Finals Day recap.. For those who missed the Semifinals Rd., then i would say, they probably missed arguably the most exciting day of the entire tourney. Not to put down the Finals Rd. day matches, but i'd say the Semifinals had the most drama and thrilling finishes in comparison to the less-exciting Finals Day... XD It was redemption couple of days for the GER pair of Fuchs and Overzier. First, on the day before, they eliminated the same foes whom they lost to in last week's Canada Open R16. And if their Semifinals win over Chen HL and Chen WH was any indication of what is to come, they surely rode it through in the Final Rd. against the no. 1 XD seed. This time around, the less error-prone GER pair made sure they took advantage of the error-filled CHN TPE pair who couldn't muster to get their tempo in sync. Lee SM tried his best, with his deft forecourt plays, to keep his side in contention. But with Chien Yu Chin playing almost with a deer in the headlights look, Overzier and Fuchs kept the gap pretty much in their favor until the end of the 1st game. It was all the same in the 2nd game as Fuchs and Overzier came out as jubilant winners. WS What a strange match and unfortunate ending it was for the WS Final. First, the scoreboard monitor went out and then half way through the match, Judith's back started to act up. I don't know when exactly she felt the injury. Add to that, they had to re-test the shuttle speed. Judith kept the score close in the 1st game but Zhu Lin was able to keep up the pace. The signs of Judith having a back problem surfaced toward the end of the 1st game. After receiving some cortisone spray (?), with the help of the crowd's support, Judith tried her best to play in the 2nd game. But as the gap widen between hers and Zhu Lin's, it was clear Judith was simply in pain. At the interval point, after consulting with the tournament officials, Judith decided to retire and the concerned but gracious Zhu Lin acknowledged. The disappointed Judith congratulated Zhu Lin and proceeded to make her way to the player's area, with tears running through her face, whilst Zhu Lin captured her back to back titles. MS I think someone was praying in the crowd when the MS match started, as the scoreboard started working again. Unfortunately for the France's Brice, the end result was the same like last week's Canada Open MS Final. Despite the continued loud cheer from his 3 loyal supporters, it just wasn't meant to be for Brice. I don't know if he was out of gas or because of Rajiv's length but it just wasn't his day. Overall, Brice played as if he's trying to hit winners and hit the lines instead of being patient. It was apparent throughout the 1st game and esp. toward the end of the 1st game. With Brice making error after error, Rajiv took advantage and won the 1st game. It didn't get any better in the 2nd game, as Brice kept giving Rajiv easy pts by either hitting long or wide or into the net, as Rajiv gave one title for team ENG. WD The CHN TPE pair came to play and looked focus throughout. The JPN pair (Etoh on the left and Wakita on the right, in the picture above) made it a close affair in the 2nd game but with Cheng Wen Hsing dominating and controlling the forecourt with a few brilliant placement shots, it was an easy breezy day for Chien Yu-chien who kept pummeling the shuttles from the back and finally redeemed herself after her sub-par performance in the earlier XD match. This is Cheng Wen Hsing and Chien Yu Chien's back to back titles, after winning last week's Canada Open, and 2nd U.S. open WD title, since 2004, when they first started their presence in the international WD scene. MD Having secured 2 titles in their team's back-pockets, the CHN TPE pairs simply played as if it was another sparring session; yes, literally. But not before exhibiting some jaw-dropping and simply astounding speed, quickness and reflexes to the crowd. It was definitely a feast to the eyes to see both pairs perform at such a high-level. Chen HL and Lin YL made it a bit closer toward the end of the 1st game, but a costly error ended their surge. In the 2nd game, it was more of the same as Fang CM and Lee SM smelled the winning check and ended the match in a mere few minutes.
