My next match was 5 1/2 hours away, but of course I could not get back to my hotel since there was no transport. So the first thing I did was I got some decent amount of food in me for lunch…then I went back to the hall and found a quiet corner so I could sleep. Funny enough one of the security guards thought I was sick and came over to check on me:)
My next match was against Henri Hurskainen (Sweden). I had never played him before but I do know that he is a strong player who can play long rallies. However that is not the way the match went. Since we were using Victor shuttles, our ability to control the shuttle was somewhat limited. So our match became battle of the net. We did not want to lift the shuttle since it would either go out or it would bounce off our rackets in a funny way and only go half court. So the first set I end up winning quite easily since I am owning the net and soacking up his attacks from the back. In the second set he does a much better job of taking control of the net and make me lift alot of his net shots out the back. In the third and final set it was all me again, being a bit more clever with when to play net and when not to. Its one thing to be able to play good net, its another to know when and when not to play it:) I ended up winning the match in three sets 21-12 15-21 21-10.

The next morning I decided to take a taxi to the hall since we did not feel like having to be in the hall 2 hours before our match…..and let me tell you the cab ride was not cheap. In my quarter finals match I played against Jan Vondra (Czech Republic). I have played him once before this year at the Dutch Open and won in two sets. Even though I have beaten him before I knew it would be a tough match because he is a tricky player. The first set went pretty smoothly and I was able to punch him around the court which I know he dislikes:) I won the first set 21-11. The second set however was a different story. He played much more clever and started to play very flat and into the corners. This was very annoying because it was tough to get a good feel for the shuttle and re-direct his shots. He was leading the whole way up until 14-11. I then started creeping back and we were neck and neck until 18-18. At this point I played a few good rallies and scraped alot of shots back in order to close the set and the match 21-19.

In the semi finals I ended up playing one of my training partners Rune Ulsing (Denmark). We know each other quite well and knew what to expect from one another. He usualy wins in practice and so it was important that I try and do something different in our match. I tried and failed:) Whatever I did he was there to counter it. He is incredibly strong at the net and in the flat play. I tried to stay away from that but all too often he gets his way. I needed to be more pro active in the rallies, by poaching a bit more with my positioning. That would allow me to get a bit more on top of the rallies and start pressuring him with my shots. But all too often it was the other way around. He ended up winning in two straight sets 21-15 21-18.

All in All a pretty good tournament for me. I look forward to a few days break and then get back to my training for the Canadian and U.S Open in the summer.

Earlier this year I had trouble getting through the second round but broke through that barrier…but now I am getting stuck at the semi final barrier. I look forward to break through that one as soon as possible.

The finals were played today between Brice Leverdez, France, (who had to muster all his strength to beat David Snider,Canada, in the semi finals) against Kestutis Navickas. This was a good match to watch since both were playing at a great speed and both players making it very entertaining. I had my money on the Lithuanian since he was looking very fit and consistent throughout the whole week. If I had truly bet money I would have won:) Navickas took the match in three sets 21-16 18-21 21-14.

My next tournament is in Slovenia, I have almost two weeks to prepare. I look forward to it.

On the second day I had to play my quarter finals against Kristian Midtgaard (Denmark). This was a difficult match in many ways. Firstly he is a very good player and secondly he is also a player that I train with at the IBA in Copenhagen. We have played each other many times in practice and were quite aware of each others style. The first set was very close and we both were neck and neck for most of the set. I had a lead of 17-14 but then he quickly came back to 19-19. With two very good net rallies on his part he took the first set 21-19. In the second set it was all me….I was able to control the shuttle much better and was able to pin him at the back which created some errors on his part and some good strokes by me. After taking my big lead I kept it all the way through the set and won 21-12. The third set was very tricky…We started of very close and we were playing a bit of cat and mouse with the net. I got a good break at 9-8, where he hit a very good cross slice but just out. This allowed me to go up 10-8 and then 11-8 for the switch of sides. That was important because I was playing on the good side for the final half of the set. This gave me alot of confidence and I was able to rack up alot of quick points to then close the match 21-14.

Today I will be playing a Lithuanian, Kestutis Navickas. He had a good win over a Japanese player in the quarter finals. I will be looking forward to our match this evening.

The first seed of the tournament is Brice Leverdez of France. There are also other good Canadians in the draw to look out for, including David Snider, Alexander Pang and Jo(seph) the show Rogers from my home city Ottawa.

If I have to choose my favorite moment in the game, it has to be at around 19-18 where I probably hit the best net kill of my life. But I will let you decide.
Without further ado, here it is.