20 March 2023
Multiple English pairings will be in action as the BWF Tour heads to Basel for the YONEX Swiss Open.
Lauren Smith will be in action in two disciplines at the Super 300 event, in the mixed doubles alongside Marcus Ellis and in the women’s doubles alongside Chloe Birch.
Smith and Ellis made a long-awaited return to the tour at the YONEX All England Open last week, falling in the opening round in Birmingham.
And as the duo look to bounce back after Ellis’ return from a serious hip injury, the English pairing will take on Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje.
Should Ellis and Smith win that, they could go on to face seventh seeds Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari in Round 2, with the Indonesians currently ranked 11th in the world.
Birch and Smith reached the second round of the YONEX All England a week ago and will be looking to continue their recent progression with a strong run in Basel.
The English pairing have been handed an interesting opening draw against Germany’s Linda Elfer and Isabel Lohau, and could face another intriguing encounter if they prevail.
Fourth seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai are likely second-round opponents, though Scotland’s Julie MacPherson and Ciara Torrance could also meet Birch and Smith at that stage.
Also in action are men’s doubles stars Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, who will be looking for a first victory on the BWF Tour this season.
Lane and Vendy have been unlucky with their draws this season, facing Chinese pairing Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi in all three of their tour-level events in 2023.
However their three-game loss in Birmingham last week was their best performance against the world No.5s across their three matches, and they will approach the Swiss Open with optimism.
Lane and Vendy start their charge against French brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov, with a potential second-round match against German eighth seeds Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel looming.
Elsewhere, Callum Hemming and Jess Pugh are also in mixed doubles qualifying action as they look to reach the main draw.
