22 August, 2023
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy kick-started their BWF World Championships campaign with a dominant opening-round victory in Copenhagen.
Quarter-finalists at this event 12 months ago, Lane and Vendy were significant favourites for their first-round match against Anibal Marroquin and Jonathan Solis.
And the English pairing were rarely troubled in a dominant display, easing past the Guatemalans 21-5 21-6 to reach the second round.
An intriguing test awaits Lane and Vendy next, in the form of tenth seeds Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin.
The Indonesians have won both previous meetings between the two pairings, the last coming in three games at the Indonesia Masters in 2022.
Elsewhere, Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith battled from a game down to start their campaign with a hard-fought victory in the mixed doubles.
Ellis and Smith lost a tight opener to Australian pairing Kenneth Choo and Gronya Somerville, but rallied in style to claim a 22-24 21-15 21-14 triumph.
Up next for the pairing are seventh seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, with the French pairing yet to play in Copenhagen after receiving an opening-round bye.
The two pairings last met at the European Games in Krakow, where Gicquel and Delrue prevailed in a terrific three-game tussle, while the French also prevailed in two tight games at the Sudirman Cup back in May.
However, Ellis and Smith won all four of their previous encounters against the seventh seeds before 2023, something that could well give them confidence in this all-European encounter.
Smith was also in women’s doubles action alongside Chloe Birch, but they lost 21-10 21-11 to Singapore’s Jin Yujia and Crystal Wong.
While elsewhere, Greg and Jenny Mairs were beaten 21-12 21-3 by third seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the mixed doubles.
