Surprisingly pleasant comment... Wow, thanks for the kind comments... I thought only hard-core Indonesian fans think like that... In recent years, many fellow Indonesians start to not believe in INA badminton anymore... :crying: [... those unpatriotic disloyal weaklings who cannot bear hardships! ]
It will be very interesting to know how many pick Chen Jin over LCW in the PAW.This convincing win over Chen Jin should spur the rest of the Malaysian players to train even harder so that they will be more consistant.
Jun Jae Yun is playing very well. It's great to watch her because her form is really graceful. She was behind in the first game because the Hong Kong player(can't remember her name) was pushing hard with jump smashes, but that turned out to be a horrible choice because Jae Yun figured it out during the interval and decided to just tire out her opponent. She tried to finish it in 2 games by taking the first, but the Hong Kong player used the last of her energy to fight hard and win the first. The Hong Kong player was having her arm looked at by a doctor during the break, but it didn't seem like anything serious because she was laughing and whatever bandage they put on, they took right off. Jae Yun was just stretching and talked briefly with her coach because it seemed like she already knew what needed to be done, and she did it. Jae Yun kept her opponent at the back and made her run back and forth before finally setting up an easy kill for herself, or by reading her opponent's quick, jumping punch clear to the back and using a cross-court around-the-head drop. It was beautiful to watch. The Hong Kong player never gave up, but it was clear that there was nothing she could do and she lost the match with a high serve from her that landed clearly wide of the center line. Jae Yun was happy to clear and be patient until she got the shot she wanted. Seems like she's recovering well from her injury. The women's doubles was all one-sided. China just dominated. Korea's young pair showed that they weren't too comfortable with each other yet because there were communication errors on who was going for the shot. One would always look at her partner to see if she was going to go for it. China used their superior partnership, defense, and experience to win over the Koreans. Japan lost quite easily to Huang Sui and Gao Ling. Gao is always fun to watch because she's laughing or smiling all the time. But I do believe Gao and Huang knew they were in for a grueling match because the offense and defense of the Japanese women is superb, but China has the upperhand in consistency and skill. The 3rd women's double with Chinese Taipei vs Zhao Ting Ting and her partner(forgot her name) was delayed for quite a bit. All 3 official umpires were present and one was talking with the umpire of the game. Chinese Taipei's coach, translator, the players, and pretty much anyone else important in decision making in the Chinese Taipei team was present arguing about something. From my observation, it seems like it was an argument over Chinese Taipei's shirts because about 10 minutes later they received pink shirts and quickly changed and finally started officially warming up on court. The Chinese Taipei team was wearing white shirts, the same color as the Chinese team, so I'm assuming the umpire was saying they had to change colors and the the Chinese Taipei team called in the official umpires and their coaches to deal with it. What's funny is one of the Chinese Taipei women is sponsored by Victor while the other is Yonex, and the pink shirts had Yonex symbols. The final women's doubles was Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Kyung Won vs China, and it went by fast. It seemed like Korea was trying to tire their opponents out in the first game by using their defense because they kept on lifting or clearing every shot. But that didn't work because China was breaking through their defense. The Korean coach didn't seem too happy with what was going on. During the 2nd game, Korea attacked more, but they were unable to break the pace of the Chinese. Zhang Ning losing was the biggest surprise for me. But Tine did play a different style that did give Zhang Ning a hard time. Tine was using a very powerful attacking play, including backhand clears(which most women singles players don't do), and kept Zhang Ning from really being in full control of the game. Zhang Ning did well to close the gaps between them, but Tine just kept on pushing(along with the help of a few female Danish fans in the stands) and finished the game. But, Zhang Ning did seem like she wasn't in her top form because her shots didn't seem as tight or as accurate as I remember them being. Pi Hong Yan gave a good fight against Xie Xing Fang, but unfortunately Xie Xing Fang was able to control the game more than Pi Hong Yan was. Pi Hong Yan had to play at a fast pace in order to take control of the game from Xie Xing Fang since she's so tall, but unfortunately Xie Xing Fang was able to cope more. I wanted Pi Hong Yan to win, but Xie Xing Fang just played better. Wang Chen vs Lu Lan I didn't pay too much attention to, but Wang Chen seemed to make a lot of errors in the decider. She had a lead, but she gave that up rather quickly and ended up losing. Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa worked hard and saved some amazing shots, but Korea was merciless in their attacks and barely won the match. Gao Ling and Zheng Bo just dominated Anthony Clarke and Donna Kellogg. Anthony was unhappy with some of the calls, especially with a flick serve from Gao that got him, but even with that Gao Ling and Zheng Bo still dominated most of the game. The Thai pair did well to take the first game from Nova Widanto and Lilyana Natsir, but honestly the Indonesian pair seemed very laid back and lazy in the first game. When they woke up, they easily took the 2nd and won the 3rd game. Denmark vs Singapore was a close game, but Denmark was a little more consistent in their play. Tony Gunwan and Candra Wijaya just DOMINATED the match against Sakamoto/Ikeda. The entire gymnasium was cheering for Japan(that's what most of them came for), but Tony and Candra looked amazing. Tony's dominance at the net and Candra's power from the back was just too much for Sakamoto/Ikeda to handle and they went down quickly in the first game. The Japanese were able to get more points in the second game, but Tony and Candra were clearly in control of the match with their ability to cut off shots, preventing the Japanese from turning their defense into offense. Tony and Candra's defense also proved too much because they saved some amazing shots and returned shots that seemed impossible to return. Masuda/Ohtsuka pair also went down quick because they just could not get on the offense consistently against Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan. Kido and Setiawan's offense was also just too strong for Japan's defense and that ended the match quickly. Korea vs Denmark seemed like it would be a good game, but too many errors from Korea in the first game caused Denmark to run away with it. Korea did well in the 2nd game, but several line calls seemed to upset their concentration and they lost the match. I wasn't sure who'd win the Indonesia vs Singapore match since the Indonesia pair is off and on, but they played well with their attacking and defending to win the match. Singapore seemed like they were doing well, but they had difficulty changing their defense into offense to upset the Indonesians. Peter Gade vs Lin Dan was fun to watch and Peter could have won it, but he seemed to rush the shots and it caused him to lose points he could have won. Honestly, Peter Gade made way too many unforced errors. Lin Dan seemed to realize this and rarely attacked. Instead, he just played his shots and won the match because of Peter Gade's unforced errors. Lee Chong Wei played well against Chen Jin. I thought it would be a tough game, but Chen Jin just could not do anything against Lee Chong Wei. Lee Chong Wei always seemed in control and won the match. Taufik seems like he wants to win. I know there's a lot of talk about Taufik and his state of mind, and also the Taufik-Lin Dan stuff, but I do believe Taufik is the best in the world when he really wants to be. Thankfully, he seems rather serious about the Japan Open because he showed frustration when he made mistakes during his game against Park Sung Hwan. Park Sung Hwan played really well today and pushed Taufik hard, but Taufik played better. His jump smashes and backhand shots were amazing to see. Taufik and Park Sung Hwan also seem to be on good terms because when Park Sung Hwan countered Taufik's rolling net shot with his own rolling net shot, Taufik reached over the net to give Park Sung Hwan a friendly slap on the head(friendly because he was laughing, which caused everyone watching to laugh) but missed because Park Sung Hwan had bowed his head while walking off the court. Simon Santoso played well too and just seemed in control of the match all the time. I believe this covers everything I saw. In my opinion, there were several calls players were unhappy with today. More than I saw last year. I honestly believe younger or more qualified people should be appointed as line judges because some of the calls made were unbelievable. Other than that, it was a fun tournament. They have a lottery giveaway for a AT900 everyday, and have events before the matches start. Today was "Target Smashing" where you get 5 tries to hit the targets on the court, and you also had the opportunity to hit around with two of Japan's pro womens doubles players. Everyone in the gym was free to sign up and participate, but honestly it was kind of embarassing watching them because no one was anywhere near a decent enough level. Most people seemed to think too highly of themselves and wanted to show off, but that obviously didn't work. Those that didn't seem like they had an ego took this chance to see what it's like to be on center court and experience everything from the lighting to the wind the professional players have to deal with. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have setup for tomorrow and also watching Tony and Candra. It was a few of us cheering for them today against the entire gymnasium, and I already knew Tony and Candra would win so I didn't feel awkward at all. Well, maybe just a little bit. Note: For future reference, when abbreviating "Japan," use "JPN" not "JAP." The latter is a deragotory term. JPN is also the correct abbreviation.
Hmm.. ..i think those fellow INAs don't necessarily "not believe in INA badminton anymore", but rather they are looking at the current/recent *reality* and "hardships"; and IMO, it's reasonable for them to do so...However, deep, deep down inside, i still think they still have the passion for INA badminton and in a way still waiting for its "domination", once again.. To Bobatea, thanks much for your wonderful & comprehensive review!!..And looking fw to your pics, once again!!
Great Job Wonderful eyewitness account Bobatea... your karma is certainly going up I wrote almost exactly the same line in Taufik's wikipedia entry (well, 'citation needed' - I'm told ) The simple fact is that Taufik needs to lose to win. Perhaps his humbling at the World Championship has fired him up. This is good for Indonesia, good for Taufik and good for badminton. It's so good to see camaraderie and laughter, even in tiny doses, return to badminton. Maybe Taufik should try a friendly slap on Lin Dan. Ha! That would be the day The one thing Lin Dan could learn to do is smile. If he can't bring himself to do that, he could try a deadpan at least. Sometimes, it's more Scowl Dan. Golly! Were these 'pro women's doubles players' Reiko Shiota and Kumiko Ogura? I know a few here who would give their AT900s (or their right arms) to hit on them
He has.. ..been know to be like that, throughout his career--thru the glories & low downs, up and down & very moody player..
Yep.. ..tell me about it..I watched her display some exquisite badminton in the recently ended U.S. Open...She's definitely a talent ..yes..and btw, have you guys read/follow the 2007 U.S. Open thread?? If interested, there's a video of her Finals' match vs. her compatriot Lee Yun Hwa
Krisna asked who is Jun Jae Yun? I digged up some old records and was surprised to see her already competing in the 2001 Sudirman Cup She nearly beat Lydia Djaelawidjaja in 3 sets (the last set being 12-13). So, she's hardly a newcomer or a youngster. Lidya Djaelawijaya vs Jun Jae-youn 4-11, 11-9, 13-12
Unfortunately, I decided to focus more on watching the games today than taking pictures. You can't really enjoy the game as much if you're worrying about getting a good picture . I will take pictures tomorrow though for the finals since the Men's doubles is pretty much an all Indonesian affair(with one USA ). Cheering for Tony and Candra was demanding. It was me against the Danes. My voice was the lone American voice and I was being stared at by the Japanese sitting around me.
Don't worry.. ...if you haven't taken much pics...hope you'll get some rest and still have your voice for the Finals (I'll be paying attention to your voice/cheers, once i download the JO videos)
