Nitya Krishinda/Pia Zebadiah was unseeded but they got good draw. BWF/IBF didn't have junior ranking, I feel very strange with some seeded players in this tournament.
This was mentioned in the BWF website. Originally, Tommy Sugiarto and Saina Nehwal were the top seeds in BS and GS. Then, they had redraws for every events. Indeed, I had originally predicted in my earlier post that Nitya/Pia have better draws than the 3/4 seed Lily/Dili. That's why they manage to progress this far. Unfortunately, Mohd Arif Latif/Vountus Indra Mawan have lost to another Korean pair Kim Ki Jung/Lee Jung Hwan in rubber-sets 14-21, 25-23, 17-21. The home pair will face Liu Xiaolong/Li Tian tomorrow. However, Malaysia still has a representative in BD as Lim Khim Wah/Mak Hee Chun have progressed after a straight set victory over an Indian pair. They have the daunting task of beating the top seed Lee Yong Dae/Cho Gun Woo in the semi-final tomorrow.
The girl who beat 2nd seed Lydia Cheah and 5th seed Cheng Wen on consecutive days is this girl: Bae Youn-joo. She just turned 16 two weeks ago on October 26th. Meanwhile, Wang Yihan is up against one of the few girls at the tournament who is taller than her: 180cm Kim Moon-hi. I'm sure all of you saw the photos here but most of them have no captions. This link has the same photos but will let you scroll through them.
Sorry. I was thinking one was beaten by Lee Yong-dae and partner but that was boys' doubles. Still, they did have 4 mixed pairs to start with, but one lost in the first round and the rest made it to the semis.
Actually, here's what it looked like in the stadium on a Sunday afternoon with Korea playing in the team final. The side you can see, with the seats up there above the "2006" banner, was the side facing the scoreboards. From the opposite side, you couldn't see the scoreboard so even fewer people sat over there.
Don't forget the 16-year old Korean girl, Bae Youn-joo, who beat Lydia yesterday? that event mentioned. I've never seen her in action although I've seen both Saina and Lydia. To be able to beat 2nd seed Lydia, Bae must be very good. But my bet is still on Saina.
Semi Final results MIXED DOUBLES 52774/54359 LEE Yong Dae/YOO Hyun Young (KOR/KOR) 1* d 11777/54956 LIU Xialong/LIAO Jingmei (CHN/CHN) 3/4* 21:14,21:9 54951/95281 LI Tian/MA Jin (CHN/CHN) d 54949/14393 HU Wenqing/WANG Xiao Li (CHN/CHN) 3/4* w/o GIRLS SINGLES 53938 WANG Yihan (CHN) 1* d 54357 KIM Moon Hi (KOR) 5/8* 21:16,21:13 52748 NEHWAL Saina (IND) 9/16* d 22455 BAE Youn Joo (KOR) 25:23,21:13
The same thing happened exactly in semi final at the WJC 2004 in WS when Wang Lin lost by walk over to Lu lan ... because Cheng Shaoh Shieh would be her easily if Lu lan was too tired .. but it served to nothing as CSS beat her =p And her it will be the same .. even if they can choose who will meet who .. they won't beat the talented Lee Yong Dae lool
I see others good players too like Pia from INA but following some tournaments results, I choose both player firstly. Lidya lost was understandable, too hard play in team & individual. She was tired after play very well in team. Just problem in MAS badminton is how manage the junior player to be best player. Li Mao & Zhou Mi are there, I think they can help for it.
Impressive results by Saina Nehwal to beat some tough opponent by 2 sets, Jang Soo Young, Liu Jie & Bae Youn Joo. Only against Sylvinna Kurniawan she played in tight 3 sets.
I am happy for Saina Nehwal. I remembered watching her play in the Singapore Open. She has a good chance against Wang Yihan. In the mixed and boy's doubles, it's a no brainer to guess who will be the winner! The girl's doubles winner will be the Chinese pair. The most hotly contested title is undoubtedly the boy', followed by girl's singles. I am betting on either Lu Qicheng or Tommy Sugiarto to win the crown. So, whoever wins today's match should take it!
Semi Final results BOYS SINGLES 53856 HONG Ji Hoon (KOR) 9/16* d 67259 ZHOU Wenlong (CHN) 16:21,21:8,21:19 14587 SUGIARTO Tommy (INA) 3/4* v 53935 LU Qicheng (CHN) 5/8* 21:19,21:16 (in 170 min ??)
