still watching the game.. some early thoughts. Sony's wife is cute!! I wonder what she is saying to him during the 3rd game... is it "honey we need to put food on the table," or "you better win this or you will be sleeping in the couch tonight!" that'd be motivation right there. the linejudges are either severely vision impaired or the players are having too much fun with hawkeye?
honestly, these are mature professional players. being a public figure who has been in the circuit for so long, they should understand that there will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be opinions on them at the very extreme end of the spectrum. nothing like that should affect them at all. they won't survive (emotionally) otherwise.
Regardless of what happens on the final day, Sony will move up from his ranking in the 50s to somewhere in the 30s. That's fantastic for someone who has struggled so long and so uncomplainingly with a painful physical issue.
finished watching it. Sony earned the match for sure. He played consistently fast and kept up the pace and pressure throughout the game. LD was crap in the 1st game but caught up in the 2nd. the 3rd game Sony kept the pressure on and step on the gas in the last few points and earned himself the win. Would a prime condition LD beat Sony? sure, a prime condition LD can beat anybody. but yesterday Sony was the better player. Kudos to him, and congrats he won't be sleeping on the couch tonight.
some thoughts on the MD. one of the more enjoyable MD matches this year. a balanced blend of strong offensive and strong defensive from Zhang Nan / Fu Haifeng. And I have to say that despite the double duty, Zhang Nan is a worthy successor of Cai Yun. Being equally strong if not stronger rally maker which puts Fu Haifeng at a great position to unleash his still incredible to watch but not as sustainable jumpsmash. on the side of Lee / Yoo. Unfortunately, Lee didn't age as well as Fu, power and defense is noticeable worse than before. He has a lot of work to do before Rio. the use of more camera angle is very nice. esp the few which shows the side view of machine gun style jumpsmash is a sight to behold and shows off the athleticism of our badminton pros 1000 times better than that tennis style end view.
Nothing wrong with him. Maybe he is die hard fans of LD. Not only in football, you will always find ultras fans in every sport. From what I saw yesterday, you can say that LD doesn't figth 100%, it's maybe true, LD just will shows it later at Rio. Because more prestigous event will boost him at 100% level. Nah, I think every player will do the same and give more at WC or Olympics events, not only LD. So, yesterday was clear that SDK was better than LD
I don't think LD will keep his OLY golden biscuits at home, there are locked up in the bank safety deposit box. All those SS/SSP gold medals, prolly painted with gold paint imported from CHINA (dangerous stuff anyway) he would display them, miss a few who cares...hahaha!!! I watched SDK-LD match, SDK won fair and square, kudos. Prolly LD is thinking, this SDK chap with so many injury, INA rupees are going down, he got family to support, not much pro badminton time left for this chap, so LD is generous...hahaha!!! If anyone thinks LD is really playing that bad, do you think LYB gonna let him represent CHN and takes up 1 of 2 spot? Where LD level truly was at, he showed us at China Open and AE.
The Sony vs Lin Dan match was a spectacle. Two old rivals facing off, a classic. The match was played like a final on Court 1 as Court 2's matches had ended, with all the attention of the stadium being fixated on the two players. The majority of the crowd was behind Lin Dan, including many young kids who are probably seeing the living legend in real life for the very first time, and could well be the last time. The Indonesians supporters were cheering on their man with a passion, determined to prevent Lin Dan from defeating a fourth Indonesian in a row and to support Sony on his comeback trail. The match lasted over an hour and Lin Dan probably moved faster and played with a higher intensity than I've seen for quite a while, definitely better than his 2015 form. Sony came in with nothing to lose and used technique and calmness to combat Lin Dan's jabs into the rear court and deceptive dropshots. Sony won the first game quite easily much to the disbelief of the audience who expected Lin Dan to play a better and domineering game. He quickly made up for it in the second and was leading towards the end. Sony looked content to give away the second and prepare to fight his opponent in the rubber. In the final game, neither of the two was willing to relent, fighting to the very last point. Lin Dan took the initiative and counter attacked Sony's lifts and drives, reminiscent of the Lin Dan we once knew. The score was 15-15, 16-16, 17-17, 18-18 then finally 19-19. The crowd held their breaths as the serve began for match point. Sony took it much to the joy of Indonesian fans. Lin Dan was quick to stamp his authority and snatched away for 20-20. The crowd cheered hard for the fightback but was quick to gasp in shock as Lin Dan pushes one into the net for 21-20 in favour of Sony. Eventually, Sony kept a level head and managed to push through in 3 games, landing a cross-court smash down Lin Dan's backhand side. The cheers of the Indonesian supporters erupted and defeated the overwhelming majority of Lin Dan's shocked fans and a fairytale of a tournament has happened as Sony made it into the final once again after 6 years. Truly an amazing match.
We need more professional players to register in this forum and share their views on this platform. Yesterday, Prannoy registered and posted a comment on his thread. We amateurs , who are fighting for their idols , definitely get excited when their own idols come and talk to us. Hope Sony and Lindan will register and clear the air between us.
Didn't we see Marin often skip or withdraw from tournaments last minute in order to concentrate and be at her best shape in one tournament rather than play two in a row ? And isn't it the case that many players register to play in all the available tourneys these few months only to withdraw last minute from one or two as they deem fit in keeping with their Olympic goals ? So it's not surprising that some of them choose to conserve their energy by not going all out to win one tournament in the hope of doing better in the next in accordance to their overall strategy of getting a ticket to Rio, preserving themselves, staying injury-free, be in better shape for the more important events, etc,etc ? Very interesting, I like it. Your views are more objective, realistic and balanced though I don't necessary agree with all of it, I enjoy reading them.
You flatter me. You read all my posts in the semifinal thread properly, are you sure? Not with blinkered eyes ? Then you should know my answer is in there. Though I'd like to credit you with more intelligence than that, you really have a lot to learn from badmania. What did I say about Sony still being a top 10 player if not for his injury woes, etc ? Am I the only one who forgot to congratulate Sony that it irked you so much ? Just look at LCW's thread after he won the MAS Open, near silence. Sometimes, words aren't necessary. Discerning minds who see things beyond the surface, know better. Save your unwarranted advice, no thanks. And respect the rights of others to freedom of expression, which includes the right not to say anything. Presumptuous and even rude of you to impose view on others, and your baseless assumption about my being "your delusional"(sic) and refusal to shake the opponent's hand. Huh ? You don't demand respect, you earn it. Last but not least, bear in mind kwun's advice to you. This forum is free, open, democratic, and respectable, I'm happy to say.
How many Super series has Taufik won. That Indonesians worship him is fine. That Yonex adulates him is fine too. They have to take care of their market in Indonesia. That people in India must support him against Indian players is amazing. Here Taufik is amazing because Indonesians and Yonex think so?! Dont we have a brain of your own? I supported Wei Nan against Lee Chong Wei in Indian Open because Wei Nan was playing amazingly fast attacking badminton. In the second game I wanted LCW to win just so that I could get to watch a third set. But not for jokers. They would ve celebrated if LCW had won the match in ten minutes. Thats the moronery am talking about.
