Australian Badminton specialist, Sawan Serasinge gives us the low-down on Australia’s performance at the Sudirman Cup last month and whats ahead in the lead up to GC2018

Round 1 vs USA

We started the campaign off with a win against USA with a final score of 4-1. As a team, I think we found this round quite comfortable and it was a perfect way to get ready for the rest of the tournament.

Round 2 vs Austria

The second-round match up against Austria was an even stronger performance as we closed the round with a 5-0 win. Coming into this round we really wanted to back up our previous performance and we did that perfectly. Austria was bit of a grey area and we weren’t sure about their line up so the only option was to bring our A game and put on a strong performance. Personally, I am very pleased with my performance in this round, especially the Men’s doubles match partnering Matt. We both managed to bring a lot of intensity onto the court similar to what we did during Rio Olympic Games last year.

Round 3 vs Singapore

We knew coming in the round against Singapore was going to be the toughest by far as they have several top 20 players in their line-up. Even though we didn’t win the round, overall the team did well and showed that we can compete closely against countries with a stronger badminton background. Setyana and I had a very strong start in the mixed doubles but found it difficult to maintain it over the entire duration of the match and our opponents really took advantage of that.

The men’s doubles was a better performance with a close second set of 23-21 but we took to o long to get used to the speed of the play our opponents brought to the court and that cost us the set and the match itself.

Round 4 vs Canada

Final round of the tournament was against Canada to play off for the 15-16th spot. This round against Canada was important for two reasons, one because finishing 15th means we would set a record for the highest finish Australia has ever had in a mixed World Team Championship and because they are another country we will be competing against next year during the Commonwealth Games and beating them will give us motivation do so again next year.
Each of the matches during the round was very close and each one of us had to really dig deep to fight hard.

15th place overall. Highest finish ever for Australia at a World Team Championship. ❤️ #SudirmanCup2017 #TeamAus pic.twitter.com/IKG89gLbad

— Sawan Serasinghe (@Sksbros) May 27, 2017

The credit goes not only the players fighting on court but the entire Australian team including the fantastic coaches. This really was an all-round team effort. Speaking in terms of personal performance, The mixed doubles was quite comfortable playing a scratch pairing. The men’s doubles was a marathon three setter that lasted just over an hour and really tested our ability to stay focused for such a long period of time. Matt and I knew we had to win that round to keep the team in the tie. We won the final set 21-18 and I think what made the difference was our experience and set plays we have practised repeatedly over the course of our partnership.

Looking to GC2018

To improve and be ready for Commonwealth Games next year, I think more international experience is valuable, especially since most members in the team are still in the early stages of their senior badminton career.

The more international exposure combined with proper training will be the key to putting on a strong performance next year in Gold Coast.

Why play Badminton?

• A unique and a dynamic sport that combines speed, agility, skill, analysis and many other factors that come together which can hardly be seen in any other sports.
• Very entertaining to watch because of the speed and the intensity of the matches and constant momentum changes that will keep the spectators on their feet.
• A single session lasts few hours.
• The sport itself is growing in Australia and more and more talented players are coming up to represent the country on the international stage. They can use the support from the public to reach higher goals.
• Fun to play with your friends and family.
• Many social sparring events and graded tournaments are emerging across Australia and can easily join in. A great way to make new friends and try out something new.
• Good workout and cardio and it will get the heart pumping and blood flowing.

Follow Sawan on the SOCIALS

Twitter: @sksbros
Instagram: @sawansera