The historic Scottish Open returns this week, taking place from tomorrow, Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 November at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. The third-oldest badminton tournament in the world will once again welcome a strong lineup of contenders, with Scotland’s own Kirsty Gilmour headlining the draw.

The women’s singles player, competing on home soil for the first time in several years and entering as the top seed, is looking forward to stepping onto a court that holds some of her greatest memories.

“I’m actually quite excited to get on court at the Scottish Open after not playing it since 2018. I have some of my best ever badminton memories in the Emirates Arena so I hope I can make some more this week.”

“One of my career highlights came when I was 20 years old and competing in the Commonwealth Games in the Emirates in 2014. I’ll never forget winning that 20 minutes away from my house. Also, my two Scottish Open title wins in 2017 and 2018 are special to me.”

Playing at home also gives her an emotional boost. “I know everyone says it but having the chance for your family and friends come to watch and support you is so special and important.”

Despite entering as the favourite, Gilmour also sees the potential challenges. “I would say the feeling of being top seed is nice but also comes with pressure. But I just look at it as another chance to test myself – brain and body to see where I am.”

After a busy run of tournaments, she feels ready to go all in in Glasgow. “I would say I’ve had a slightly lower volume training period recently because of the tournament block but my body is feeling good and I’m just looking forward to getting on court in Glasgow.”

Gilmour will play against Ireland’s Sophia Noble in the first round.

Strong Scottish line-up and top seeds to watch
Together with Gilmour, many home favourites will be competing at the Emirates Arena this week, including Callum Smith, Rachel Sugden, the Grimley brothers, Alexander Dunn/Adam Pringle, Alexander Dunn/Julie Macpherson, and the women’s doubles top seeds Julie Macpherson/Ciara Torrance.

Other top seeds include France’s Arnaud Merkle, and Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard and Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch.

You can see all the draws here.

Schedule (times in CET, not local time)
Thursday, 20 Nov: 10am – 11pm, Qualification
Friday, 21 Nov: 10am – 11pm, Rounds of 32 and round of 16
Saturday, 22 Nov: 10am, Quarterfinals and 3:30pm, Semifinals
Sunday, 23 Nov: 1pm, Finals