I follow this analysis, but with a score to Indonesia of 3-2 Flandy and Enghian are sometimes unpredictable. Some days they lose really unexpectedly. Here, against a weaker M'sian pair, I fancy the more consistent Candra to be playing, possibly with Flandy.
- I dont think Sony gave up in 2nd, maybe he couldnt last the pace.You dont have to be old to get tired, the 1st set was 45 min, the 2nd some 20 mins. As for Taufik, he was simply outplayed in 2nd although he tried very hard and was leading in 2nd.
i heard trikus injured himself until there was bleeding against china... no wonder they lost... i'll be recording the malaysia match from tvri to videotape, but i dont have hardware to convert to mpegs...
- Oh yes thats true, he scratched himself on the knee and had to aplly plaster and the China pair picked on him. The china pair were lucky and should learn from it. I think the ultimate expert on the match would be Christian Hadinata, he already said everyone must learn from that match. They were all close, the Inas were caught by surprise mainly. So next time Sonny plays Lin Dan he should wear a watch and check it to make sure he hasnt fallen into a trap.
OK...Here's what I think. 1st Singles : Wong Choong Hann vs Sony Dwi Kuncoro (I will think that Wong Choong Hann should steal a point for Malaysia here, based on their 3-1 record in favour of Wong, however he should be aware that Sony will want to make ammend for his terrible lost to Lin Dan in the second set) 1st Doubles : Lee Wan Wah - Choong Tan Fook vs Alven - Luluk (At this stage, i don't know which to predict as the winner. It should be a close fight, providing if the Malaysia pair plays with form. A win from Choong - Lee should be a morale boosting for Malaysia, if Wong won the first singles but IT WON'T BE EASY!. Alven and Luluk can also win this tie) 2nd Singles : Roslin Hashim / Lee Chong Wei vs Taufik Hidayat (Right now, it looks as if Taufik is gonna edge against any Malaysian players. Taufik however, failed to deliver when he was up against Bao Chunlai when everyone was expecting him to win. Somehow, my vote goes to Taufik but go Malaysia, anyway!!) 2nd Doubles : Koo Kien Keat - Chew Choon Eng vs Flandi Limpele - Eng Hian / Candra Wijaya - Trikus (If Koo Kien Keat - Chew Choon Eng is gonna play like they did during the match against the Thai pair during the group play, I would advice them better go sleep... they are not that good to beat the Indonesian pair unless if they attack more, and of course, Koo, don't fool around like you did...running out of the court to change your racket... All the best!) 3rd Singles : Lee Chong Wei/Hafiz Hashim vs Simon Santoso (If Lee Chong Wei is not fielded in the 2nd singles, then he will definitely be playing against Simon Santoso. I think Lee Chong Wei should win here without much effort but as for Hafiz who is slowly climbing up the hill, he might face some trouble playing against the 18-year-old Indonesian lad. I do not think that Misbun is going to field Lee Tsuen Seng here. He IS dangerous...can easilly lose out) Conclusion : Malaysia could win 3-2 if Wong, Choong - Lee and the third singles win. It can also go 2-3, actually 1-3, victory to Indonesian if they win the 1st doubles, 2nd singles and 2nd doubles. AND of course, 3-0, of course IF Wong loses to Sony. So actually, Malaysian is REALLY REALLY banking on Wong, Choong - Lee and the third singles to win this tie. Malaysia Boleh!!!
Endurance & Fighting Spirit Bbn, if Taufik and Sony cannot last the pace while they are still in their early-20s, they are either not following the right strategy or are lack endurance or spirit. Remember what I said about Hendrawan in the 2000 Thomas Cup, he could stay with Peter Gade for 3 hard fought sets lasting almost 100 minutes. At that time he was already in the late-20s. Even before that, Foo Kok Keong and Xiong Guobao could also do the same thing a decade earlier. Even now, these same Chinese players get into trouble if they cannot kill off high endurance never-say-die players like Lee Hyun Ill, Shon Seung Mo, Roslin and Kenneth Jonassen. What I'm saying is if you have sufficient endurance and spirit, you have a chance against more skilful opposition. That's how M'sia, with a raw squad beat China in 2002. Hey, even Hendrawan himself commented on the current Indonesian players' lack of fighting spirit after the loss to China. Personally, I am still hoping for the trophy to be kept within SEA (either Indonesia or Malaysia).
i'm gonna go with you, mirrura. i think malaysia can take it 3-2 and that's not just because of national pride. i was really disappointed with taufik in the china game and i won't give him the game as quickly as some of you are. having said that, he still factors in as one of the two points i reckon indon will take in my 3-2 prediction. 1st singles: malaysia 1st doubles: malaysia 2nd singles: indon 2nd doubles: indon 3rd singles: malaysia that's where i'm going. and yes, i do not fancy luluk and alven against choong and lee. ------------- and by the way... WHAT THE HELL was with luluk cutting up his racket strings against china anyway? very, very questionable behaviour if you ask me. ibf should give him an official warning. it's a horrible thing to do to your racket. i'm sorry but i really disrespect this kind of poor sportsmanship.
yeaah me too... i think flandy/eng hiang is better than luluk/alven Ha? So...He really cut his racket strings? ... my friend told me about that, but i didn't believe her. At first I thought his racket is broken or something......
I thought i was the only one noticing that...At first i thought it was a normal thing to do for the pros cos nobody brought the issue up... My predictions: Ist singles: Most likely wong will win...Experience comes in very handy during tc... 1st doubles: I will go for luluk/alven though i am a supporter of choong/lee..They fails to deliver EVERYTIME when it matters the most...Lose concentration for small matters and their fitness level is not impressive...But they have experience on their side... 2nd singles...If taufik is playing against roslin, he should win...Lee chong wei will give him a very hard time but still wins 2nd doubles: Surprisingly, my heart tells me that Koo/Chew will win...They form a very strong combination lately...If they are playing against candra/trikus, 3 sets but still lose... 3rd singles: Malaysia, regardless who is playing... Cant really decide before seeing the line up...
I think if Taufik doesn't punch somebody today, he'll probably play better than he did last 2 days...my prediction hmm..tough one..Malaysia wins 3-2...
well, it's true. he brought a pair of scissors in and i saw him cutting the strings with them. the camera then picked up a shot of the mangled racket. i didn't hear it but my brother said the commentator said (talk about hearsay!) that they did it all the time out of superstition. sounds awfully dodgy but what can i say? i'm just a viewer with an opinion!
I fail to see why it can be unsporting to cut up your own racquet strings. As for the prediction, I think Indonesia 3-2 due to crowd support and fired-up players, but I wouldn't bet my life on it
Wong CH must keep his focus... the crowd booed for every shoot choon hann take.,.,. NEVER MIND CHOON HANN!!!... U CAN DO IT
Some MAS friends might get mad, but here is my guess: Indonesia - Malaysia 3-2 Sony vs Choong Hann 1:2 Luluk/Alven vs Lee/Choong 2:1 Taufik vs LeeChongWei 2:0 Flandi/Hian vs Koo/Chew 2:0 Simon vs Hafiz 0:2.
