After a challenging defeat in the first round of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships, Manchester’s Greg Mairs has pledged to bounce back alongside his partner Jenny Mairs. The pair lost a tight all-English match against Lauren Smith and Marcus Ellis, who secured a 19-21 21-16 22-20 victory. This loss adds to their disappointment from a previous tournament but they are determined to regroup and prepare for the Spain Masters. Mairs humorously mentioned they may take some time to reflect on their performance by “crying in bed for about a week.” After the Spain Masters, we have the European Championships next. “Honestly, we are quite resilient. In our professional lives, we have never been the top performers, but we have always managed to overcome challenges. Last year, we suffered a devastating defeat, but we returned to Madrid two weeks later and played the best badminton of our lives, reaching the semi-finals. We will persevere and continue to push forward, just as we always do. This tournament holds a special place in our hearts. This year, we were completely focused on the process and doing whatever was necessary to win that match. As a result, we are feeling devastated at the moment.” Join in all the excitement at the All England event. You can still purchase tickets at allenglandbadminton.com. Unable to be present in Birmingham this week? You can watch the top badminton tournament on BBC Sport and TNT Sports.
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