You read my mind........also this new no separation rule is bad, why? because Lin Dan can get walk-over from Chen Yu, Chen Jin, Bao Chunlai and get first place without hitting a shuttle.....LYB can make it happen.
I dont have the full schedules. Everything is so slow hehehe. Since i'm not in town the only schedules i have is 16/01/2007 Day 1 Tue 16 Jan. 2007 From 0900 – Qualifying Rounds 17/01/2007 Day 2 Wed 17 Jan. 2007 From 0900 – Qualifying Rounds From 1400 – Championship Events 18/01/2007 Day 3 Thu 18 Jan. 2007 From 0900 – Championship Events 19/01/2007 Day 4 Fri 19 Jan. 2007 From 1800 – Quarter-final Matches 20/01/2007 Day 5 Sat 20 Jan. 2007 From 1300 – Semi-final Matches 21/01/2007 Day 6 Sun 21 Jan. 2007 From 1300 – All Final Matches
Badminton/Malaysia Open: Minor meets on duo’s minds 11 Jan 2007 K.M. Boopathy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KOO Kien Keat, shocked with the Malaysia Open men’s doubles draw, believes he and his partner Tan Boon Heong should forget about the Super Series and instead focus on minor tournaments organised by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). A sad scenario indeed as Kien Keat-Boon Heong are the Asian Games champions and yet cannot regularly compete in the Super Series which is supposed to parade the best in badminton. The Super Series comprises 12 competitions introduced by the BWF to popularise badminton and give players an opportunity to earn better prize money and increase their ranking points. However, Kien Keat-Boon Heong, ranked World No 119, have to compete in the qualifying rounds of the Malaysia Open which begins at the KLBA Stadium on Tuesday and are out of the next Super Series event, the Korean Open, on Jan 23-28. Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s place in the main draw has gone to another Malaysian pair Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How, who do not have a world ranking, no thanks to the notional ranking system which gives new players or pairs who have not competed in any tournament, a better chance of making the main draw. What is worse is that Kien Keat-Boon Heong, who should clear the qualifying rounds by beating former national pair Chew Choon Eng-Hong Chien Hun, will meet Chong Ming-Thien How in the first round of the main draw. A win will pit them against another Malaysian pair — joint third seeds Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah — and if Kien Keat-Boon Heong survive, they could play yet another Malaysian pair for a fourth time in Lin Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan Tazari in the quarter-finals. "I am shocked and do not know how to explain this. It is already difficult to play in the qualifying rounds and then meet our teammates in the main draw," said Kien Keat. "We cannot play in the next Super Series tournament in Korea Open and if the situation remains the same, we must settle for the minor events and improve our world ranking. "We would prefer playing against pairs from other countries. The toughest is playing against our teammates and we cannot expect much in the Malaysia Open. "We need to qualify for the World Championships (in Kuala Lumpur in August) and we have no choice but to compete in smaller tournaments." National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky suggested that BWF should do away with the notional ranking but instead, the governing body has only abolished nationality separation which means players from the same country may compete against each other as early as the first round. This is the reason why all five Malaysian pairs, including Gan Teik Chai-Zakry Latif, were drawn in the bottom half of the draw. Indonesia’s top two combinations Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan and Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto were also affected as they are likely to meet in the second round. The BWF may have to review the qualifying structure of the Super Series right after the Malaysia Open as the current scenario is unlikely to give the new format much impact.
If the team-mates are seeded, it is pretty hard (or downright impossible) to get them all in the same half. For instance, if you have two team-mates seeded 3/4, then you can only get one team-mate in your own half.
The draw is done by BWF, not anyone affiliated to BAM. Since Taufik is unseeded, he has an equal chance to match up with anyone in the draw. No, I don't see see this as a TOTAL FIX, not even a PARTIAL FIX.
http://www.internationalbadminton.o...Id1=&txtId2=&txtPId=&cboNAC=MAS&Submit=Submit It's funny. Because CCM/HTH pairing does not a world ranking (because they have never played together more than once in a world ranking event), so their notional ranking were used, meaning SomeMathematicalFunction(WR of CCM/SomeOtherPartner, WR of HTH/SomeOtherParter). Because CCM/KKK and HTH/TBH have high ranking points, therefore CCM/HTH pairing also has high notional rankings. Meanwhile KKK/TBH pair has a world ranking (from participating in 2 WR events), so they cannot use their notional ranking. I disagree with this. It penalises strong but recently-formed pairs. My suggestion is to follow tennis' style of ranking each player, not each pair. For instance, CCM, KKK, TBH, HTH will each have their own doubles ranking. (Mixed doubles will have seperate ranking.) If CCM and KKK only ever partner each other, then they will have exactly the same ranking points. I think the overall outlook of the ranking table will also be cleaner. To determine the ranking of a pair (for seeding purposes), just add the two players' ranking points together. Of course, there will be other details to knock out. I know the change will be drastic but if I were the dictator of the badminton world, I would make this change.
Thanks ants. Hope I can watch from Friday QF and return Singapore late Sun to enjoy the finals as well. I hope the Finals wont end past midnight. Btw, anyone from Singapore going up KL the same time?
Another effect of this change is that it may be harder for nations to play around with the Thomas/Uber Cup doubles lineup by splitting pairs etc.
TH's comment about his unfavourable draw to meet LD at 1st SS: --"I will enjoy my match against Lin. I haven't set any specific targets at the Super Series", Taufik told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday (09/01/07). However,the 25-year-old shuttler questioned the draw that he said 'gave a disadvantage to Indonesia'. "It hasn't happened just to me. Look at the men's doubles draw", he said.-- TH seems nothing to lose for next-week battle but uncomfortable situation for LD to test his mental strength (never stop at 1st round after nightmare in Athens/04). All participants will be pleasant of this draw, one of their 2 tough obstacles will certainly out at very early round. SS is absolutely different from the previous. One consequency to create SS more exclusive is the surprising drawing. Is this effective to make bdm get massive popularity globally?
Just my 2 cents-Perhaps... ..hmm, perhaps, maybe all of these "stupefying apprehensions" coming from several of the players and coaches are the result of the new no. of qualified players being eligible in the main draw: 32 rather than 64. If i'm not mistaken, in previous yrs' tourneys/Opens, the main draw esp. in MS and/or WS fields was always, if not most of time, consisted of 64 players plus additional Qualifying Round players. With the less no. of qualified players being eligible in the main draw this yr, more top players will be facing each other in earlier rounds than previously. However, if i'm not mistaken, the doubles events has mostly consisted of 32 pairs.
Pitting TH vrs LD in the first round, rather than the finals as we normally expect to see them play, provide badminton fans cheaper first round ticket price than more expensive final round price, and also would ensure packed first round attendance all the way to the final rounds...also, players have to be on their toes and play their best from round one on, not just taking it easy and cruising through to later rounds as happened in the past...this draw changes the status quo, let's sit back and see if it works.
I really hope to see lee hyun-il..still not sure whether or not his playing-his name not in the draw right? BAM please explain!
it's harder to play with the insider than the outsider. Poor KKK/TBH. They said they put 100% effort if they face outsider. But now...Sob...Sob....Cry a river and drown the whole world.
