Host Nation England have two players seeded in the men's singles, three pairs seeded in the mixed doubles and one pair in the men's doubles at the Yonex European Badminton Championships to be played at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester from April 14-18.

But Denmark, who beat Team England to the gold medal at the European Team Championships in Liverpool in February last year, provide three of the top six men's singles seeds, three of the four seeds in men's doubles and the top seeds in the mixed doubles.

In the men's singles three-times English National champion Rajiv Ouseph, the world No 22 and 2009 Badminton Europe Circuit winner, is fourth seed while team-mate Carl Baxter is eighth seed.

But Denmark's four-times champion Peter Gade is the man to beat in top spot, especially after being the last European man to fall in the Yonex All England Championships in Birmingham last month when he reached the last four before losing to world No. 1 and eventual winner Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.

Jan O. Jorgensen and Joachim Persson, bronze and silver medallists in 2008 in Herning behind team-mate Kenneth Jonassen, are second and sixth seeds.

In the women's singles Denmark’s Yonex All England champion Tine Rasmussen is only seeded second to France's Pi Hongyan as she bids for her first European title.

Rasmussen was silver medallist two years ago behind Germany's two-time

 


champion Xu Huaiwen, who like Jonassen has retired. Bronze medallist Juliane Schenk of Germany is third seed while former champion and 2008 bronze medallist Yao Jie of Holland is the fourth seed.

Scotland provide the only player from GB among the seeds with Bank of Scotland International champion Susan Egelstaff at No. 8.

England's big hopes lie with the men's doubles where Singapore Open winners Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark, silver medallists in 2004, will again go for gold from the No. 3 seeding position when the seeds were announced by Badminton Europe today.

But Denmark fill the top two spots with the four players who contested the Yonex All England finals. Winners and defending champions Lars Paaske and Joans Rasmussen, the 2003 world champions, are seeded second behind younger team-mates Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen. The Danes also provide the other seeds with Kasper Faust Henriksen and Anders Kristiansen at No. 4.

Lena Frier Kristiansen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl won Denmark the women's doubles two years ago by beating defending champions Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg but, with that Danish partnership now disbanded, Frier Kistiansen has been given a wild card with new partner Marie Roepke.

The top seeding goes to the Russo-Bulgarian pairing of Anastasia Russkikh and Petya Nedelcheva, who is also No 5 seed in the women's singles.
Russia's experienced pair of Valeria Sorokina and Nina Vislova are seeded to meet them in the final but England's National champions Jenny Wallwork and Gabby White have just missed out on a seeding spot.

In the mixed doubles world champions Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl are favourites but Robertson and Wallwork, who beat them on the way to the All England quarter-finals, are third seeds after climbing into the world’s top 16 last week.

But dangerous Polish pair Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk are seeded second as the look to improve on their bronze and silver medals in the last two European Championships.

The Poles were beaten in three games by England’s Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg in Herning and, with Kellogg now retired, Clark has been granted a wild card to defend his title with new partner Heather Olver but two other England pairs are seeded, with Robin Middleton and Mariana Agathangelou at No. 6 and Chris Adcock and Gabby White at No.7.

A total of 201 players from 33 nations have entered the Championships and the draw will be announced a week from today (Thursday, April 8)

These are the 21st European Individual Championships but the first to be staged separately from the team event. It is the third time they have been staged in England with all three having been held in the North-West. Preston staged the previous two in 1978 and 1984.

Seeded Players for the Yonex European Championships (world ranking in brackets)

MEN’S SINGLES:
1. Peter Gade, DEN (4)
2. Jan Ø. Jørgensen, DEN (12)
3. Marc Zwiebler, GER (20)
4. Rajiv Ouseph, ENG (22)
5. Dicky Palyama, NED (24)
6. Joachim Persson, DEN (26)
7. Eric Pang, NED (28)
8. Carl Baxter, ENG (29)

WOMEN’S SINGLES:
1. Pi Hongyan, FRA (7)
2. Tine Rasmussen, DEN (10)
3. Juliane Schenk, GER (11)
4. Yao Jie, NED (14)
5. Petya Nedelcheva, BUL (16)
6. Ella Diehl, RUS (17)
7. Judith Meulendijks, NED (29)
8. Susan Egelstaff, SCO (30)

MEN’S DOUBLES:
1. Carsten Mogensen & Mathias Boe, DEN (4)
2. Lars Paaske & Jonas Rasmussen, DEN (7)
3. Anthony Clark & Nathan Robertson, ENG (11)
4. Kasper Faust Henriksen & Anders Kristiansen, DEN (24)

WOMEN’S DOUBLES:
1. Petya Nedelcheva & Anastasia Russkikh, BUL/RUS (8)
2. Valeri Sorokina & Nina Vislova, RUS (10)
3. Laura Choinet & Weny Rahmawati, FRA (18)
4. Line Damkjær Kruse & Mie Schjøtt-Kristensen, DEN (23)

MIXED DOUBLES:
1. Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl, DEN (3)
2. Robert Mateusiak & Nadiezda Kostiuczy, POL (7)
3. Nathan Robertson & Jenny Wallwork, ENG (16)
4. Valeriy Durkin & Nina Vislova, Rus (17)
5. Mikkel Delbo Larsen & Mie Schjøtt-Kristensen, DEN (30 - adjusted ranking)
6. Robin Middleton & Mariana Agathangelou, ENG (20)
7. Chris Adcock & Gabrielle White, ENG (23)
8. Valeriy Atrashchenkov &Elena Prus, UKR (24)

2008 winners in Herning
Men’s singles: Kenneth Jonassen (Den)
Women’s singles: Xu Huaiwen (Ger)
Men’s doubles: Lars Paaske & Jonas Rasmussen (Den)
Women’s doubles: Kamilla Rytter Juhl & Lena Frier Kristiansen (Den)
Mixed doubles: Anthony Clark & Donna Kellogg (Eng)

For further information and accreditation contact Championships media officer William Kings (0044) 7787 515353
For Yonex European Championships information check out www.europeanbadminton.com or www.badmintoneurope.com