AUSSIES EYE ANOTHER STEP IN WORLD RANKINGS
WORLD No.32 Austria is all that stands in the way of the host nation and a genuine crack at progression in the Sudirman Cup.
Australia yesterday launched their campaign in perfect fashion, dispatching the United States 4-1 to pass the first test at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre.
Anthony Joe (men’s singles) was the only local player to drop his match, going down to Timothy Lam, meaning Australia shape up against Austria today knowing they can take another step towards a shock qualification from the group stages at the World Mixed Team Championships.
Ranked 19th in the world, Australia has been given little hope of toppling badminton heavyweights China, Denmark, Korea and Indonesia on the Gold Coast.
Yet coach Lasse Bungaard this week stressed that improvement is the sole goal in a tournament that gives an early glimpse at the Commonwealth Games competition to come in 2018.
The venue has already been ticked off by officials, with Badminton Australia and Badminton Oceania president Geraldine Brown saying she was “astounded” by the crowd.
“There was such a buzz and the crowd were having a great time,” she said of the opening day’s action.
“It is the best venue for badminton that I’ve ever seen globally.”
In some of yesterday’s other matches Denmark crushed India 4-1 and Singapore claimed a 5-0 triumph over Austria.
The 27-team Sudirman Cup tournament is being held outside of Europe and Asian for the first time since its founding in 1989.