The first three days here, the team spent climatising to the Chinese weather and also getting used to playing in the hall. On Friday evening the team attended the opening ceremony with all other teams also competing in the competition.
Ireland got their campaign underway on Sunday 19th agaisnt Nepal. The team got off to a flying start, winning this tie 5-0 with each team member playing their part. After the match, we took some time to get some lunch before heading into the practice hall to do some training for our next match which would be against New Zealnd on Tuesday 21st.
On Monday, we had a rest day as we had no match to play so we took our time getting up and ready before heading to training to prepare for the next day.
On Tuesday, we faced off against New Zealand which we knew would be a tricky tie. First up was Sam and Chloe in the mixed. The two played some good badminton but unfortunately they just fell short in the third set in a match that lasted an hour long. Next up for Ireland was Kate in the Women's singles. Again, playing some brilliant badminton, Kate just fell short against her opponent in the third set in a match lasting just under the hour. Not the start we were hoping for, now 2-0 down, the team really had to come out fighting as another loss would seal the tie for New Zealand. Nhat was next on in the Men's singles and as always, Nhat delivered an important victory for the team. He didn't have it all his own way, however, having to dig deep to win in three sets. Chloe and Rachael then took to the court in the ladies doubles. The girls played well together, complementing each others style of play to take the game in two sets and to level the tie 2-2, meaning it was down to the men's doubles pairing of Sam and Nhat. The boys won this match in two sets, bringing home a well deserved 3-2 win for team Ireland. Time to get some food before off to training again!
On Wednesday, we faced Australia. The winner of this tie would top group 3A so it was another important match for Ireland. Australia had beaten New Zealand 4-1 so we knew this would be a tough task but we were all up for it. The mixed was first up once again with Sam and Chloe taking to court, this time they came out on top in another thrilling 3 set battle against tricky opponents. Ireland led 1-0, boosting team spirits. Next up was Kate in the ladies singles. Kate battled well, but unfortunately couldn't undo her tricky opponent on this occasion. Next up was Nhat, reliable as ever he won this match in two sets giving Ireland a 2-1 lead. The women's doubles then took to court, Chloe and Rachael fought hard but narrowly lost out in two close sets meaning the tie was all square again 2-2. The Irish men's doubles of Nhat and Sam took to court once again and again they were convincing winners over the Australians in two sets to secure Irelands spot in the final of tier 3.
Lets go Ireland! 🇮🇪☘ (The match will be live on court 2 on BWF's YouTube channel so be sure to tune in!)
FYI: Post was published on my mobile so apologies for any formating issues.
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