Emotional Gilmour savours second Scottish Open win in Glasgow
AFTER successfully defending her Scottish Open title at The Emirates last night, Kirsty Gilmour admitted to being even more emotional than when she won the event last year.
The 25-year-old had been No 1 seed when she won the event last year, but faced a much tougher challenge this time, going in as No 3 seed and knowing she would probably have to beat both the women ranked above her to take the title.
After overcoming top seed Cai Yanyan on Saturday, Gilmour was on top throughout yesterday against No 2 seed Line Kjaersfeldt. But after winning the first set 21-16, then moving 10-5 ahead in the second, she let things slip.
After losing the second set 18-21, however, she secured victory with a 21-18 win in the final set.
“There’s no doubt I was getting tense,” Gilmour admitted. “There’s such a fine line between control and passiveness. You can’t afford to take too many risks but you can’t afford to take too few. That is the balance and, I’m not going to lie, sometimes I got it today and sometimes I didn’t. I wouldn’t say it was my absolute A-game today. There were plenty of clunky shots and shots I framed or made the wrong decision. I’m not going to say I played perfectly, but it was enough.”
The Emirates has become an ever more special venue for a woman who has made her home in Glasgow. As well as becoming the first Scot to reach a Commonwealth Games singles final there four years ago and claiming this title last year, she also surpassed all expectations in reaching the World Championship quarter-final at the venue earlier in 2017.
“It’s not by chance,” she said. “There are reasons why you win and if you can identify them and replicate them in every tournament then success breeds success and gives you momentum.”