Badminton: Israeli Mother-Son doubles team shuttled from world championships

The Zilbermans, the only Israelis to participate in this year's mixed doubles competition, only make it to the second round as their first round opponents.

By JOSIAH DANIEL RYAN
badminton 88 (photo credit: )
badminton 88
(photo credit: )
It was a family affair in Hyderabad, India, on Tuesday when a mother-son duo, representing Israel's final hope at the World Badminton Championships, took on a pairing from Japan in the second round of the mixed doubles. Unfortunately the story came to an abrupt end when Misha Zilberman, 20, and his mother, Svetlana, 45, were eliminated following a 2-0 loss. The team went the same way as Misha in the singles competition where he was defeated in the first round by fifth seed Lin Dan. In fact, the Zilbermans, the only Israelis to participate in this year's mixed doubles competition, only made it to the second round as their first round opponents, Brits Anthony Clark and Donna Kellog, pulled out of the event along with the entire British team citing security concerns. Svetlana, who is also Misha's coach, remained positive both before and after the defeat. Earlier this week she explained how the dynamic on the court is different when playing with a family member. "Although we coordinate very well there is some difficulty… I think it is the generation gap," Svetlana told the Indian newspaper The Asian Age. "I have to be more responsible while playing and make sure Misha is comfortable on the court. "It's not easy to play with your own son," she added in an interview with the sports website Sifasports.com. "There are times when I get angry, but I remind myself that I am his partner on the court, not a mother." Misha is Israel's national badminton champion, and was suitably disappointed with his performances. But the week's failures will not bring an end for the team of shuttlers. Svetlana plans to compete in the women's singles at the Senior World Championships in Spain in September, and Misha told the Times of India he will continue to play with his mother. "As long as I don't find someone younger," he joked.