Three English pairings are in Indonesia Open action this week as the Super 1000 event takes place in Bali.
The prestigious tournament is the second of three big events taking place in the Indonesia Badminton Festival, following on from last week’s Indonesia Masters and preceding the BWF World Tour Finals.
Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith reached the last eight of the Masters before being knocked out by South Korea’s Ko Sung-hyun and Eom Hye-won and they have the chance for instant revenge this week, with Ko and Eom lying in wait in the first round.
Ellis and Smith reached the last eight the previous time this tournament was played in 2019 before being knocked out by top seeds and eventual champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
They were unseeded on that occasion but go in as fourth seeds this time around and will hope to challenge for silverware.
Smith and Chloe Birch are seeded sixth in the women’s doubles and face Julie Finne-Ipsen and Mai Surrow in the first round.
The Danish duo are ranked 42 in the world and this will be the first meeting between the pairings.
Smith and Birch are in the same section of the draw as top seeds Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong, who could lie in wait in the quarter-finals.
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy are making their Indonesia Open debut in the men’s doubles, lining up against Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan of the home nation in the first round.
Second seeds Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, also of Indonesia, could be next for Lane and Vendy in the second round should both pairings come through their opening ties.#
The YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships return to Utilita Arena Birmingham with the best players from around the world from 16th – 20th March 2022.
Don’t miss out, get your tickets today.