Looks mighty tough.. ..i think their path will depend on their preparation prior to this Japan Open. If they've been training and sparring real hard, just as they did prior to the WC, i think they should maintain their momentum..If not, then it will be tough.. But, yes, it will be mighty hard, nonetheless, esp. if they are to meet KKK & TBH in the Semis..And if they were to win that match, then in most likelihood they'll face FHF & CY in the Finals.. Btw, badMania, do you by any chance have their Head to Head records against their all those opponents??..
They have won both their matches against their team-mate Hendra A. Gunawan/Joko Riyadi this year (official record is 3-0). They beat Chan Chong Ming/Hoon Thien How in the recent China Masters (1-0), while their only loss to Sudket Prapakamol/Pattapol Ngensrisuk was in 2004. The offical record is 1-1, but I think Kido/Hendra did beat the Thai pair several times in 2005 and 2006. Kido/Hendra's record against Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae is 3-1 (sole defeat coming at the Korea Open 2007); while against Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazary/Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif is 1-0. The going gets tougher as it enters the SF. The toughest match will undoubtedly be against Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, having lost 4 times to them (0-4), 2 of them official records while another two was during the Asian Games individual event and a friendly pre-Sudirman Cup matchup against Team Malaysia. As for Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah, it's an even record at 4-4. The official is 4-3, with 1 more loss for Kido/Hendra at the 2005 SEA GAMES Team event. As for records against Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun, it's 3-5. Theofficial record is 2-3, but Kido/Hendra beat Fu/Cai once at the Asian Games 2006 Team event, while Fu/Cai also beat them in the earlier matchup in Doha and one more time at the Invitational World Cup in Yiyang, which ironically was eventually won by Kido/Hendra
Gotcha.. ..thanks for the info, almost down to the minute details; or did you do a research of their records??...nevertheless, you are indeed a Markis Kido & Hendra Hendrawan follower/fan, maybe even biggest supporter..
MK /HS most fear pair will be KKK/TBH If they past the MAS pair, should be all clear for them to win the second title in a row.
This is a great toughening opportunity for M/K. Better to have tough draws now for a good build up to OG08. Sustained survival will mean fearlessness in OG08. Worst exposure is to have easy draws even if it leads to title.
Last year Japan Open MS semifinal round was so exciting showdown, LD vs PG and LCW vs TH. Then LD met TH in finale when TH gave-up easily in third game (what an anti-climax!). How about this year?! Nobody can predict it exactly, who knows Boonsak,Sony or another underdog will shine here. If LD grab the title once again, he will create hat-trick in this tourney. INA's Ardy B. Wiranata almost did it, 1991-1992 and 1994 (unfortunately he failed in 1993 when Haryanto Arbi won it).
Well, considering that late 2004 was the year they were first exposed to higher ranked tourneys and they did not enter All-England only until last year, it is definitely MORE UPS THAN DOWNS! 3 titles in 2005 (4* ABC, 6* INA Open, SEA Games Indiv Event) 3 titles in 2006 (6* HKG and China Opens+the invitational World Cup) 1 title in 2007 (the World Championships) Plus a string of silvers and bronzes in the past 3-4 years.
Certainly, getting the WC is a start and should relieve them of some pressure to get a title this year. Winning the tough matches will undoubtedly bolster their confidence and mean that they fear NO ONE next year.
KKK/TBH, after 1 year, are back where they first started Hey Shifty, Remember that KKK/TBH created BIG NEWS@Japan Open 2006, where they first started. Here is an article from NST, Malaysia... ============ start article ============ Badminton: Top pair back where it all started By : K.M. Boopathy 10-September-2007 Koo Kien Keat (front) and Tan Boon Heong. THE badminton fraternity first witnessed the potential of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong as world beaters in last year’s Japan Open and the Malaysian pair, presently struggling, can get their act together again and bounce back at the same tournament which begins today in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Last year’s Japan Open was a trial event for Kien Keat-Boon Heong before national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky decided to pair them off permanently and the badminton world soon took notice of their immense talent. Unseeded last year, the pair scalped several big names but eventually fell to the Indonesian-American combination of Candra Wijaya-Tony Gunawan in the final. They took the international scene by storm after that loss. Kien Keat-Boon Hong went on to win the Doha Asian Games gold in December and chalked up regular big wins after that. They went on to clinch the Malaysia Open, All England and the Swiss Open before things went awry. Kien Keat, 22, and Boon Heong, 20, failed to live up to their new-found supremacy when complacency set in. Their performances started to drop and their breathtaking attacking style lost its sting. There was a temporary upswing when Kien Keat-Boon Heong won the Philippines in July but this was followed by a disasterous outing in the World Championships at home last month where they were sent packing by unheralded Japanese pair Shuichi Sakamoto-Shintaro Ikeda in the quarter-finals. Their road to redemption has to start early as the Beijing Olympics is just 11 months away and Kien Keat-Boon Heong should make a strong impact in Japan. The Kedah Open which ended in Alor Star on Saturday, should have been a good tune-up for Kien Keat-Boon Heong before the tougher battle in Tokyo. They struggled in the first two rounds in Kedah, including a hard-earned three-game victory over national teammates Gan Teik Chai-Lin Woon Fui in the last eight, before securing a comprehensive two-game victory over in-form veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in the final. In Japan, Kien Keat-Boon Heong begin their quest against compatriots Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock before an expected second round clash against Indonesians Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto. If the Malaysian pair advance, the crunch match is expected to be the encounter against compatriots Tan Fook-Wan Wah in the last eight, the winners of which will come up against newly crowned world champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the semi-finals, and a possible final showdown against top seeds Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China. Winning the Japan Open will be small consolation for their World Championships disappointment but what is important is their urgency to regain the advantage they enjoyed just five months ago. This will be important in their quest to win Malaysia’s first Olympics gold in Beijing next year. Lee Chong Wei, who has proved again that he is peerless on the local scene by winning the Kedah Open, needs a good run in Japan to regain the public’s faith in him after his poor performance in the World Championships. Chong Wei will continue where he left off in the Kedah Open as he will meet compatriot Hafiz Hashim, whom he beat in the final, for the second time in three days when they meet again in the first round of the Japan Open. Chong Wei, if his easy straight-games win in Alor Star is anything to go by, should triumph again to set up a second round meeting with Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia who dumped the Malaysian at the same stage of the World Championships. Anything beyond the semi-finals, where he is tipped to face two-time world champion Lin Dan of China, may not be enough to win back the faith of the Malaysian fans. ============ end article ============
not tat bad... but if comparing wit kkk/tbh... 2006: Japan Open (1st Runner-up) Asian Games (Individual Event Winner) 2007: Malaysian Open SS (Winner) Korean Open SS (Winner) All England SS (Winner) Swiss Open SS (Winner) BAC (1st Runner-up) Singaporean Open SS (1st KO) Indonesian Open SS (Semi-Finalist) Phillipines Open GP (Winner) 16th WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Quarter-Finalist) lots of ups and downs...... wonder bout JO then...
