Epic Comebacks and Battling Performances Against the World’s Elite for Scots at the Indian Open

It was an eventful and encouraging week for Scotland’s top badminton stars at the Indian Open in New Delhi, with several standout performances against some of the world’s very best.

The week began with Kirsty Gilmour renewing her rivalry with old foe Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt in a rematch of their European Championships final. Gilmour started superbly, controlling the opening game to take it 21–14. However, the reigning European Champion Kjærsfeldt showed her quality, mounting a strong comeback to claim a thrilling three-set victory, 14–21, 21–14, 21–17, in a high-quality contest.

The highlight of the tournament for the Scottish team came in the women’s doubles, where Ciara Torrance and Julie MacPherson produced one of the matches of the week. Facing the talented Japanese pairing of Ririna Hiramoto and Kokona Ishikawa, the Scots dropped the opening set 21–13 but responded with tremendous resilience. Torrance and MacPherson edged a dramatic second set 26–24 before holding their nerve in a tense decider to win 22–20, completing a memorable comeback against elite opposition.

Unfortunately, the duo were unable to replicate those heroics in the round of 16, where they faced a formidable challenge against the world number five pairing from South Korea, Ha Na Baek and So Hee Lee. The in-form Koreans proved too strong on the day, taking the match 21–8, 21–5.

In the mixed doubles, Alex Dunn and Julie MacPherson were handed a tough opening draw against the world number seven pairing from Hong Kong, Chun Man Tang and Ying Suet Tse. Dunn and MacPherson delivered an excellent performance in the first set and were unlucky to lose it 21–19, before the Hong Kong pair found another gear in the second to close out the match 21–13.

Overall, there were many positives to take from the week, with Scottish players testing themselves against badminton’s elite and showing they can compete at the highest level. A special thanks goes to coach Robert Blair for his efforts throughout the tournament.

The squad now enjoys a short break from competition before returning to action at the end of February for the Yonex German Open in Mülheim an der Ruhr.