Last Saturday saw the opening day of the 2007 Iceland Express International badminton competition. Three Icelandic women and four Icelandic men made it to the singles quarter finals.
Icelandic female player Ragna Ingolfsdottir, who was seeded third, came out on top after beating Trine Niemeier from Denmark in the finals. Agnese Allegrini, who was seeded first in the women’s singles, had withdrawn from the tournament due to an injury.
Icelandic women also took first place in the women’s doubles competition with Katrin Atladottir and Ragna Ingolfsdottir, while Sara Jonsdottir and Tinna Helgadottir came close behind in second.
In the men’s doubles tournament only one Icelandic team, Magnus Ingi Helgason and Tryggvi Nielsen, succeeded in getting to the second round. They finished the tournament by tying for third place with Christopher Bruun Jensen and Morten T. Kronborg from Denmark.
An rousing mixed doubles match between Iceland and Norway drew a large crowd on the opening day. Halldora Elin Johannsdottir and Arthur Geir Josefsson beat the Norwegian players 21-17, 20-22 and 21-18 and went on to the quarter finals. Four teams from Denmark dominated the mixed doubles competition and filled the top four places in the final rounds.