Badminton Vereniging Almere secured a 3-5 away victory against Drop Shot, creating a good starting position with a view to the number 1 position at the end of the regular competition.
Both squads entered the tie missing personnel due to international commitments. Almere traveled without Joep Strooper, who was competing at an international Future Series tournament in Iceland, while Drop Shot had to make do without Novi Wieland and Timo Stoffelen for the same reason.
Doubles and Singles Swing the Momentum
The afternoon opened with a tense men’s doubles encounter between Almere’s Alex Vlaar and Dyon van Wijlick and Drop Shot’s Nick Fransman and Noah Jongen. After cruising through the first game 21-12, the Almeerse duo found themselves locked in a tight battle. Vlaar and Van Wijlick fended off a 15-17 deficit in the second game and converted on their second matchpoint to seal a 22-20 victory, capturing the opening point for the visitors.
In the women’s doubles, Kirsten de Wit and Diede Odijk faced Kelly van Buiten and Iris van Leijsen. Despite rallying from a 9-15 down to lead 16-15 and later holding a 20-17 advantage, the Almere pair failed to close out the first game, eventually dropping it 20-22. Van Buiten and Van Leijsen pressed their advantage in the second game, pulling away from 14-14 to win 17-21.
Noah Haase restored Almere’s lead in men’s singles by overwhelming Lars Kros. Haase controlled the match from the outset, sweeping to a dominant 21-8, 21-9 win. However, Drop Shot answered in women’s singles when former Almere player Amy Tan edged Alida Chen. Chen held leads in both games, including a 14-10 advantage in the opener and 14-11 in the second, but errors near the backline allowed Tan to clinch a straight-games win (22-20, 21-15).
Tactical Shifts in Singles and Mixes
Nick Fransman continued his strong historical form against Dennis Koppen. Despite Koppen starting brightly at 6-2, Fransman overturned the deficit to lead 11-8 before closing out the first game 21-16. Fransman maintained his control in the second set, wrapping up a 21-9 victory to put Drop Shot back in contention.
Diede Odijk dispatched Srisarayu Ramisetty 21-4, 21-8 in her singles rubber, leaving the team score deadlocked at 3-3 heading into the mixed doubles. The shift arrived when Dyon van Wijlick and Kirsten de Wit teamed up in the first mixed match, neutralizing Lars Kros and Iris van Leijsen with a 21-14, 21-8 triumph.
With the victory safely in hand, Almere looks ahead to its next fixture in the regular competition as the battle for the top seed intensifies.
Related reading
