4 minute read
Who has impressed this year in mixed doubles?
- They stand out and are almost unbeatable
By Ronni Burkal Elkjær
Mathias Christiansen thinks the Olympic gold winners are the greatest disappointment in the mixed doubles category in 2022.
Who is this year’s best pair? - It’s not really difficult to choose since the Chinese pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong have won seven tournaments in a row - including the World Championships. They started off with a bit of a rough start to the year, where they changed partners after losing in the Olympics and after being eliminated in the very first round of the WC last year. But now they have found their footing again and are performing as well as they did before. They seem almost unbeatable. They stand out amongst the others and always run with the title every time. It’s very, very hard to beat them.
Who has been this year’s greatest surprise? - I want to mention two pairs. The first is Terry Hee and Jessica Tan from Singapore, both of whom won the India Open and the Commonwealth Games this year. It’s funny when I think about seeing them at the World Tour four or five years ago. They didn’t really win anything. So, for several years I didn’t take note of them as a doubles pair, but after Covid-19, they began delivering great results. Terry works wonders with the racquet and has always been able to hit insane shots without them making a big deal out of them. Now it seems that things are beginning to work out for them.
- The other pair is Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue from France. Admittedly, they may not be a very big surprise, as they have performed well in recent years, but I think it’s impressive how they can consistently deliver. I consider them the fifth-best pair in the world. If you ask me, that is really quite an achievement for a young French mixed doubles pair where both are just 23 years old.
Who has been this year’s greatest disappointment? - It has to be Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping from China. They won the Olympics, so people thought it was their turn. But apart from a single Super 300 title in the Korea Masters, they haven’t taken a title since the Olympics. For this reason, in my opinion, they have to take the title of this year’s greatest disappointment compared to what had been expected of them. Otherwise, I would point to the English players Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith, who have struggled quite a bit to find their usual level and had a tough start to the year. They haven’t managed to deliver any impressive results at all.
Who has had their breakthrough? - I think I’d like to choose Thailand’s second best pair, Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran. They are performing better and better, and I expect them to make a sizeable leap up the rankings when it’s unfrozen again. They are both very aggressive and uncompromising in their style of play. Supak plays extremely fast. He hits hard and is not afraid to play across the court. This approach also leads to them occasionally making mistakes, but I am certain we will see much more of them soon.
- There is likewise two Malaysian guys Hoo Pang Ron and Chen Tang Jie. They tend to switch around between different pairings, so I don’t know whom they’re going to play with, but they both have an extremely fast and aggressive approach to play.
Outside the Top 20, who should we keep an eye on in the future? - Once again, I would have to choose Terry Hee and Jessica Tan because they have delivered good results and will soon take their next giant step up.
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