My quick takes..on and off topic.. OK, just finished reading thru MO Day 2's thread and here are my quick takes: -re INA MD pair of Joko/Hendra AG are still inconsistent. Add to that the Polish pair is not bad. Last time i saw JR/HAG play live was nearly 2 yrs. ago in S'pore Open. I don't know how much of an improvement they've accomplished and since i havent' seen them played much since, personally, i think they still have a long way to go.. -re Luluk/Alvent & Markis/Hendra S., well, they'll meet each other in next round. Unfortunately one of the pair will have to wait til the next tourney to play again.. -re Flandy & Vita's success so far, well, the tourney is not over yet. So we'll see. They are, IMO, progressing nicely as partners.. -re Sony's progress so far, personally, it's not really a surprise. However, he'll get stiffer competition from R16 onwards.. -re Taufik, well, what can i say...I guess he'll focus and concentrate on a really BIG tourney...He said he'll focus & be preparing for the AE this yr??..Well, we'll just wait and see if he follows thru on his words.. One thing is for sure, we won't be seeing much of indra cheering and wooting for Taufik til around AE in March.. Off topic:hehe, from badMania's travel "itinerary" they do sound like he's working as a flight attendant And by the rate & places he's traveling, guys, if you're not aware, he might show up in your neighborhood without any notice..
Thursday January 18, 2007 Badminton: Lin Dan triumphs by Rajes Paul World champion Lin Dan of China won the battle of maestros with an outstanding show in the men’s singles first round of the Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium here yesterday. The major section of 5,000 capacity crowd was obviously rooting for Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia but the world number one Lin Dan broke their hearts to win the epic first round match 21-19, 23-21 in 41 minutes. Lin Dan now has an impressive 8-4 record against the Indonesian. The quality of the match was not exactly as great as the Asian Games final battle in Doha between the two just a month ago where Taufik emerged champion but it was good enough to keep the spectators on their seats, at least in the closing stages of the second game. Taufik took a 16-11 lead – an often insurmountable lead in the 21-point rally format – but Lin Dan smashed his way back to force deuce at 20-20. Taufik then brought out all his magic but a soft tap into the net at the crucial moment saw Lin Dan winning 23-21. Lin Dan was delighted with the win but did not want to raise his hopes too high now that the biggest hurdle was over. “As I expected, the level of the game was high but I think both of us could have played better. I still think the Asian Games was one level higher,” said the 24-year-old Chinese. “But it always feels good to beat Taufik. The battle is not over yet for me. I may come across one of these players Kenneth (Jonassen), Peter (Gade-Christensen), Bao (Chunlai) and (Lee) Chong Wei. I will take it one match at a time,” he added. Lin Dan faces South Korea’s Park Sung-hwan in the next round. Taufik, who was playing catch-up throughout the first tight game, said he should have capitalised on the 16-11 lead in the second game. “I came close to forcing the rubber but I made mistakes by misjudging my shots. But credit should be given to Lin Dan. He played well today,” admitted the two-time Asian Games champion. Despite the defeat, Taufik took consolation that he had the support of the spectators. “It was an electrifying feeling to play in a stadium like this. The fans cheered me on and it shows that I did not play too badly,” he said. “But I will not want to be in this same scenario again (of meeting a top player in the first round). I will be out to improve my world ranking. “My next target is to win the All-England. It is the only one missing from my collection,” added the world number 12. Meanwhile, it was a day of mixed fortunes for Malaysian singles players. Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, Wong Choong Hann, Yeoh Kay Bin and Kuan Beng Hong are the only four players left standing in the challenge for honours at home. Except for the three-time Malaysian Open winner Chong Wei, all the others will be up against Chinese opponents today. Choong Hann will take on Chen Jin, Beng Hong will face Bao Chunlai while Kay Bin meets Chen Yu. Chong Wei, who beat Bjoern Joppien of Germany 21-14, 21-9 in just 25 minutes said: “I was a bundle of nerves. I could have played better. Hopefully, I will improve in every game.” He will face Poland’s Wacha Przemyslaw next. The two casualties were Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Lee Tsuen Seng. Hafiz had a tall order against China’s fast-attacking player Chen Hong but after a good start, the 24-year-old player crashed out at 21-9, 13-21, 18-21. Tsuen Seng lost to Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro 18-21, 21-19, 17-21.
I think Jung/Lee are already a great pair. Jung is not so young anymore, but I am expecting someone like Cho Gun Woo to come up. Lee Yong Dae may do a Park Joo Bong, teaming up with different partners to conquer the world. Cai/Fu are not considered young anymore. Malaysia has the quantity, although I only sense promising top-notch quality in KKK/TBH. I think they can go far. Another good thing about quantity is that there are more chances for pairs to play better than usual and win something. Gan/Zakry, CCM/HTH, Tan/Ong, Fairuz/Lin can all be very formidable if they up a notch. If Hendra has a better partner, I think the partnership can be great. But Indonesia always has young guns to take over the mantle in MD. The Danes blossom relatively older than Asians and last a long time. They still have relatively young players like Boe, Mogensen, Laybourn who can last a long time in the circuit.
With due respect to TH, hmmm...injury....bad line calls.....only 1 week of training...aiming for another tournament & not this one .... - what is new ?? TH cannot rest on his laurels anymore. In my opinion, in the last 2 years, LD has become the major stumbling block to his victories with the exception of WC 05. When that happens, you have no choice but to re-assessyour training system and game.
but looking at the way he played yday, he wasn't really serious at all... he was like very relaxed all the way... not like the way we saw in AG..
The work ethics of LD is phenomenal. Because of his skills and strength, he is able to call on the extra which others cannot seem to do easily. That is what separates the "chaff from the hay" --- the quality. LD is quality and so is TH and LCW. At the end of the day, there is a bit of luck, 'how much u want it to go for it', and the circumstances involved (e.g. are they tired or do they carry injuries, etc.)
incorrect. TH want to improve his ranking so he has better draws at the 07 AE adn 08 OG. He said so himself “But firstly, I want to get off to a good start,” he said. The scores were all very tight 21-19 and 23-21 for LD. Why play loosely only to lose by 2 points, twice?
Precisely, it doesn't make sense esp. if you are already a player of some standard. I thought TH mentioned he wants to rake up his ranking & his reason for wanting to join KLRC is due to sponsorship (money). As long as TH's (I hope not) attitude remains that way if he so wishes, then he has to accept that he will not win all the time, in particular against a player like LD who confessed that he likes challenges because it brings the game to a higher level. When you know you played well and lose, there is nothing to be ashamed of. All other winners are just as worthy as you are. At the end of the day, I think TH has to be honest with himself.
Lindan Wins. Well done to both players. Close fight. As long as its close and entertaining, that's good. Hope to see more exciting matches. That's what I call entertainment. How much is the ticket on saturday? What time start? Appreciate your help. rgds
rm22 if not mistaken.... an entertaining match means a high standard match... (only applicable sometimes) hahahaha
