He successfully overcame injury to ensure a return to action at the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships this week, but it wasn’t the comeback Hounslow’s Rajiv Ouseph was hoping for as he was eliminated in the first round on Wednesday.
Having undergone leg surgery earlier in the year, Ouseph had set his sights on a long run at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena, with Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong his first opponent.
The 30-year-old stormed into an opening lead to take the first game, and looked to be wrapping the victory up in some style as he sailed to a 9-4 advantage in the second.
But from then on, eighth seed Ng stepped up a gear, going on to restore parity in the second game before triumphing 19-21 21-18 21-12 to progress to the last 16.
And while Ouseph – who represented Team GB at the Rio Olympics last summer – remained disappointed in defeat, he was more than grateful to be back on court.
“It wasn’t the result I wanted. I knew it was going to be difficult before because I’ve played him a couple of times,” he said.
“I know he’s won a Superseries in the last six months or so, so I knew it was going to be tough.
“I thought I had him halfway through the second game, but I think I dropped my speed a little bit and he managed to capitalise on that. I think that was maybe the turning point.
“I didn’t have any expectations coming into the All England because I’ve been injured since the turn of the year.
“I was just seeing how it was going. It wasn’t the ideal preparation but it is what it is.
“I was fresh going into the match but probably not up to match speed as much as I needed to be.
“There’s stuff to work on. It was an ok performance considering I’ve been out for a while.”
Now in its 107th year, the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships is one of just five worldwide tournaments listed as a MetLife Badminton World Federation Superseries Premier event.
This week’s action will see the world’s best players descend on the Midlands, all challenging to take home the prized silverware on Sunday.
And while Ouseph’s stint in Birmingham may have ended prematurely, he admits he loved every second of playing on home soil.
“Every year when we come in and practice for the first time in the hall, it’s a very special feeling,” he said.
“When we get back out on court again, it’s great with the crowd. It’s nice to perform in front of the home fans but it would have been good to have produced a win – it wasn’t to be.
“You’d probably compare the All England to Wimbledon in tennis. Outside of the World Championships and the Olympics, I think it’s the one probably every player wants to win.”
The world’s best badminton players are in Birmingham for the YONEX All England (7-12 March).
For tickets, TV schedule results & reaction: allenglandbadminton.com.
Featured image courtesy of Badminton Photo, with thanks.
