BITBURGER OPEN FINALS - Nielsen and Roepke Defend Title

Helle Nielsen and Marie Roepke (pictured left) defended their Bitburger Open title today in Saarbrucken Germany but were taken right to the wire by Danish team mates Mie Schjoett Kristiansen and Line Kruse.

By Mark Phelan. Photos: Sven Heise / Badmintonphoto.com (live from Germany)

It is the measure of a successful partnership to win a major international grand prix but to defend that title elevates that partnership into the elite league of world badminton and that is exactly the course of events that unfolded today in Germany as the Nielsen/Roepke partnership achieved back to back wins at the Bitburger Open.

The number one seeded Danish pair did not have it all their own way as they fell a set behind to the pretenders to the Danish throne Mie Schjoett Kristiansen and Line Kruse as the newer partnership took the opener 21-18.

In the second set the Nielsen and Roepke tactic of varying long and short serves paid dividend and they took the set 21-19 to level the match. In the third set Nielsen and Roepke always appeared to have the set under control but just could not shake off the threat of their compatriots. The decisive move came at 16-15 to Nielsen and Roepke when they stretched into a 4 point lead to have the match within their grasp. Not to be outdone Schjoett and Kruse came back to level the game 19-19 but a visibly tired Mie Schjoett and partner Line Kruse were unable to thwart the Nielsen/Roepke attack and the number one seeds took the deciding rubber 21-19 to claim the title in a one hour extravaganza on finals day.

"Thats was a really close match today and Mie and Line didnt allow us play the game we wanted to play. But it great to defend our title as we were both nervous heading into the game as everyone expected us to win easy. But Im glad we managed to pull it off even if it was not the best badminton we ever played today." said Nielsen after her victory

There was consolation for Mie Schjoett Kristiansen as she won the mixed doubles title in what was overall a successful weeks work for the likable Dane. Schjoett Kristensen and her partner Mikkel Delbo Larsen defeated the vastly experienced Dutch pairing of Paulien VanDooremalen and Rudd Bosch 21-17 21-16 in a game which rarely saw the Danes put under any real pressure.

"I was a bit nervous at the start of the mixed final but we had our tactics right and I feel we were just a level higher than them throughout the match. Its very nice to win a GP event after our breakthrough at Macau" said Mie Schjoett Kristiansen after her gold medal win

In the showcase men’s singles event Jan O Jorgensen (pictured right) came from a set down to take the Bitburger title against Eric Pang of The Netherlands. Jorgensen got off of to a very slow sluggish start and it was Pang who took the first set 21-12 as it appeared that Jorgensen had left his ‘A’ game back in the team hotel.

It was a very different Jan O Jorgensen that appeared for the second set and when tied at 12-12 the Dane made the decisive move to win 6 points without reply to set himself up for the set win which he duly delivered minutes later 21-13.

In the third set it was business as usual for Jorgensen as he completely dominated events and forced his game onto that of Pang. At 9-1 ahead it looked inevitable as to the destination of the title and keeping Pang at arms length for the remainder of the game Jorgensen took the win 21-15 to continue his rise to the upper echelons of world badminton.

"Its always a great feeling to win tournaments. Last time i won was in Sweden so it tastes good to be on top again. Its hard when you play super series because there is a long way to the final rounds. So this win is good for me as I have showed that im able to win tournaments. Pang came out really strong in the first set, but i slowly worked my way into the game and very happy with the third set. So im happy with my performance as it has been a great preparation for Denmark Open." said a happy Jorgensen after his Bitburger win

The local German crowd had anticipated a win in the women’s singles and Juilane Schenk (pictured) was happy to oblige as she brushed aside of the only Asian presence on finals day, Yu Hirayama of Japan. The first set was a close affair but Schenk displayed her vast experience to take the opener 21-18. In the second it appeared the Japanese had nothing left to give as the superior fitness of the German came to the fore in the second half of the set. At 11-8 up Schenk slipped into overdrive to run out a convincing 21-10 winner to claim her first Bitbuger title in the singles event.

Elsewhere the final match of the tournament proved to be a thriller as Indian men’s doubles number 1 seeds Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas came back from a set down to beat English pair Andrew Ellis and Chris Adcock. After loosing the opening set 21-17 the Indian’s never say die attitude pulled them through in the second 22-20 and the third 24-22 in a cliffhanger that had kept the German crowds on the edge of their seats right up the very end.

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