Copenhagen Masters opened with an interesting match between home court favourite Peter Gade and Darren Liew from Malaysia.
Peter Gade is without a doubt the king of Copenhagen Masters, having won the tournamen countless times before. But lately he has been struggling with a back injury, so this year Masters is a test for him to see whether he is back on track.
And he certainly seemed to be in good shape. In today's match he started off great taking the lead instantly in the first set. Darren Liew on the other hand looked like he was having a hard time getting used to the surroundings.
However, the Malaysian raised his level during the first set, creating some great rallies between the two. In the end he could not prevent the Dane from winning the first set 21-14. | | In the second set the Malaysian got off to a great start, leading 11-5 at the break.
But Gade managed to pick up the pace and got back in the game towards the end of the set. It was not too long before the Dane was through to a match point. Gade did not hesitate as he took the second set 21-16, making his first match at this year's Copenhagen Masters a victorious one.
-It was a test for my back and to see if my game is getting better. And I think it is better. I am quite happy and it was really nice to play today, Peter Gade says.
Tomorrow, Peter Gade faces Dicky Palyama from Holland, who beat Gade last year. Now, it will be exciting to see whether he can deliver yet another surprise and how determined Gade is to keep that from happening.
Peter Gade was flying around today. And it paid off as he defeated Darren Liew. Photo: BadmintonPhoto
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