Hi guys! Thanks a lot for the live updates which have been a very good emotional workout for me today.
But it's also the initial for Ku Klux Klan which I don't think we should associate with a good badminton player ....
Its sad to hear from plp who dont think Tony is not better than chandra or KDM. I hope they would be better impressed by tony after the recent performances. We should not forget that chandra is also playing with a seemingly better partner in sigit. Tony has always been the master of setting up the rallies and he seems to continue that immatierial of the quality of his partner. I guess that takes more talent than just finishes. Go tony go, but i hope Chandra and sigit win. Indo needs a massive injection of victories to claim the best baddy nation from china. It is becoming boring with china dominating every event except the Mens Doubles.
Yeah today's been a great day. Thanks to all the fellow posters here for making it a blast. I think this is the longest time I've logged on intentionally to BF (almost 12 hours!!)
Once again...who says that home support isn't important in sports? Tony/Howard have shown it in badminton. South Korea did that in the WC 2002 by reaching the semi-final (a marvellous achievement by an Asian team). Hopefully, Indo can secure three golds (or at least two) tomorrow. Chances are: Nova/Lilyana vs Xie/Zhang (60-40) Taufik vs Lin Dan (50-50) Candra/Sigit vs Tony/Howard (55-45) -- the calm minds will play a big role tomorrow....just as they did when Candra/Sigit fell behind in the first game. I am pretty confident that Candra/Sigit can regain their world title.
It's quite amazing that I would actually rank Tony/Howard at near 50-50 with every other pair in this tourney if they were meet at this moment. Before the tourney's start, I doubted their chances of making top 8.
As someone else has mentioned already, I actually think that Tony Gunawan is probably the best men's doubles player that I have seen since Park Joo Bong. He helped Indonesia defend the Thomas cup in 2000 partnering Rexy. And even though they don't usually play together, they were absolutely dynamite together. So, good on him and I think the US pair have exceeded all expectations by getting this far and I wish them all the best. Having said that, I still want Chandra and Sigit to win. Joe.
damn Sopcast ARGH it went down at 14-13 USA. damn damn damn :crying:. It better not happen tomorow in the Finals. I'm skipping CHURCH for it
Gunawan succesfully blast Luluk/Alven today. I believe they will blast the news in US today and tomorow. Hopfully badminton will have bright future. However, I still hope Chandra/Sigit win
If tony wins tomorrow, he will have won 1999 All England Open with Candra, 2000 Thomas cup with Rexy, 2000 Olympics with Candra, 2001 World championships and 2001 All England Open with Halim, and 2005 world championships with Howard.
Recap of day 6 Alright, a few recaps from day 6: 1. Taufik showed up, finally. Simple as that. His 2nd set reminded me of the recent S'pore Open, where he played Peter Gade in the QF, rallying and fighting back to win the hard fought 2nd set. During the Press Conference interview, he said for tomorrow's match in the Final, he doesn't prefer anyone. He'll be ready to face whoever he is going to play. After LinDan's match and during LinDan's press interview, i can see he really looked a bit out of gas. He was sitting quite slouchly during the press interview, as if he is going to fall out of his chair...So was PeterG..they both looked beat.. I don't know how will LinDan manage to re-energize himself for tomorrow's Final. BTW, that 1 backhand shot by Taufik, performed at then 2nd set, was pure talent. 2. For WD, nothing surprising to see. 3. For WS, boy, it was a treat to see ChengSC play so wonderfully in such an early age. Too bad, she wasn't able to pull through, but i'm sure she'll learn a lot from this experience. 4. XD, the Indo pair almost blew it.....Anyway, it should be interesting tomorrow. With all the top pairs out of the competition, it will be the Indo's chance to shine and get their biggest title in their early partnership. We shall see what Nova can do to get the title. Tomorrow's encounter with the Chinese XD pair should be an interesting one. 5. MD. Boy, i was dreading this.....UNBELIEVABLE, but to be honest, the Indo pair of Alven/Luluk is just not ready for prime time. Yah, agreed here, they are lacking the mental game. Add to that the loud and boisterous crowd, supporting the US MD team. Throughout the whole match, both Luluk/Alven seemed tense and not playing freely/loosely. Esp. Luluk. Both made many unforced errors, and by far the worst they did was -they did not focus their attack Howard!! I don't know why, i mean didn't the Danes showed them the night before??...Boy, the MD Finals will be one interesting match to see. As for Candra/Sigit, well, they showed why they are still should be the Indo's #1 MD team. It's too bad though, as once they decide to hang em up, that's it, no more Candra/Sigit.... Overall, through 6 days of competition, it has been an intriguing tournament, to say the least. To be continued tomorrow..
There is no doubt that Tony Gunawan is an outstanding badminton player. But comparing him to Kim Dong Moon? I think you are stretching it my friend.
1. Actually, I thought Taufik did not look that comfortable. The match was erratic from both players. Taufik won because Lee was even worse. There were some really good shots, but overall, the Gade-Lin match was much more awesome. Hopefully, we will see an all-out for the Taufik-Lin match. 2. yawn 3. Xie looked sick to me. Sometimes, she looked like a famish North Korean (no offence intended). Cheng looked like a lion. I agree that she is really good. Too bad about that hair And I worry that her height may put a limit to her potential, just like the way Mia or Pi or Xu never really broke through the Chinese wall. Susi was one in a million. 4. I think the Indon pair will win. Lilyana was excellent today. As usual, in a XD match, it was down to which of the girls were better. The Chinese partnership is even earlier than the Indon pair, I think. 5. I think Howard Bach was quite good today, even though he had at least two air balls and some very amateurish errors. Tony Gunawan had his share of mistakes. Howard Bach made a lot of winners. That guy is just coursing with adrenalin. I think Chandra/Sigit will be too much for them, though. Sigit is as good as he ever was. In fact, Chandra is the one who is made to look shaky. As a Malaysian, seeing Chan/Koo's performance gave me back some measure of hope for our MD. Now I know why they beat Fu/Cai. They have the skill and power, but get lost at times, like the 19-point unanswered run. The redeeming factor is their youth.
If you are talking about who is more legendary, there is no comparison. But when it comes to playing the game, I think it is not stretching it to compare him to KDM.
Hmm, if i remember correctly during the Press Conference meeting yesterday, Taufik said in the 2nd set, he was playing a bit too cautiously, esp. thinking about the wind. But he was able to get back in control and finished the match. I think in tomorrow's Finals matches, whoever can play more "loosely", will get the title.
oh, one more thing Xie said about the flat drive is that she says when Cheng drives, they are all upper hand drives while for her, they are all lower hand drives. she says that is especially difficult to play. so i guess taller is not always better. she is also injured. interestingly, i was at the audience stand and this american women asked me if i think Xie was moving in an awkward manner. at that time i didn't think so as Xie's footwork is quite unique anyway. but later on Xie herself says she has injured her leg and everytime she lunges, there is some numbness. her right shoulder is also injured, you can see it is taped up...
