When I start writing this I am in the train from Copenhagen airport to Karlskrona, the Swedish city which hosts the European Championships Tournament this week. It is a 3½ hour journey and in about 30 minutes we have to change to a bus which will take us to our final destination. After having watched an episode of criminal minds I thought it to be a good idea to start writing a report on our final in Wateringen.
It was the third time this year that Dave and I reached the finals of an EBU tournament. This time we were facing the Malaysian World Junior Champions and unfortunately also these opponents proved to be too strong for us.
Before the match we had watched matches of these guys on video together with our coach Huaiwen Xu. We analysed their way of playing. We discovered a number of clear patterns among which their eagerness to play at the net after their service and their preference to make the third shot in the direction of the front court. We could also see that their defence was rather solid but later more about that.
In the first game both the Malaysians and we played very offensively. The rallies were not too long but for us quite effective. By the end of the game we managed to take a lead and win the game with 21-19.
The second game started with a long lasting rally and from that moment on the Malaysians changed their tactics. They fell back on their excellent defence and they sent us all over the court. We were completely surprised by this sudden change and because of that we started to make simple mistakes. In no time we were facing a 1-11 arrear. Slowly but steadily we managed to come back a bit but the difference was too big to bridge and we lost the game.
In the third game it was our intention not to allow them to take a big lead again but now they started very offensively. This smart approach of the young Malaysians surprised us again and for the second time we were confronted with a significant gap. Â Add up a few mistakes of the umpire and the defeat was a fact. Very unfortunate of course but I can only conclude that these young lads are very good already and able to easily change playing styles. Keep these guys in mind for the future I would say!!!
Now it is Monday morning and I have the first impression of Karlskrona at daylight. We are staying in a beautiful and modern new hotel situated at a fantastic lake which is probably an inlet of the sea. The sun is shining and from our room we have a beautiful view.
For me the tournament starts tomorrow afternoon with a mixed doubles versus a Swiss pair. You can watch Samantha and me around 5 PM on www.badmintoneurope.tv  Later that evening Dave and I will play our first match versus either Belarussians or Spaniards. If you like to follow the results you may look at www.toernooi.nl or watch it live on www.badmintoneurope.tv .
I am looking forward to playing again.
Tags: badminton, jorrit de ruiter, Karlskrona, runner-up, silver medal, Sweden, Velo Dutch International, Wateringen