August 23 2022
Sean Vendy and Ben Lane begin their BWF World Championship campaign on Wednesday as the 14th seed in the men’s doubles event in Tokyo.
The pair won silver at the Commonwealth Games in the same event earlier this month, so head to Japan brimming with confidence, having also claimed a European Championship bronze in Madrid in April.
They enter the competition at the second-round stage, where they will play the German pair of Bjarne Geiss and Jan Colin Völker.
On Tuesday Gregor Mairs and Jennifer Moore reached the second round of the mixed doubles with a thrilling win over India’s Juhi Dewangan and Venkat Gaurav Prasad.
The pair secured a 21-10 23-21 victory to book a meeting with Malaysian 11th seeds Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie.
Toby Penty took China’s Lu Guang Zu to a third game but saw his men’s singles campaign end at the first-round stage.
The 30-year-old went down 21-9 13-21 21-14 in a fiercely fought, hour-long contest.
One pair not in action are Marcus Ellis and mixed doubles partner Lauren Smith.
Ellis experienced discomfort in his hip in the build-up to Birmingham 2022, where he and Smith won silver, and will undergo surgery ahead of turning his attention to Olympic qualification in 2023.
Smith and women’s doubles partner Chloe Birch, who also enjoyed a podium finish at the Commonwealth Games, will not be taking part having declined participation.
Callum Hemming and his men’s and mixed doubles partners Steven Smallwood and Jessica Pugh will also not be in action in Tokyo after returning positive results from their Covid-19 pre-departure tests.
The action continues and will be broadcast live on BT Sport, concluding with the finals on Sunday 28th August.
