In one of the last matches of semifinals day, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung won against top-seed Carolina Marin. Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje are Europe’s only hope in the finals as all the other strong Europeans fell to a powerful Asian opposition.
Difficult day on home soil for Carolina Marin who faced today Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. The reigning European champion stood her ground in the first game but then lost control of the match in the following two games. “Today was a tough day for me. Something happened before the game. I did not know if I was emotionally ready to play,” explained the Spaniard.
Marin is grateful for the constant support throughout the tournament but especially during this match from the fans in the crowd. “I am in Spain so I wanted to give the best performance I could today, for the people that came to see me,” said the Spanish player.
“It wasn’t possible, but now I will go to my family and get ready for the next week,” concluded Marin making reference to the Orléans Masters, in which she will play her first match next Wednesday.
Christiansen/ Bøje, ready for the finals
After taking out the top seeds of the tournament yesterday in the quarterfinals — a match that was described as possibly their best performance ever — Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje confidently took on today’s match against England’s Gregory Mairs/ Jenny Moore.
The Danes took the win in straight games despite a close second game. “I think they were adapting after the first game. They were really strong in the second game, but we managed to stay in. In the end, we were better and that’s what this is about, so we’re really satisfied with that,” stated Christiansen.
The Madrid Spain Masters has been a great tournament for the Danish pair and they will be going into the finals more than ready to fight for the title. “Beating the world-number-four pair is a huge victory for us. I’m glad that we took the chance today and won against the English pair and made it to the final,” said Bøje.
Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje will be facing Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan/ Melati Daeva Oktavianti in the first match of the finals at 10.00am (CEST).