There’s no greater way to learn than by stepping onto the badminton court and going up against the best international players from across the world.
Australian players are on the verge of starting their campaigns at the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships in Copenhagen (August 21-27) where they will all face a great test.
“Opening matches will be tough and competitive for all, however with the right game plan and tactics, they can potentially cause some trouble for their opponents”, National Head Coach Leanne Choo said.
Most recently the players were in action on their home turf at the Sathio Group Australian Badminton Open where they were able to refine their on-court ability against opponents on the BWF Super 500 level.
“I am excited to see the players put their sharpened tactics and mental readiness into action in Copenhagen,” Choo said.
“All the players have specific skills and areas they have been working very hard on and this is a great opportunity to test the progress of those specific skills.”
Australia’s Round of 64 Matches:
MS: Nathan Tang (AUS) v C. Dwi Wardoyo (INA)
Full draw Men’s Singles https://rb.gy/98kzn
WS: Tiffany Ho (AUS) v Neslihan Arin (TUR)
Full draw Women’s Singles https://tinyurl.com/t9939tmu
MD: Kenneth Choo/Ming Chuen Lim (AUS) v Joshua Magee/Paul Reynolds (IRL)
Full draw Men’s Doubles https://tinyurl.com/yc524pax
WD: Gronya Somerville/Kaitlyn Ea (AUS) v Julie Macpherson/Ciara Torrance (GBR)
Women’s Doubles https://tinyurl.com/4rpmtwb8
XD: Kenneth Choo/Gronya Somerville (AUS) v Marcus Ellis/Lauren Smith (GBR)
Full draw Mixed Doubles https://tinyurl.com/2dt3yjs6
“In the Women’s Doubles, Gronya and Kaitlyn have drawn Torrance and Macpherson who are ranked 35 in the world. This is one of the tougher first rounds, however, this is a great test for the girls and I believe they can get a positive result,” Choo said.
“In the Mixed Doubles, Gronya and Ken face Smith and Ellis from England, who are ranked 32 in the world and are Commonwealth Silver Medallists. We are the underdog in this match and it is a good opportunity for Ken and Gronya to play a very experienced pair.
“When it comes to the Men’s Doubles, Ken and Ming face Reynolds and Magee who are ranked 54. I anticipate that this game will be a close battle and will be an exciting one to coach.
“Nathan has drawn Wardoyo in the Men’s Singles, and this will be a challenging match for him. Again, this is a great opportunity to compete against an experienced player and showcase what he has been working on.
“Finally, Tiffany is up against Arin who is a strong competitor. Tiff is an equally strong and tough competitor. I expect her to put up a good fight.”
For most of the team the trip to Copenhagen marks their first appearance at the BWF World Championships and above all Choo hoped that all the players embraced every moment on court.
“There is a certain prestige that comes with competing in any sort of World Championship tournament, whether it be a team event or individual event,” she said.
“Although this tournament will be a step up for the Australian Team, we will approach and prepare the same way we would for any other tournament.”
During the lead up the Australian team will be training in Denmark under the guidance of Niclas Nohr before Choo arrives.
Once the tournament is underway, Nohr will also be helping out Choo when it comes to match-day coaching.
“The players will train in Denmark at his club before I join them. I am hoping to learn more from Niclas while we are coaching from behind the court. I am excited to see him coaching in action,” Choo said.
Stay tuned to Badminton Australia’s social media channels to keep up to date with all the Australian results.
https://bwfbadminton.com/tournament/4720/totalenergies-bwf-world-championships-2023/results/
