Yesterday evening I came back from Leuven Belgium where I played the Belgian International. It was a fantastic event!
For me the tournament started last Friday with a mixed doubles. My occasional partner Selena Piek and I defeated a Belgian pair in two fast games. A few hours later Dave and I met two Scottish guys who we had never met before. As they had good results in the past we were warned and we played at full strength. We both were highly concentrated and the Scots didn’t stand a chance. With 9 and 11 we finished them off in 22 minutes. It gave us a good feeling.
In the evening 2 more matches were scheduled. First the mixed double against the 4th seeded pair Chrisnanta and Neo from Singapore. These two are in the top 35 of the world ranking and they have achieved very good results the past months. In the first game we were completely outplayed and we didn’t have an answer to their way of playing. In the second game it was the same story until the score 1-7 when we changed our tactics and managed to get control. We came alongside, survived a match point and finally we won the game. In the third game we stayed close to our opponents till 18 all. Then we scored three magnificent points and won the match. A great boost and a nice win.
Almost immediately after this match Dave and I had a confrontation with 2 young French guys. This time Dave couldn’t get the right rhythm and we lost the first game narrowly. The second game, which we won, went a lot better and in the third game we ran off after the break and placed ourselves in the quarter finals with a 21-11 score. This match had a positive aspect. As a pair we didn’t play well but we still managed to convert the match in a win which we wouldn’t have done a couple of months ago.
Saturday morning Selena and I met 2 Germans in the quarter finals and we won quite easily in two games. So on to the semi finals. In the men’s doubles it did not work out the same. The first seed Polish Cwalina and Logosz were the better pair. But also in this long lasting match were very good moments again.
Then the semi final against the first seeded Danish pair Kolding and Houmann, 22nd on the world ranking and with a number of tournaments won on their record. We knew in advance that this match should be a tactical one. In the first game we had no problem but in the second the Danes played very cleverly and they outplayed us. In the final game at a score of 14-14 we managed to take some distance and we won the match. I was ever so glad! Again a fantastic win! Playing together for the first time and making it to the finals of a Challenge tournament is quite an achievement I had not counted on with the tough draw we had.
Sunday we played the final against Triyachart and Yao from Singapore. A month ago they were in the quarter finals of the World Championships. So a special pair and apart from that they had not yet lost a game in Leuven yet. We started our match very well. For some time we kept a small lead but finally our opponents got 5 game points which we all deflected. At our first game point we pitched at 25-23. In the second and the third game we managed to keep up till 7-7 but then the Singaporeans took the lead and from that moment on they didn’t allow us anymore to come even close even though we kept on playing well. We have extracted everything that was in it but they were just a bit better than we were. After the match and the prize ceremony we were disappointed but finally we were glad and proud because of the way of playing and the magnificent wins.
We enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere and décor of the hall. My compliments to the organization because it all looked very professional. The finals were broadcasted live on TV and had been sold to seven Asian countries among which China, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Today I enjoy a day off to recover. The coming period I will focus on the Dutch Open to be held mid October in Almere. Apart from the men’s doubles with Dave I will play the mixed doubles with my former partner Ilse Vaessen.
Tags: badminton, Belgium International, final, jorrit de ruiter, mixed doubles, Selena Piek