Vendy and his men’s doubles partner Ben Lane have been drawn against defending champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the opening round of the YONEX All England
Sean Vendy may be about to have the biggest week of his life as he plays the top seeds at his home tournament and expects the birth of his second child.
Vendy and his men’s doubles partner Ben Lane have been drawn against defending champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the opening round of one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments in the world, the YONEX All England, and will play on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Vendy’s partner Shannon has not made the short trip from Milton Keynes to the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, with her due date on Saturday.
“The due date is 7 March,” the 29-year-old said. “I haven’t really got a plan, just take it as it comes.
“We play tomorrow, and she is at home at the minute. But I can go and come back if it needs, we’ll just have to see what happens over the next few days.”
Last year was Vendy’s first as a father, having welcomed his first son in November 2024, and he and Lane reached the second round as a deep run at their home tournament continued to elude them.
This year, they have the unenviable task of taking on Kim and Seo, who triumphed last year in Birmingham, going on to win the World Championships in August.
The Korean pair won the first Super 1000 event of the year, the Petronas Malaysia Open, where they beat Lane and Vendy in the semi-final.
The English shuttlers had reached the last four at a Super 1000, the highest-ranking badminton tournaments, for the first time and were defeated narrowly in an epic, 8-21 21-11 21-18.
Vendy added: “The first set was really comfortable for us, it has just been on repeat all week for us.
“We have had some good sparrings leading up to this. We have had the Indonesians in Milton Keynes all week, so we are confident. We will just have to see what happens.
“We played a really good match, even in the third set, it looked like we were going to win pretty much the whole way.
“There were a few lucky points for them, and I think it was so close that it was hard to pinpoint one thing that made the difference. If we can perform like that again, we will have a really good chance to beat them.”
This is the one they all want to win. This is the YONEX All England. Secure your seats today: YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships Tickets – 2026 Schedule & Dates – AXS UK