Indon ends Chong Wei’s World title bid WORLD No. 1 Lee Chong Wei was crushed by Sony Dwi Kuncoro yet again in the World Championships at the Gachi­bowli Stadium yesterday. Surprisingly, though, the Malaysian did not take the defeat too badly. The top seed was hailed as Malaysia’s great hope to end the country’s elusive chase for a world title but yesterday Chong Wei showed the ugly side of his game to lose 16-21, 21-14, 12-21 to Sony in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles match that lasted an hour. Ironically, it was Sony who dashed Chong Wei’s dream of a first world title at the previous world meet in Kuala Lumpur, stopping the Malaysian in the third round. And yesterday, Sony showed the same drive and determination while Chong Wei looked lost and out of sorts from the start. “I gave it my all. After the first game defeat, I fought back. But it was not to be my day today,” said Chong Wei, who hardly showed any signs of being terribly upset. “My strength is in net play but it worked against me. I was sending half court returns and my defence was weak. “I have to accept this defeat. I know people will be angry with me but it just seems that I am not lucky when it comes to the World Championships.” His best achievement in four world outings thus far has been a semi-final finish in Anaheim in 2005. When asked why he was all smiles despite the defeat, he said: “I am putting on a brave front here, but inside I am hurting. I wanted, as much as anyone else, to do well here.” A confident display by Sony in the first game ripped Chong Wei’s confidence into tatters right from the start. The Malaysian was slower than usual and did not show any urgency in his game, giving room for Sony to take control of the game. Chong Wei, who has won four Open titles this year, sparked hopes of a great fightback after taking the second game but it all fell flat when he adopted a cautious approach in the decider, hardly showing any aggression. The Beijing Olympic Games silver medallist said he would discuss with coach Misbun Sidek about taking a long break from competition. “I have been listed for the Macau Open but I will talk with my coach to skip the tournament. I need a break. I may come back refreshed after a break to continue my chase for a world title and an Olympic title,” said Chong Wei. Sony’s reward for taking out Chong Wei is a semi-final date with Lin Dan of China. Lin Dan was pushed to the limit before prevailing 22-20, 21-16 over the evergreen Peter-Gade Christensen. The other semi-final will be between second seed Chen Jin and Indonesian Taufik Hidayat, who is eyeing his second world crown. Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/15/sports/4527569&sec=sports
August 14, 2009 Ami Afriatni Nova and Liliyana Spoil Home Crowd’s Party Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir had to play the role of ungracious guests on Friday. Facing a partisan crowd at Gatchibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, India, the defending world mixed doubles champions left the home fans saddened after beating India’s Diju Valiyaveetil and Jwala Gutta 21-16, 21-14 to reach the semifinals. Nova and Liliyana, likely competing in their final tournament together, will face sixth-seeded Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christina Pedersen of Denmark today. The Danes beat No. 4 seeds He Hanbin and Yu Yang of China 21-10, 21-17. “We have met the Danish pair before and won over them in a very tight match. They are good players, especially Joachim,” Nova told the Jakarta Globe by text message after the match. “I’m sure it will be an exciting match tomorrow.” The other mixed doubles semifinal features Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung and Denmark’s Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl. The Koreans made their way to the semis after beating China’s Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen 21-16, 21-16, while the Danes downed another Chinese pair, Zheng Bo and Ma Jin, 22-20, 11-20, 22-20. In the match preceding Nova and Liliyana, 2005 world champion Taufik Hidayat took to Court 3 and ended unseeded Jan O Jorgensen’s run through the men’s singles draw. Taufik, the No. 4 seed, beat the Dane 21-19, 21-19 to set up a semifinal against second-seeded Chen Jin of China. Chen advanced with a 21-10, 21-13 victory over 13th-seeded Simon Santoso of Indonesia. Taufik, the Athens Olympics gold medalist, admitted he was not in top condition against Jorgensen, who kept the Indonesian under pressure throughout the match despite losing in straight sets. “I don’t know why I was not as good as yesterday. But against Chen Jin, I’m ready to play in three games, though he is a potential young player,” Taufik told state-run news agency Antara. Simon, meanwhile, said he had difficulty controlling his match against Chen, the 2008 All England champion. The defeat was his fourth to the Chinese shuttler. “It was hard to release myself from his pressure, though I have changed my strategy against him,” he said. While Court 3 was good to Indonesia and produced two semifinalists, Court 2 held most of the glamor and danger for high seeds on Friday. China’s Xingfang Xie started the mayhem when the women’s singles fifth seed upset top-seeded Zhou Mi of Hong Kong 21-15, 21-18. Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro followed with another stunning result. The sixth seed knocked off No. 1 seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-16, 14-21, 21-12 to set up a semifinal against Lin Dan of China or Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark, who were still on the court as of press time. Sony was good value for his victory, matching the world No. 1 in smash winners (20 to 18) and holding a clear advantage in net winners (12 to 5). taken from the Jakarta Globe -- http://thejakartaglobe.com/badminton/nova-and-liliyana-spoil-home-crowds-party/324163
This is what LCW have to say about his defeat in QF to SDK....I can feel his sadness...poor LCW...sigh ●李宗偉 我什么方法都試，防守、網前球、扣殺等，就是拿他沒有辦法。我唯有接受這個事實。 輸了就輸了，我沒什麼好說的，真的，自己沒打出最好水平，被索尼壓著打，網前的防守很糟糕，打到最后已經一片空白，感覺自己的打法沒有打出來，很軟，好多機會都沒有把握住。 不是索尼狀態好，是我自己太差。 拿了幾個比賽冠軍，但大賽如奧運會和世界賽就是沒法突破，我也無可奈何。 China Press : link http://www.chinapress.com.my/content_new.asp?dt=2009-08-15&sec=sports&art=0815ssa39a18.txt Translation : I have tried every things, defences, nets, smashes...just can get thru him. I jusst have to accept this reality. A lost is a lost, I have nothing to say, really, I just didnt play what i shd have, and Sony did control the whole match, i cant do any things....my defends and nets were bad, I was totally blanck at the end of the match....I didnt play my game, i was weak at times....didnt utilise most of the chances given.......... Sony was not at his super form, its myself who play very badly...although i managed to win a few international titles, but i still unable to make a break thru for a major title........I am speechless.....dont know what to do...
I don't think any newspaper spell Indonesia as "Indon".. I wanna know where Suetyan get the article said "Indon"
BWF Worlds drawing to a peaceful close.. ..i know it's not officially over and i don't want to jinx anything...But just want to say, eventhough it's not perfect and they had a rough start, the WC organizer and their security personnel have done a commendable job for providing the best security available. http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/531183 ========================================================== Badminton championship peacefully drawing to close Calcutta News.Net Saturday 15th August, 2009 (IANS) Notwithstanding the English team's pull-out and two Austrian players withdrawing from the World Badminton Championships here citing security reasons, the event is drawing to an end without any untoward incident having occurred. The local police heaved a sigh of relief as almost all participating nations were satisfied with the security arrangements and did not 'overreact' like England and even a player and coach from Austria stayed back despite the pull-out by two players. The two Austrian players Wednesday quietly slipped out of the championships, citing apprehensions over security. However, Canadian players stayed back ignoring an advisory from their foreign office to leave India before Independence Day Saturday. 'This shows the confidence the participating teams have in our security arrangements. The pullout of the English team a day before the event had no impact on the championship,' a senior police official told IANS. Over 350 players from 42 countries participated in the seven-day event that comes to an end Sunday. Under the security plan prepared by experts, 1,000 security personnel, including 45 armed guards trained in anti-terror operations, were deployed during the event. The English team returned home last Sunday, a day before the event began, citing security concerns, following a media report that the event faced a threat from terrorists. The central intelligence agencies had warned Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata that terror group Lashker-e-Taiba might carry out attacks on Independence Day, but police here said there was no real threat to the badminton championships. Despite an assurance of foolproof security from Cyberabad police, the English team pulled out and after returning home claimed that the security was 'very lax' and they were not provided armed guards. Dismissing their allegations, a top police official told IANS the players and officials were provided armed guards and they were briefed about the security measures. 'As professionals we know our duties and responsibilities to provide security for an international event of this nature. The security was provided professionally and after going into all the requirements,' Additional Director General of Police (law and order) A.K. Khan told IANS. About the England team officials' statements that they were not impressed with the security, Khan said: 'It is their personal perception. We can't comment on it. Every other team participating in the championship was satisfied with the security arrangements we have made.' 'The security measures that we have taken are standard measures whether in UK, India or any other part of the world,' said Khan, who is also the spokesman for state police. Khan also pointed out that this was not the first time police made security arrangements for an international event. Cyberabad police, under whose jurisdiction the venue of the championship falls, had earlier provided security for the Indian badminton open. It also provided security for the World Military Games, the annual meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Afro-Asian Games and National Games in the past. Khan denied that armed guards were not provided to the English team. 'No. This is not correct. They were provided armed guards at the venue, their place of stay and also during transit. Every security measure need not be and should not be visible,' he said. 'We were fully conscious of the factors that go into planning security for such an international event. It was done keeping in view all the requirements and the English team was also briefed of the same,' the police official said.
Frustrated Rexy feels the hurt of his losing charges Hope both Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif will work harder to achieve success in future tournaments. ======== http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/16/sports/4531115&sec=sports Sunday August 16, 2009 Frustrated Rexy feels the hurt of his losing charges NATIONAL chief coach Rexy Mainaky kicked an A-board in frustration at the Gachibowli Stadium after the agonising exits of men’s doubles pairs Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif from the World Championships yesterday. It was not that he was unhappy with his players but just frustrated with the constant close calls that his players had to endure in international tournaments. He was full of praise for his players yesterday. Instead he shared in the disappointment of his charges over their close defeats. Second seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong went down fighting in a thrilling 21-16, 14-21, 20-22 match to South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung while Fairuzizuan-Zakry were beaten 21-18, 24-22, 15-21 by China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng. “Our players played so well today. They fought for every point, showed great determination but still, the match did not favour them. I feel sad for them,” said Rexy. “Our players are just simply unlucky when it comes to big events. I know, they tried so hard and I am proud of the way they played. “Both our pairs had a good opportunity today to make it an all-Malaysian affair and end the elusive chase for the world title. I just do not know why it just does not happen to the Malaysian players at this stage.” Rexy said that the coaches would take the blame for not fulfilling the promise to return with a gold medal. “The players played their part. It is now time for the coaches to review what had taken place here. We will take stock of what had happened, work on the players and next time, we will try not to miss out on major titles again,” he added. This is the second time that Malaysia had to settled for two bronze medals in the men’s doubles event. Malaysia also ended up with two bronze medals when Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng lost in the semi-finals at Seville in 2001.
Chong Wei still not a solid top player, says Misbun Hopefully, LCW will get his long needed break and come back fresh. ===== http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/16/sports/4530014&sec=sports Sunday August 16, 2009 Chong Wei still not a solid top player, says Misbun WORLD number one Lee Chong Wei’s body was cold when his coach Misbun Sidek hugged him after his shocking men’s singles quarter-final exit in the World Championships at Hyderabad on Friday. And that was the reason for his 16-21, 21-14, 12-21 loss to Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro – Malaysia’s blue-eyed boy of badminton froze at the wrong time. Down and out: Lee Chong Wei tumbles while trying to retrieve a shot by Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the men’s singles quarter-finals on Friday. Sony won 21-16, 14-21, 21-12. — AP But Misbun, disappointed that he has failed yet again to produce a world champion for the country, is confident that Chong Wei will bounce back. “He was quite nervous even before going into the court. The only fear of every top class player is to calm the raging battle within themself and Chong Wei failed to do that,” said Misbun. “After the one-hour battle with Sony, I felt his hands and body. They were cold. He was unable to produce his best form.” Misbun said that Chong Wei burst into tears in the room and kept to himself and even turned down food after the defeat. The loss was unexpected as Chong Wei had the best of preparation, including a 10-day stint in South Korea, while Sony had to juggle between training and his wedding preparation for the whole of last month. In fact, Sony had trained without a coach for a month. “Chong Wei wanted to win so badly especially after the two Malaysian men’s doubles pairs had reached the semi-finals before his match. And that added pressure on him to perform,” said Misbun. “Sony is a tricky player. He waited patiently for Chong Wei to make mistakes. “And it worked as Chong Wei was totally blanked out and did not know how to get back to his normal game.” The outcome of the World Champ*ion*ships showed that Chong Wei is still struggling to stabilise his game as the world number one player. And that to Misbun is understandable. “There is no doubt that Chong Wei is a world class player but he is not as solid as we wanted him to be at the top. “His techniques and skills are there but he has to make the right decision when he is on court and no one can help him on this except himself. And this is not easy for any player in the world.” Even National Sports Institute (NSI) psychologist Frederick Tan, who is also in Hyderabad, had tried his best to keep Chong Wei’s motivation high from the start of the tournament but to no avail. Misbun said he would give Chong Wei the long break he wanted but with a condition attached — the Beijing Olympic Games silver medallist must return to training at his usual best.
Laybourn-Rytter Juhl end long wait for mixed doubles crown DENMARK’s Thomas Laybourn-Kamilla Rytter Juhl took their magical run in the World Championships all the way to lift the first mixed doubles title in 14 years for their country at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad yesterday. And the duo took their time to savour their triumph after beating two-time champions and top seeds Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia 21-13, 21-17 in a lop-sided final. They jumped for joy, rolled on the court and even threw their racquets to the audience. It was the most outstanding result of their careers and they did it magnificently in the championships by taking down all top three pairs in the world. Thomas Laybourn-Kamilla Rytter Juhl continued their fairy-tale run to end Denmark’s 14-year wait for a World Championships mixed doubles title in Hyderabad Sunday. - AP They defeated third seeds Zheng Bo-Ma Jin of China in the quarter-finals and shocked Olympic champions and second seeds Lee Yong-dae-Lee Hyo-jung of South Korea in the semi-finals. Laybourn-Rytter Juhl are the second Danish mixed doubles pair after Thomas Lund-Marlene Thomsen to win a world championship crown. And they ended a six-year wait for a world title for Denmark, who previous success came from the men’s pair of Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen in 2003. Laybourn, who hammered four straight smashes to deliver the winning point yesterday, was over the moon. “I am shocked and still shaking all over. It has been an amazing journey for both of us to end up as world champions today,” he said. “The Indonesians (two-time world champions) were a bit shaky today while we stayed cool and calm. Our main focus was just to enjoy the game. It was certainly the biggest day of our lives.” Rytter Juhl hoped that the win would generate greater interest in the sport in Europe. “This is very good for Danish badminton and also Europe generally. It is not too good for the sport if Asia continued to dominate,” she said. Laybourn-Rytter Juhl hope to ride on their successes and continue to work on fulfilling their dream to take the Olympic gold in London in 2012. Lund, who is now the Badminton World Federation (BWF) chief operating officer, was also jubilant over the success of Laybourn-Rytter Juhl. “It gives me great feeling that the long wait for a mixed doubles title had ended for my country. It will be a boost for the Danish badminton tradition and I feel elated with their achievements today,” he said. http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/17/sports/4533326&sec=sports
Men’s doubles battle provides thrilling finale THE World Championships in Hyderabad could not have asked for a better finale than what they saw in the men’s doubles final yesterday. It ended with China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng emerging as winners over South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung in a classic and explosive match that lasted 75 minutes. The Chinese won the match 21-18, 16-21, 28-26 to lift the title for the second time. It was the longest but arguably the best match of the tournament with both pairs trading blows with their fast, tricky and powerful performances to keep the spectators on the edge of the seats, especially in the decider. The game was so tight that neither sides were behind by more than three points at any stage. The Chinese would come up with a killer smash and the Koreans would reply with another and it went on until they were tied at 26-26. But it was the Koreans who made the mistakes at the end and the Chinese pair hugged each other in great relief and celebration. The victory of Cai Yun-Haifeng certainly made chief coach Li Yongbo a very happy man as China will return home with four of the five titles at stake. Cai Yun, who changed his mind about quitting the sport after the Beijing Olympic Games last August, attributed their win to team work and trust with Haifeng. “We would not have won the title today if not for the great trust we have in each other,” he said. “There are so many tough rivals in badminton and it gives us great pleasure to beat one of them here.” Added Haifeng: “Nothing comes easy in achieving success. And we have worked very hard for this moment. It feels nice to leave this tournament by giving the fans a classic show. There will certainly be more from us.” The 20-year-old Yong-dae was disappointed but was happy that he was able to show what badminton was all about through their match yesterday. “I have failed in my second final in the world championships. It’s disappointing but on the other hand, we are satisfied that we showed the world a good badminton match,” he said. Yong-dae-Jae-sung were the runners-up to Indonesian Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan at the previous championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2007. “We had prepared well and tried really hard but it was never easy to beat this Chinese pair. They played so well today,” said Yong-dae. The 27-year-old Jae-sung said that the defeat had only fuelled the fire in them to take their game to an even higher level. “We have been together for four years now and Yong-dae is more matured now compared to our first outing in the world championships. And our teamwork has been really amazing,” he said. “Our task is to continue showing the world what badminton is all about. We will be out to do well in other tournaments.” http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/17/sports/4533869&sec=sports
Lin Dan attributes hard work to winning record third world title A HESITANT final line call prevented Lin Dan from performing his usual the fist-pumping, army salute and wild celebration antics after winning a big match. But it certainly did not take the shine away from the fact that the Chinese superstar Lin Dan was hailed as the greatest player in the modern era yesterday after becoming the first to win three straight men’s singles world championships title. And he did it in style by beating a stubborn compatriot, Chen Jin, 21-18, 21-16 in power-packed final at the Gachobowli Stadium in Hyderabad. Sorry mate: China’s Lin Dan celebrates a point after compatriot Chen Jin failed to retrieve a shot during the men’s singles final Sunday. Lin Dan won 21-18, 21-16. But his girlfriend, 2005 and 2006 champion Xie Xingfang, failed to emulate his feat to claim a hat-trick, losing 21-23, 12-21 to younger compatriot Lu Lan in the women’s final. In the men’s final, Chen Jin, playing in his first world championship final, made it difficult for Lin Dan and tested his senior with his fast attacking shot and deceptive netplay. But Lin Dan did not lose his composure at all. When Chen Jin piled on the pressure, Lin Dan dug out something to stay ahead with one or two great winners. And only after 14-14 in the second game did Lin Dan finally break away to romp home for the historic win albeit there was a minor confusion over his championship-winning point. The 26-year-old Lin Dan said than the indecisive call by the service line judge was a kill-joy. “I did not celebrate as I was not sure whether I had won it or not. I was a bit confused,” he said. At 16-20, Chen Jin’s serve was called short and then the service line judge changed his mind. The umpire overruled the second decision and declared Lin Dan as the winner. “Still, this is a great experience for me to win the world title for the third time. “I feel very happy and honoured of this achievement today,” said Lin Dan, who was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 championships in Madrid and Kuala Lumpur respectively. “But I would not have felt too bad if Chen Jin had won. After all, the title is for China.” Despite having a long string of titles to his name, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lin Dan refused to be called the genius of the game. “Like everyone else, I have worked very hard and I am here because of that. I won today because Chen Jin and I know each other’s game so well. It was like a practice,” he said. On whether he sees anyone as a worthy opponent to prevent him from dominating world badminton, Lin Dan said: “I still believe that (Lee) Chong Wei will continue to give me tough times.” http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/17/sports/4533556&sec=sports
mas players should learn from him Genius of Yong-dae the key, says Rexy THE excellence of South Korean Lee Yong-dae crushed the hopes of Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong to reach the world championship men’s doubles final. And Malaysia’s doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky hailed the 20-year-old Yong-dae as a gifted player, who is set to break many hearts for a long time. On Saturday, Yong-dae and his 27-year-old partner, Jung Jae-sung, stayed solid in crucial stages to beat the Malaysians 16-21, 21-14, 22-20 in the semi-finals. And Rexy said that he stood in awe over Yong-dae’s charisma and strength. “It must have been very tiring for him in the men’s doubles after having battled in the mixed doubles earlier (with Lee Hyo-jung-jin a 21-18, 9-21, 18-21 defeat by Denmark’s Thomas Laybourn-Kamilla Rytter Juhl),” said Rexy. “But he fought through the tiredness and brought out the best game. He is young but played as though he was so experienced. “His tactical play with Jae-sung was good. He dominated at the net and kept the shuttle low, forcing the Malaysians to lift it high. And Jae-sung just waits at the back to smash it as hard as he could to rattle our players. “Our Malaysians did well to counter their strategy but Yong-dae was always a step better. He made the difference for the Koreans at deuce in the rubber game.” Former All-England champions Yong-dae-Jae-sung will again be among the favourites at the Asian Games in Guangzhou next December. http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/8/17/sports/4532479&sec=sports
Lin Dan believes that Lee Chong Wei will continue to give him tough times . Lin Dan said: “I still believe that (Lee) Chong Wei will continue to give me tough times.” Perhaps now BCers can see what pjswift has been trying to say all along. .
Positive comments.. ..good to hear that from Jae-sung. ..actually a lot, if not all, of BCers have already known & been saying that, at their best, the current top 2 MS players are Lin Dan & LCW. What Lin Dan said is also a sign of his respect for LCW.
Seroulsy, it is just better for Lin Dan to say what he said than to say that there is nobody in the scene right now that can give him any tough times. He is just being nice and respectful, that's all. The only person that can stop Lin Dan's dominance now is LYB and nobody else.
