Scots Show Promise and Fight at World Championships in Paris
28th August 2025 by Robert McLean
Scotland’s top badminton stars produced a string of encouraging performances at this week’s World Championships in Paris, showing heart, talent, and resilience on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
Strong Start on Day One
The tournament began on a high for Scotland. Kirsty Gilmour opened proceedings with a dominant display in the women’s singles, dispatching Uganda’s Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi 21-5, 21-12 to move into the next round.
In the men’s doubles, Chris and Matt Grimley were equally impressive, overcoming Spain’s Daniel Franco and Rodrigo Sanjurjo 21-14, 21-14. Alex Dunn and Adam Pringle followed suit with a composed performance to defeat Swiss pair Yann Orteu and Minh Quang Pham 21-14, 21-18.
The day ended on a high note as Julie MacPherson and Ciara Torrance dominated Sri Lanka’s teenage duo Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi De Silva, cruising to a 21-7, 21-8 win.
Mixed Fortunes on Day Two
Day two saw Scotland enter the mixed doubles fray. Rachel Andrew and Adam Pringle battled hard but ultimately fell 21-14, 21-16 to South Korea’s Jong Min Lee and Yu Jung Chae, ranked 67th in the world.
There was better news for Alex Dunn and Julie MacPherson, who secured a commanding 21-11, 21-9 victory over New Zealand’s Edward Lau and Shaunna Li in their mixed doubles opener.
Later in the day, Dunn returned to the court with Pringle in the men’s doubles but faced a stern test against Danish fifth seeds Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. Despite their efforts, the Scots were outclassed 21-9, 21-13.
Closing out the day’s action, MacPherson and Torrance produced some excellent rallies against Indonesia’s 10th seeds Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, but were edged out 21-17, 21-14.
Battling Display on Day Three
Day three brought tough draws across the board, but Scotland’s stars fought valiantly. The Grimley brothers faced world number two Malaysian duo Aaron Chia and Yik Wooi Soh, pushing their opponents in both sets but ultimately losing 21-15, 21-16.
Next up, Dunn and MacPherson took on China’s 12th seeds Xing Cheng and Chi Zhang in a thrilling mixed doubles encounter. The Scots matched their opponents shot for shot, especially in a gripping second set, but narrowly lost 21-17, 24-22.
The final match of Scottish interest saw Kirsty Gilmour return to the court to face Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen, ranked 22nd in the world. Gilmour showed grit and skill throughout, pushing Nguyen in both sets before succumbing 21-17, 23-21 in one of the most closely contested matches of the tournament.
Looking Ahead
While there were a number of early exits, the performances were full of positives for Scotland, showing promise ahead of a packed end to the year. A special thanks goes to Head Coach Ingo Kindervater and Sarah Sidebottom for their tireless efforts and support throughout the championships.
Scotland’s players now look ahead to upcoming HSBC World Tour events in Germany, Denmark, Finland, and France.
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