09 October, 2023
England’s top shuttlers competed well but could not force their way into finals day at the 2023 Scottish Open in Glasgow.
Two English pairs made the semi-finals of the men’s doubles but both were beaten by their Danish counterparts, as Callum Hemming and Ethan van Leeuwen and Rory Easton and Zach Russ came up short.
Easton and Russ came from a game down to beat Scotland’s Jack MacGregor and Adam Pringle before cruising to the last four with back-to-back straight games victories.
They then met third seeds Ondrej Kral and Adam Mendrek in the quarter-finals and recorded a rousing 21-18 21-12 victory to advance to the final four.
But Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard proved too strong for the young duo, running out 21-12 21-8 winners.
On the other side of the draw, Hemming and Van Leeuwen enjoyed a more dramatic run to the latter stages, with two of their three wins coming via a decider.
Sandwiched in between those games was a showdown with fourth seeds Joshua Magee and Paul Reynolds of Ireland, who were brushed aside 21-14 21-7 in convincing fashion.
Danish players were then once again the scourge of the English hopefuls, as Andreas Sondergaard and Jesper Toft emerged victorious in the semi-finals, with a 21-14 19-21 21-6 success.
Van Leeuwen was also in mixed doubles action alongside Annie Lado, with Toft and his partner Clara Graversen advancing in a nervy quarter-final three-setter.
Van Leeuwen’s sister Estelle went one better, reaching the semi-finals alongside Hemming, but Vestergaard and Christine Busch brought an end to their run with a 21-10 21-13 win.
In the women’s doubles, Jessica Allen and Abbie Smith reached the last eight of the competition but found third seeds Stine Kuespert and Emma Moszczynski too strong in the quarter-finals.
Overall, 54 English stars took to the courts in Glasgow, many of whom will have gained valuable experience in the qualification round and main draw across a fine week at the world’s third oldest badminton tournament.
