By Milly McEvoy in Birmingham
Greg and Jenny Mairs’ retirement plans were again put on hold as they reached the mixed doubles quarter-finals at the YONEX All England Open.
The pair announced their retirement prior to the tournament beginning in Birmingham but have since won two matches at the prestigious badminton tournament.
In the second round, the duo from the North West confidently beat Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat of Thailand, who sat 26 places above them in the world rankings, 21-19 21-16.
“I don’t know what is going on,” Greg said. “We are just playing good badminton, we have got the crowd behind us, it is helping us to win somehow and play well.
“Everything is just going our way, those little line calls that sometimes just hit the line, every shot is just going out and we have just got to keep it rolling.
“I think it might be my brother, he has never watched me play professionally before and he came yesterday.
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“He has taken the day off work and is supposed to be watching United tonight in Manchester, but he has got to stay for tomorrow now, sorry Pete!”
In a topsy-turvy first game, the Mairs came out on top with four consecutive points to move into the ascendancy.
They carried that momentum into the second game to establish a six-point lead before they were reeled in by their Thai opponents.
However, another run of points in the closing stages saw the English pair take the win and spark the loudest celebrations the Utilita Arena has seen so far in 2025.
The Mairs put that down to the following their YouTube channel Badminton Insight has amassed, which is also the main motivator for their impending retirement.
Jenny added: “Our community is unbelievable, they’ve met up since the first day, they’ve gone to play badminton together in the evenings after play is finished.
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“This is people from all around the world, China, Estonia, from the UK, everywhere and they have met up through us at the All England, all sitting on the front row.
“We’ve got our family and friends just a few rows above them, what an experience.”
The Mairs face the unseeded Jong Min Lee and Yu Jung Chae of Korea in the last eight, after they knocked out the fourth seeds.
The draw gives the English pairing a realistic shot at the semi-finals, with some even questioning their decision to retire entirely.
Greg responded: “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, or Saturday or Sunday.”
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