I find Taufik to be an attacking player, dont you? I think his smashes are some of the most accurate I've seen. Especially when watching him in Athens.
My thoughts... The men's doubles match proved to be anti-climax. It was over in merely 21 mins....8 mins in the first set and 13 mins in the second set. I have said it before, the pair which is most likely to benefit from the 21 points system is Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun. They are extremely fast and unrelenting in their attack! They also show the other opponents that the only way to win is to attack from the start of the match. Tony/Howard was clearly caught by surprise in the first set, which was over before they had even warmed up. They tried to fight-back in the beginning of the second set until the break, trailing at 10-11. Then, Fu/Cai increased their tempo and finished the game off 21-15. I personally think that they will triumph over any pair, including Candra/Sigit. The only other pair which is likely to benefit from the change in system is Indonesia's current no 3 pair, Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan. They have shown their attacking prowess in the Indonesian Open 2005. Although they are still a little bit inconsistent at the moment, time is on their side. Both are still 21, going on 22...even younger than Fu/Cai or even China's other rising pair, Guo Zhendong/Xie Zhongbo. I hope Markis/Hendra will mature in this 1-2 years time. By the time they are 23-24 (in 2008), I think they will be one of the contenders for the All England, World Championships, and the Olympics crown! One other pair which will probably become better because of this change in point system is Korean's no 1 pair: Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae.
As for the men's singles match, it was a classic as I predicted...3 close sets and plenty of nervous moments, esp when the scores are 18-18 in first and rubber set. The first set was tight, until a point when Peter had some good points and stretched his lead to 16-11. However, it was not over as Lin Dan managed to level the score at 18-18. It was at this point that Peter increased his tempo and finished off the set with 3 quick points. The second set was even tighter, with not more than 3 points separating the players. Peter led 17-16 at the closing stage, only to see Lin overturning that lead into 19-17 advantage. After that, Peter can only manage 1 more point. Lin levelled the match 21-19 in the second set. The same trend continued in the rubber set. Peter led 10-7, again only to see that lead evaporate. There were a few lucky shots here and there for both players and the scores were tight until it went to 18-18 once more. At this moment, Peter managed to yet again increase his tempo just at the right time and scored 2 crucial points. Lin got another point, but Peter finally won 21-19. Phew...a real close game and u can see how delighted the Dane was! Congrats to Peter....I predicted that he will win and he did! This victory will certainly be important for him, with the Thomas Cup in mind. He would have gained the mental edge when these 2 great players probably meet again in the Thomas Cup Finals. Lin Dan will be extremely pressurized to deliver the first point, esp when he had lost to Peter in the 21-points system tonight. With both Lin Dan and Chen Hong losing to Peter Gade and Kenneth Jonassen, things have become slightly better for Denmark. They will need to rely on these 2 singles + Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard Hansen to be in top form. Incidentally, Eriksen/Hansen will play their likely opponent in the Thomas Cup Finals tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, it's gonna be another great match!
Peter boleh 21-point system can be exciting if the score is close, once it's more than 5 points apart then basically is over, simply, there's no come back story for this system like Poul Erik Larsen vs Dong Jiong in Thomas Cup. Very happy to see Peter finally won one from Lin Dan, that makes the future tournaments more interesting as now we have Lin Dan, Peter Gade, Taufik, Lee Chong Wei all capable of winning any title. I am sure the surge of Chen Jin will further complicate the mix ... 21-point will not work on doubles, the scores advance too fast. It's still almost the ALL Chinese-affair in the final, lets hope Danish can take 2 titles away from China.
am i the only person who thinks lin dan wasnt playing like his usual self in the SF against gade??? he seemed lethargic, like he didnt care or was ill!! he is usualy so much faster - he was sluggish today... and his usualy he is far more attacking - granted gade was returning alot of lin's smashes but LD's overall demeanour today was far too casual.. althou gade played really consistently today LD's poor form is IMO the main reason why gade won and finally, at what time do the Finals start?! thank you verymuch
NONONONONONONO!!! LIN DAN!!!! LOST!!!!:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: My favorite player!!! :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:
Comments on Lin Dan vs gade I thought Gade was going to lose it after the second set, but he held it together at the end! I think they both played well, the score indicates that, it's just that Gade attacks were more intelligent today, often not giving the angle for Lin Dan to counter attack. I think the 21 point system has changed the way Lin Dan played today. Especially the way he served. Because as commented by Li Yong Bo, Peter has an excellent return of service, Lin Dan was under pressure to play really tight short serves some of which produced errors, and giving an instant point to Peter. In the last few services, Lin Dan served an almost flick serve/high serve every time, which Gade seized to take the final point. Because play was almost continuous, one was able to see a lot of sudden/constant changes in tactics and play, which I don't usually notice because players tend to regain their composure and think about the next point before they serve and then execute it, as opposed to do it 'live' and 'uninterrupted'. You can see how well players like Lin Dan and Peter Gade can do this, as opposed to Chen Hong. (i.e. better at thinking spontaneously, ability to adapt). Instead of trying to think of his way out, Chen tried to power his way out, which suits a player like Jonassen fine. In the end, Chen tried to force it too much, predictably attacking every shot making too many errors (in reference to yesterday's match) I would say Lin Dan's emotions during recent play, is a bit more subdued compared to the past, and he doesn't seem to employ so much time wasting tactics, I guess it's because he is more confident and mature now? (coolheaded, calm). In contrast, Chen Hong seems have gotten a lot more vocal on court. Sometimes to the point of annoying! In his case, before he was blamed for being too inanimate and robotic, but now you can't stop him, even if you win the point, he'll shout!
Oh Li Yong Bo has commented this match!!! Could you please tell a little bit more what he has told about? I find this very interesting.
i wouldn't put howard B and Tony G as slow starter. In 2005 WC, they seem to have great head start in all their games. Yesterday, it is result of cai and fu improvement and in sync while tony and howard not quite sharp. Tony fed lotta floaters which were bbq buns for the chinese team. This the first time i had seen cai and fu played so fast. Another handicap for team USA is they dont have a coach or assistant to scout out the key opponents before their games which i think explain their slow start this time. On the 2nd game, US team had a great start. Of course too many unforced errors did them in. It all started when service judge slapped a fault on howard flick serve which result a lost of a point instead gaining a point. USA picked up 2 to 3 easy points from howard's flick serves earlier on. Is this another conspiracy? A bad/questionable call coming at critical moment.
