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Cann fails to progress
Tom Clarke reports

Elizabeth Cann was left disappointed at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham after being knocked out of the Yonex All England Badminton Championships at the qualifying stage.

Competing in the Women's singles draw, Cann battled past Canadian Anna Rice in the first round, winning 22-20, 14-21 and 21-14. She then struggled in her second game against Bulgarian Linda Zechiri eventually losing in two games, 21-15, 21-16.

After the game Cann, the only English representative in the women's singles draw, spoke of her frustration at her performance;

"Obviously I'm very disappointed to be out. I think it is the first time I have lost to her."

Cann cited the close proximity of her two games as a possible reason for her not being at her best;

"I found it a bit difficult especially as my first match went to three games. I think that took quite a bit out of my legs."

Speaking about the game against Rice she said;"'It was a scrappy game and I wasn't at my best."

Cann did recognise the impressive performance of her Bulgarian counterpart;

"She played well yes, so I suppose it was a combination of her playing well and me not performing. I've been playing well recently but it just didn't quite click today."
 

Preparations complete at the NIA, and this morning the air was awash with shuttles as competitors got the feel for the arena in this third BWF Super Series event of 2010, and the 100th All England Championships.

Today was qualifying day, with competitors in all five events looking to book their places in the main draws with two rounds to play.

An early upset saw India's men's singles qualifying top seed Kashyap Parupalli crash out in straight games to Malaysia's Wei Feng Chong. Carl Baxter failed in his bid to add to the home tally in the main draw, going out in three games to Japan's Kazushi Yamada.

In the mixed doubles one Anglo-Scottish pairing was guaranteed to progress to the evening finals as Chris Langridge & Jillie Cooper beat Andrew Ellis & Emma Mason in three.

Liz Cann kept her hopes of making the main draw alive when she beat Canada's Anna Rice, although the English champion squandered a hatful of game points in the first game before finally closing it out 22-20, a good job too as she dropped the second before taking the decider 21-14.

Qualifying Finals

Having taken out the top seed earlier in the day, Wei Feng Chong couldn't keep his run going as he went down in straight games to Dane Christian Lind Thomsen. Carl Baxter's conqueror Kazushi Yamada made it to the main draw, as did a delighted Frenchman Matthieu Lo Ying Ping, who won both his first and third games against Korea's Wan Ho Shon 22-20!

There will be no Englishwoman in the singles draw, top seeded Bulgarian Linda Zechiri beat English champion Liz Cann in straight games, and she's joined in the main draw by another Eastern European, Poland's Olga Konon.

After easing to a 10-1 lead in the first game, Yu Hirayama's qualification looked assured, but Dutchwoman Rachel Van Cutsen, seeded three, fought back to take it to a deciding game which the Japanese clinched 22-20.

There was consolation for the Dutch in the mixed doubles, Dave Khodabux
& Samantha Barning coming through 21-17 in the third against fourth-seeded Hong Kong pair Yohan Hadikusumo Wiratama & Ying Suet Tse.

Chris Langridge and Jillie Cooper were the only chance for home success in the mixed, but they fell in straight games to the Japanese pairing of Hirokatsu Hashimoto & Mizuki Fujii.

 

That left the men's and women's doubles as the last chance for home success on day one, with four English pairs featuring in the last round of matches.

Third seeds Mariana Agathangelou & Heather Olver scored the first English success of the day. After a first-round bye they eased past Welsh pair Caroline Harvey & Carissa Turner 21-12, 21-9.

There was mixed success for the English in the men's doubles. Andrew Ellis & Dean George took two close games to defeat their Russian opponents, but Marcus Ellis & Peter Mills lost out in two to Korean pairing Ki Jung Kim & Baek Cheol Shin.

Chris Langridge & Robin Middleton took the first game against Mikkel Elbjorn & Christian John Skovgaard but the Danes struck back to force a decider. From 14-all the Danes pulled away to claim an 18-21, 21-18, 21-16 victory and a place in the main draw ... much to their delight.

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