4 November 2023
Estelle van Leeuwen and Callum Hemming reached the quarter-finals of a Super 300 event for the first time in a breakthrough performance at the HYLO Open.
Van Leeuwen and Hemming claimed a landmark win over compatriots Greg and Jenny Mairs, prevailing 21-14 18-21 21-13 to make their maiden appearance in the mixed doubles last eight at a BWF World Tour event.
They came through a tough first-round test against Patrick Scheiel and Franziska Volkmann of Germany, going all the way to 24-22 in the opening game and holding their nerve to win in three games.
Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati proved too much in the quarters as the English pair went down 21-14 21-12 but could still reflect on a fine week’s work in Saarbrucken.
Van Leeuwen also excelled in women’s doubles alongside Lizzie Tolman, competing well in a 22-20 21-19 loss to strong French pair Margot Lambert and Anne Tran.
The pair have performed well in recent weeks, reaching the quarter-final of the Super 750 French Open last week and giving the world champions a headache at the Danish Open.
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy continued their momentum with two men’s doubles wins, including a first-round win in another domestic tussle with Hemming and Ethan van Leeuwen.
In the quarter-finals, they won the first game 21-17 against China’s Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi.
But the second seeds, who beat Lane and Vendy three times early in the year including at the YONEX All England Open, came roaring back to prevail 21-17 21-18.
Rory Easton and Zach Russ came within a whisker of a big win, getting their noses in front against Germany’s Jones Ralfy Jansen and Kenneth Neumann, eventually falling 18-21 21-14 21-19.
Abbygael Harris and Annie Lado were also in the women’s doubles draw, defeated 21-17 21-15 by Paula Lynn Cao Hok and Lauren Lam of the USA.
There was a disappointing round one loss for Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith who were well beaten by Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, improving in the second game but going down 21-11 21-19.
