Line Kjaersfeldt wins the top-class badminton battle

What an affair at the YONEX Swiss Open: Line Kjaersfeldt from Denmark against Michelle Li from Canada. Without wishing to sound disrespectful: These were two seasoned ‘warhorses’ of badminton who met on the traditional semi-final Saturday. Both are over 30 years old and have enjoyed great success in their careers: Line Kjaersfeldt has won no fewer than 17 medals at the European Championships, while Michelle Li has won as many as 27 (!) podium places at the Pan-American Championships.

While Denmark's Line Kjaersfeldt is part of a major badminton force - 20 players from Denmark were registered in Basel alone - Canada's Michelle Li has been travelling the badminton tour as a single mask for years. That is to be taken literally: In Basel, she was the only compatriot from the North American country entered. ‘It's a lonely life as a professional on the tour,’ she said on another occasion, without wanting to complain. ‘I chose it that way.’

Michelle Li emigrated from Hong Kong to Toronto with her parents when she was six. When she was eleven, her mum handed her a racquet and she was immediately hooked on the sport. ‘The first shot was a smash,’ she remembers. Today, badminton is her passion, partly because it places such varied demands on the player. Simply hitting the ball is not enough. Li: ‘In addition to power, you also need good reflexes, technique, mental strength, speed, endurance, fitness and the right balance so that you can combine everything optimally.’

Michelle Li combined everything almost perfectly against Line Kjaersfeldt, especially in the second round, which she clearly won 21:12. In the end, however, it was still not enough to win. The Danish player won the other two sets with 21:14 and 21:17. The match lasted 62 minutes and once again offered the numerous spectators high-class badminton. Line Kjaersfeldt was very attacking and surprised her opponent time and again with her smashes. She will therefore fight for the tournament victory on Sunday in the St. Jakobshalle. For Michelle Li, on the other hand, Saturday was the end of the line. But her journey continues - to the next tournament. And, as usual, alone. (AWS)