YONEX Dutch Open 2022: Round up

Grimley twins Christopher and Matt produced the standout Scottish performance at the YONEX Dutch Open with a run to the men’s doubles semi-finals.

The brothers reached the final four in Almere after some top-class displays, culminating in an 21-18, 21-16 win over Germany’s Bjarne Geiss and Jan Colin Voelker in the quarters.

It then took an inspired performance from Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Yang Ming-Tse to deny the 2021 Scottish Open winners a place in the tournament final.

Yang and Chiu had already picked up the Polish International and Croatian International titles in recent months and despite a brave effort from the Grimleys, they went down 21-16, 21-13.

And Chris managed to produce a second run deep into the competition of the week, reaching the last eight of the mixed doubles with Eleanor O’Donnell.

They took the first set of their quarter-final against Danish pair Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch in thrilling fashion, edging it 24-22.

But their opponents fought back impressively to level the match before closing out the final set emphatically for a 22-24, 21-16, 21-8 win.

In the women’s doubles O’Donnell and Lizzie Tolman faced Spanish pair Clara Azurmendi and Beatriz Corrales to kickstart their tournament.

But in a tight contest they came up short in the big points, losing a first set that went the distance before eventually going down 23-21, 21-17.

Also, in the mixed doubles draw Ciar Pringle teamed up with Tolman to take on second seeds Callum Hemming and Jessica Pugh of England, who lifted the Scottish Open title last year.

On this occasion Hemming and Pugh, who eventually reached the final, proved too strong and sealed a 21-12, 21-16 win.

Lauren Middleton was also involved in women’s singles qualification but fell to defeat on the opening day to Ching Ping Huang.

The Chinese Taipei shuttler proved too strong for Middleton, despite the Scot taking the opening set before eventually succumbing to a 19-21, 21-13, 21-11 defeat.

Over in the men’s singles James Robertson was looking to qualify for the main draw but given a tough task against the higher-ranking German Kian-Yu Oei.

Robertson lost the opener but looked to be making a storming comeback when he opened up a 10-6 lead in the second set after winning six points on the bounce. Sadly, it wasn’t to be this time and the Glaswegian departed after a 21-13, 21-18 defeat.