Arctic Open Day 3: A Tough Day for Scotland’s Stars

8th October 2026 by Robert McLean

It was a disappointing Day 3 for our Scottish stars in Vantaa, with all four matches ending in defeat, but there was still plenty to be proud of from a group of players competing against some of the very best in the world.

The first Scottish match of the day saw Kirsty Gilmour take on third seed Yue Han of China. The Chinese star showed exactly why she is regarded as one of the world’s best, never allowing Kirsty to find any real rhythm. Yue controlled the contest from start to finish, taking the match in straight games, 21-10, 21-11.

Next up were Alex and Julie in the mixed doubles, facing another third-seeded Chinese pairing in Jiang and Wei. Once again, the Chinese duo demonstrated the quality that has made them such a force on the international stage, running out 21-9, 21-12 winners.

The Grimley twins came into their last-16 meeting with Thailand’s Sukphun and Teeratsakul in red-hot form. However, it was the Thai pair who produced a flawless performance on the day. Having already stunned the Danish pairing of Lundgaard and Vestergaard, they backed up that impressive upset with another excellent display, defeating the twins 21-18, 21-11.

The final Scottish match of the day was by far the closest. Alex, teaming up with Adam Pringle in the men’s doubles, went toe-to-toe with France’s Maio and Villeger in a contest that genuinely could have gone either way. Unfortunately, the Scots were edged out 21-18, 21-19 in a fiercely contested encounter.

So, while the results didn’t go our way, it has still been a fantastic effort from all of our Scottish players, who have once again shown that they can compete on the biggest international stage against some of the best players in the world.

A huge thank you also goes to National Coach Robert Blair for all his help and support throughout the week.

There’s little time to dwell on the results, though, as the quick turnaround continues. The players now head to Odense for the Victor Denmark Open, which gets underway on Tuesday.

Keep pushing, Scotland!