into the first round of the main tournament, where she will face a significant challenge in the form of Han Yue, the second-seeded Chinese player, on Wednesday, February 25th, 2026. “It was nice and solid from my side. I felt much better energy-wise than at the Team-EM,” Wilson said after her win.
The men’s doubles team of Malik Bourakkadi and Kenneth Neumann (TV Refrath/Blau-Weiß Wittorf) also successfully navigated the qualification rounds. The German champions secured a hard-fought victory against Spain’s Ruben Garcia and Carlos Piris, winning 21-19, 23-21. This marks a continuation of their recent success against the Spanish pair, having previously defeated them in straight sets at the Azerbaijan International in Baku just two weeks prior. Bourakkadi and Neumann will now face Jiří and Ondřej Král of the Czech Republic in the first round of the main draw. The Czech brothers are currently ranked 60th in the world.
Yet, the opening day wasn’t without its disappointments for the German contingent. Jonathan Dresp and Simon Krax, the reigning German men’s doubles champions, were eliminated in the qualification round, falling to Donovan Willard Wee and Jia Hao Howin Wong of Singapore in a closely contested match (21:18, 15:21, 14:21). Bjarne Geiss and Jones Jansen also suffered defeat in their opening match in the main draw, losing to the eighth-ranked and reigning World Championship bronze medalists, Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark, 17:21, 10:21.
In women’s doubles, Selin Hübsch and Amelie Lehmann, the current German vice-champions, were defeated by Taiwan’s Chen Su Yu and Lee Yu-Hsuan (10:21, 12:21). Despite the loss, they expressed optimism about their progress. “They are a strong pairing. And you can see that we have improved compared to last year. In the second set, for example, we fought back well,” said Amelie Lehmann. Selin Hübsch, a local from Mülheim, added, “It’s always special to play here at home.”
The mixed doubles pairing of Patrick Volkmann and Franziska Volkmann, the 2023 German champions, also faced a setback, losing to Brian Wassink and Debora Jille of the Netherlands (13:21, 17:21) in the qualification round. Volkmann noted a miscalculation with their warm-up routine contributed to their performance. “We were physically ready, but when we had to travel on court, we hadn’t hit a single shot beforehand,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Matthias Kicklitz will compete in the men’s singles, while Simon Krax/Amelie Lehmann and Malik Bourakkadi/Leona Michalski will participate in the mixed doubles, all making their debuts in the main tournament on Wednesday, February 25th, 2026. Bourakkadi and Neumann, along with Miranda Wilson, will once again take to the court to represent Germany in front of a home crowd.
The 2026 German Open, a tournament with a total prize pool of US$250,000, is the fifth event on the 2026 BWF World Tour. The tournament is organized by Vermarktungsgesellschaft Badminton Deutschland (VBD) mbH for the German Badminton Association with sanction from the BWF. More information about the tournament, including the schedule and ticket information, can be found on the official website: www.german-open-badminton.de.
YONEX is celebrating its 38th consecutive year as the main and title sponsor of the International Badminton Championships of Germany, with additional support from Westenergie, the namesake of the venue.
The action continues on Wednesday with the first round of matches in several disciplines. Fans can expect more thrilling competition as players battle for a place in the later stages of the tournament.
