Zoe Lorenzin for Commonwealth Games Australia

The Badminton Falcons fought valiantly in the squad’s opening match-up of the mixed team event.

The Australian Badminton Team’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games campaign has kicked off with the Mixed Team event, their first hit out seeing them take on Sri Lanka.

The team, consisting of Yingxiang Lin, Gronya Somerville, Nathan Tang, Hsuan-Yu (Wendy) Chen, Tran Hoang Pham, and Jack Yu, were pipped on the court, with Sri Lanka taking out the win, 3 – 2.

Starting off the day with the Mixed Doubles pair of Lin and Somerville, the duo was challenged by Sri Lankan’s Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendahewa, with Sri Lanka taking the win 2 – 0.

Following the mixed duo, Tang took to the court in the Men’s Singles against Niluka Karunaratne, who also proved too strong eclipsing Tang 2 – 0.

It was Chen’s Women’s Singles match-up against Vidara Suhasni Vidanage that netted Australia’s first win, as she turned the tables by securing a 2 – 0 win.

“I’m really happy to be here and my team really needed that,” Chen said.

“I was a little bit nervous heading on to the court but after the first interval I was able to get my game on.”

However, Sri Lanka again proved too strong when it was Pham and Yu’s turn to take to the court against Dias and Karunaratne, with the Men’s Doubles pair beating out the Aussies 2 – 0.

The final win of the round did however go to Australia, with the Women’s Doubles of Chen and Somerville defeating their Sri Lankan counterparts Hendahewa and Vidanage 2 – 0.

“I think we were a bit slow starting, maybe watching the men’s doubles a bit too eagerly to see if we could win that tie,” Somerville said.

“But then we got into it and got going and figured out the shuttle and the tactics to win.”

The mixed team will now take on Pakistan in Round 2 of the event tomorrow, Saturday 30 July at 9am BST (6pm AEST, 4pm AWST).

Mixed Team – Round 1 Results

Australia v Sri Lanka

Mixed Doubles

Yingxiang Lin & Gronya Somerville v Sachin Dias & Thilini Hendahewa

0 – 2 (18 – 21; 14 – 21)

Men’s Singles

Nathan Tang v Niluka Karunaratne

0 – 2 (18 – 21; 12 – 21)

Women’s Singles

Hsuan-Yu (Wendy) Chen v Vidara Suhasni Vidanage

2 – 0 (21 – 10; 21 – 13)

Men’s Doubles

Tran Hoang Pham & Jack Yu v Sachin Dias & Niluka Karunaratne

0 – 2 (16 – 21; 14 – 21)

Women’s Doubles

Hsuan-Yu (Wendy) Chen & Gronya Somerville v Thilini Hendahewa & Vidara Suhasni Vidanage

2 – 0 (21 – 18; 21 – 14)