Any pair that has Hendra in it is a lethal combination! Hendra is like Buddha. He is so calm and almost gentle, he transmits a feeling of harmony to his partner. Any man who can harness a raging Kido and yet give him the space to indulge in his pyrotechnics, is a saint. He's like, "Yah, go! go crazy -don't worry, I'm here." Hendra and Kido were like the buddha and the whirling dervish. Maybe Hendra and Ahsan can do it again. And such deceptively fast hands!! That is the trademark of all the legendary INA mens doubles players. Unbelievably fast hands and wicked, evil trickery! Hendra makes his partners believe in themselves. And I'm sure they totally adore him. Hendra is the gentle giant. The only thing he doesn't do is apologize every time he wins a match.
[MENTION=64347]cobalt[/MENTION] Yes, Setiawan is unique in the way he appears laboured and lumbering in between points... with his shoulders slouched, walking as if he had arthritis of his knees and had on a 20 lb backpack. This gives a false impression to his opponents, because the moment the rally starts, he transforms into this incredible intercepting machine in front moving at lightning speed, cutting off any shuttles that may dare to cross his path, as he forces his opponents to turn and twist themselves into knots left and right trying to reach his perfectly placed pushes. Just finished watching their matches against Cai/Fu at INA Open and SG Open, and against Ko/Lee at INA Open and MAS Open. Incredible seeing what a high level of play he and Ahsan are capable of.
Congratulations Ahsan/Hendra for winning SG SS 2013 MD title. I am officially adding you as my favorite MD pair.
Singapore SS 2012 Winner : Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan Singapore SS 2013 Winner : Mohd Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan Big Congratulations to the back-to-back titles : INA SSP & SG SS, my new my favorite MD pair Hopefully the two handsome pairing will become a migthy MD pair I don't need to says anything, haha the BCers above me already said all the things, esp Hendra Setiawan's diehard fans Cobalt Really well-said, and Hendra/Ahsan record speak itself.. Hope to see their consistency to win the big title, World Championship! All the best =)
It is interesting to the fact that they beat CY/FH twice in a row and LYD/KSY three times in final row all in two sets. I think LYD/KSY played much better in SSS Final than the last two meeting but still they lost again. I mean CY/FH and LYD are BIG names in MD. Now they only need to get revenge with Liu Xiaolong/Qiu Zihan. And i think WC is the right time: ) A little bit nervous here to wait Hendra/Ahsan win WC and be No 1 rank MD....
I hope Ahsan/Setiawan still keeps their spirit burning until 2013 WC. I just can't wait to see this pair winning their 1st WC.
Haven't seen any pair play like them for a long time. Constant variation and clever. No need to comment on the skills Think their real competitor is Fu/Cai Yun. Just wait till the 2013 WC. It is always the China 'trick' to look weak before very important competition. Anyhow I think the Indonesians will become better. I'm a fan now
LYD/KSH played better on the 2nd game SO final. I think Ha Tae Kwon gave some good inputs for his boys. Luckily, Hendra was still able to control the situaton by keeping the ball played low and didn't give KSH any chance to smash. Hendra's cross-court drives to the corners and his deceptions from the mid-court were really frustrating the Korean pair. I'm hoping to watch them playing on the WC and meet LXL/QZH in the final but I know QZH was injured during his game in IO, so we'll see whether he will be able to recover before the WC starts.
What is it that Ahsan/Setiawan do so differently that enables them to NEVER lift to their opponents. When I watch them play, its clear that the reason they are so superior is because they never let their opponents smash downwards. But what is it that allows them to never lift? Whereas other teams are forced to lift as a normal part of the rally. What do they do that is so different so that never have to lift?
They just play a game to force the opponent to not lift. HS is an expert in that and he drives the shot all the time..
Playing HS-MA is like playing with 3 players - 2 HS at the net, Ahsan thundering down smashes from back court.
Their hands are so fast and accurate at shots like drives and smashes. And impeccable placements too. When they play, it's as if they don't need to think and their shots and placements are like second nature... like blinking and breathing.
