As the match enters the 1 hr mark, it's still very very tight, with Hayom slightly leading 18-15. Come on...3 more pts to make it an all-INA Final!
Yes!! Hayom eventually beat Christian Lind Thomsen in a very tight match 21-19, 21-23, 21-15. The crucial moment was at 15-15 in the rubber-set, when Hayom stormed off to take 6 straight pts to take the match! So, it's Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka facing his team-mate Bandar Sigit Pamungkas, an all-INA Final in the Men's Singles tomorrow. Again, the Djarum contingent reaps rewards in this long trip to Romania. I pick Hayom to win the title!
I think Hayom has a 55% chance to win... Bandar: 45%... Bandar's skills are below Hayom's... but Bandar got an easier day today... Riichi must have nothing left in the 2nd game when he lost 5-21 to Bandar... Hayom should be a better conditioned athlete than Bandar... This is a repeat of the 2006 Milo Junior Championship [in Batam, I think]... At that time, Bandar prevailed in rubber sets...
As I predicted, Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka wins his second title of the year (after bagging the Walikota Tarakan Cup earlier this year) by beating Bandar Sigit Pamungkas in 3-sets: 16-21, 21-14, 21-12. His ranking will now increase to the top 85. I will think that Hayom will be one of the MS players that Djarum will send to the Vietnam International Challenge and Smiling Fish Thailand International Series.
