Polish International – Day 1 Roundup
16th September 2026 by Robert McLean
Day One of the Polish International in Kraków has come to a close, with plenty of Scottish interest and an eventful opening day for our players.
The morning got off to an excellent start as James Robertson and Matthew Waring both were promoted from qualifying into Tuesday’s main draw.
Attention then turned to Finlay Jack, who began his own bid to reach the main draw with a convincing performance against England’s Conway Wong. Finlay produced a solid display to record a 21-14, 21-18 victory and progress to the last 32 of qualifying.
Waiting for him was a particularly tough assignment in the shape of experienced Polish home favourite Mateusz Danielak. Finlay produced some excellent badminton against his much higher-ranked opponent and pushed Danielak throughout, but ultimately fell to a 21-15, 21-16 defeat in a highly competitive encounter.
With qualifying now complete, attention turns to what promises to be an exceedingly busy Day Two for the Scottish contingent.
First up will be Josh Taylor and Ishbel McCallister, who face the seventh seeds and home favourites Michal Sobolewski and Joanna Sobolewska in a challenging opening match.
Next comes men’s singles, with Matthew Waring taking on young Finnish talent Eliel Melleri, currently ranked 321 in the world. With both players looking to make their mark, it promises to be a tight contest between two exciting young players.
Bringing the Scottish singles action to a close tomorrow will be James Robertson, who faces what looks to be the toughest assignment of the day against another home favourite, Mikolaj Szymanowski, the world number 124.
There will be further Scottish interest on Friday, when Brooke Stalker and Ishbel McCallister begin their women’s doubles campaign, while Evan Kenny and Josh Taylor get their men’s doubles challenge underway.
After a promising opening day in Kraków, there is plenty more to look forward to.
Follow all the action live on Badminton Europe TV, and join us in wishing all our Scottish players the very best for Day Two!