YONEX-SUNRISE BWF World Super Series Masters Finals 2009 - Chong Wei leads Malaysia's charge

World No 1 Lee Chong Wei will lead Malaysia’s charge for the richest prize money event in badminton when the YONEX-SUNRISE BWF World Super Series Masters Finals 2009 on gets underway on 2 December in Johor, Malaysia.

But out to stop him will be a strong cast comprising Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat, China’s Bao Chunlai and Europe’s flag bearers Peter Gade and Jan Jorgensen of Denmark. ss-finals-gade

The Masters Finals is the climax of the 12-leg Super Series circuit and offers total prize money of US$500,000 with the winner of the men’s singles and women’s singles pocketing USD40,000 each while the winning pairs in the doubles will be richer by US$42,000 each.



The top eight ranked players/pairs in the Super Series ranking qualify for the Finals. This, however, is limited to a maximum of two entries per event per Member Association.



“We are delighted that a strong field of top players have confirmed their participation in the Masters Finals and I’m confident badminton fans will be in for a treat in Johor Bahru,” said Badminton World Federation Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lund.



“While it’s disappointing that a few players and pairs are unable to compete, the Masters Finals has attracted a very strong field.”



Rounding up the men’s singles line up are Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana, former Asian champion Park Sung Hwan and Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Yu Hsin.



Due to their national commitments in the East Asian Games and South East Asian Games, China’s Lin Dan and Indonesia’s Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan will skip the Johor event.



The Indonesian’s absence, however, will be hardly felt as the two in-form pairs in the world – Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Korea’s Lee Yong Dae-Jung Jae Sung have confirmed their participation.



Malaysia have another reason to cheer as Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari have also qualified for the Masters Finals and will be looking to end the year on a winning note.



Denmark’s Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen and England’s Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson will be out to spoil an Asian party and given their form, pose a real threat to the favourites. ss-finals-leelee



Olympic champions Lee Yong Dae-Lee Hyo Jung have also confirmed their place in the mixed doubles and will be eager to continue their winning momentum after bagging the Hong Kong Open last week.



LIST OF QUALIFIERS:



Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei (MAS), Peter Gade (DEN), Park Sung Hwan (KOR), Bao Chunlai (CHN), Taufik Hidayat (INA), Jan Jorgensen (DEN), Boonsak Ponsana (THA), Hsieh Yu Hsin (TPE).



Men’s doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (MAS), Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (DEN), Lee Yong Dae-Jung Jae Sung (KOR), Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson (ENG), Guo Zhendong-Xu Chen (CHN), Alvent Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan (INA),Rian Sukmawan-Yonathan Dasuki (INA), Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari (MAS).



Women’s singles: Pi Hongyan (FRA), Saina Nehwal (IND), Lu Lan (CHN), Salakjit Ponsana (THA), Yao Jie (NED), Nicole Grether (GER), Juliane Schenk (GER), Kim Moon Hi (KOR).



Women’s doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui (MAS), Ha Jung Eun-Kim Min Jung (KOR), Lee Hyo Jung-Lee Kyung Won (KOR), Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin (TPE), Gabrielle White-Jenny Wallwork (ENG), Duang Anong Aroonkesorn-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (THA), Lena Frier Kristiansen-Christina Pedersen (DEN), Nicole Grether-Charmaine Reid (GER-CAN).



Mixed doubles: Lee Yong Dae-Lee Hyo Jung (KOR), Joachin Fisher Nielsen-Christina Pedersen (DEN), Songphon Anugritayawon-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (THA), Ko Sung Hyun-ha Jung Eun (KOR), V. Diju-Jwala Gutta (IND), Anthony Clark-Donna Kellogg (ENG), Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam (THA), Robert Mateusiak-Nadiezda Kostiuczk (POL).

Source : www.internationalbadminton.org

BWF Super Series Ranking - last updated November 22, 2009

Mens Singles >>
1. Chong Wei LEE [MAS]
2. Peter Hoeg GADE [DEN]
3. Simon SANTOSO [INA]
4. Dan LIN [CHN]
5. Jin CHEN [CHN]
6. Sung Hwan PARK [KOR]
7. Sony Dwi KUNCORO [INA]
8. Chunlai BAO [CHN]
9. Taufik HIDAYAT [INA]
10.Jan O JORGENSEN [DEN]
11.Boonsak PONSANA [THA]
12.Yan Kit CHAN [HKG]
13.Yu Hsin HSIEH [TPE]
14.Andrew SMITH [ENG]
15.Joachim PERSSON [DEN]

Womens Singles >>
1. Yihan WANG [CHN]
2. Hongyan PI [FRA]
3. Lin WANG [CHN]
4. Tine RASMUSSEN [DEN]
5. Saina NEHWAL [IND]
6. Mi ZHOU [HKG]
7. Yanjiao JIANG [CHN]
8. Lan LU [CHN]
9. Adrianti FIRDASARI [INA]
10.Salakjit PONSANA [THA]
11.Petya NEDELCHEVA [BUL]
12.Pui Yin YIP [HKG]
13.Jie YAO [NED]
14.Xin WANG [CHN]
15.Ai GOTO [JPN]

Mens Doubles >>
1. Kien Keat KOO/Boon Heong TAN [MAS]
2. Markis KIDO/Hendra SETIAWAN [INA]
3. Mathias BOE/Carsten MORGENSEN [DEN]
4. Jae Sung JUNG/Yong Dae LEE [KOR]
5. Lars PAASKE/Jonas RASMUSSEN [DEN]
6. Anthony CLARK/Nathan ROBERTSON [ENG]
7. Zhendong GUO/Xu CHEN [CHN]
8. Alvent Yulianto CHANDRA/Hendra Aprida GUNAWAN [INA]
9. Muhammad AHSAN/Bona SEPTANO [INA]
10.Yun CAI/Haifeng FU [CHN]
11.Kenichi HAYAKAWA/Kenta KAZUNO [JPN]
12.Mohd Zakry ABDUL LATIF/Mohd Fairuzizuan MOHD TAZARI [MAS]
13.Chieh Min FANG/Sheng Mu LEE [TPE]
14.Tan Fook CHOONG/Wan Wah LEE [MAS]
15.Michal LOGOSZ/Robert MATEUSIAK [POL]

Womens Doubles >>
1. Eei Hui CHIN/Pei Tty WONG [MAS]
2. Shu CHENG/Yunlei ZHAO [CHN]
3. Jung Eun HA/Min Jung KIM [KOR]
4. Jing DU/Yang (F) YU [CHN]
5. Jin MA/Xiaoli WANG [CHN]
6. Hyo Jung LEE/Kyung Won LEE [KOR]
7. Wen Hsing CHENG/Yu Chin CHIEN [TPE]
8. Shendy Puspa IRAWATi/Meiliana JAUHARI [INA]
9. Nitya Krishinda MAHESWARI/Greysia POLII [INA]
10.Jenny WALLWORK/Gabrielle WHITE [ENG]
11.Yawen ZHANG/Tingting ZHAO [CHN]
12.Duanganong AROONKESORN/Kunchala VORAVICHITCHAIKUL [THA]
13.Lena FRIER KRISTIANSEN/Kamilla RYTTER JUHL [DEN]
14.Nicole GRETHER [GER]/Charmaine REID [CAN]
15.Pan PAN/Qing TIAN [CHN]

Mixed Doubles >>
1. Nova WIDIANTO/Liliyana NATSIR [INA]
2. Yong Dae LEE/Hyo Jung LEE [KOR]
3. Joachim FISHER NIELSEN/Christina PEDERSEN [DEN]
4. Bo ZHENG/Jin MA [CHN]
5. Songphon ANUGRITAYAWON/Kunchala VORAVICHITCHAIKUL [THA]
6. Sung Hyun KO/Jung Eun HA [KOR]
7. Diju V/Jwala GUTTA [IND]
8. Hanbin HE/Yang (F) YU [CHN]
9. Devin Lahardi FITRIAWAN/Lita NURLITA [INA]
10.Anthony CLARK/Donna KELOGG [ENG]
11.Sudket PRAPAKAMOL/Saralee THOUNGTHONGKAM [THA]
12.Robert MATEUSIAK/Nadiezda KOSTIUCZYK [POL]
13.Zhongbo XIE/Yawen ZHANG [CHN]
14.Hendra Aprida GUNAWAN/Vita MARISSA [INA]
15.Chris ADCOCK/Gabrielle WHITE [ENG]
5.

CHINA SUPER SERIES 2009 - FINAL RESULT

Mixed Doubles >>
Yong Dae LEE/Hyo Jung LEE [KOR][1] vs Bo ZHENG/Jin MA [CHN][2] :
21-18 15-21 21-15 in 1 hours 16 minutes

Mens Singles >>
Jorgensen JAN [DEN] vs Dan LIN [CHN][2] :
12-21 12-21 in 37 minutes

Womens Doubles >>
Qing TIAN/Yawen ZHANG [CHN][6] vs Jing DU/Yang YU [CHN][2] :
21-14 21-14 in 53 minutes

Womens Singles >>
Yanjiao JIANG [CHN][6] vs Xin WANG [CHN] :
21-19 22-20 in 40 minutes

Mens Doubles >>
Kien Keat KOO/Boon Heong TAN [MAS][1] vs Jae Sung JUNG/Yong Dae LEE [KOR][2] :
13-21 21-19 18-21 in 1 hours 16 minutes

BWF World Ranking [MS]- last updated November 19, 2009

Top 25 of Mens Singles >>
1. Chong Wei LEE [MAS] : 82971.06
2. Dan LIN [CHN] : 71344.58
3. Taufik HIDAYAT [INA] : 65060
4. Peter Hoeg GADE [DEN] : 63455.18
5. Jin CHEN [CHN] : 60880
6. Simon SANTOSO [INA] : 55040.04
7. Sung Hwan PARK [KOR] : 53926.67
8. Chunlai BAO [CHN] : 52480
9. Sony DWI KUNCORO [INA] : 52392.04
10.Tien Minh NGUYEN [VIE] : 50310
11.Long CHEN [CHN] : 48240
12.Jan O JORGENSEN [DEN] : 47307.81
13.Choong Hann WONG [MAS] : 46340
14.Boonsak PONSANA [THA] : 44571.75
15.Yan Kit CHAN [HKG] : 42262.6
16.Joachim PERSSON [DEN] : 39430.4873
17.Yu Hsin HSIEH [TPE] : 39230
18.Yun Hu [HKG] : 37910
19.Dicky PALYAMA [NED] : 37806.64
20.Kenichi TAGO [JPN] : 37461.6
21.Chetan ANAND [IND] : 37009
22.Muhammad Hafiz HASHIM [MAS] : 36900
23.Rajiv OUSEPH [ENG] : 36063.33
24.Marc ZWIELBER [GER] : 35428.45
25.Przemyslaw WACHA [POL] : 33460.5971

CHINA SUPER SERIES 2009 - SEMIFINAL RESULT

Mens Singles >>
Jorgensen JAN [DEN] vs Jin CHEN [CHN][4] : 11-21 21-18 22-20
Sung Hwan PARK [KOR][6] vs Dan LIN [CHN][2] : 10-21 11-21

Womens Singles >>
Shixian WANG [CHN] vs Yanjiao JIANG [CHN][6] : 17-21 14-21
Xuerui LI [CHN] vs Xin WANG [CHN] : 19-21 19-21

Mens Doubles >>
Kien Keat KOO/Boon Heong TAN [MAS][1] vs Hong Ling CHEN/Yu Lang LIN [TPE] : 21-15 21-13
Mathias BOE/Carsten MORGENSEN [DEN][4] vs Jae Sung JUNG/Yong Dae LEE [KOR][2] : 16-21 21-19 21-23

Womens Doubles >>
Qing TIAN/Yawen ZHANG [CHN][6] vs Eei Hui CHIN/Pei Tty WONG [MAS][3] : 21-17 21-8
Jin MA/Xiaoli WANG [CHN][4] vs Jing DU/Yang YU [CHN][2] : 20-22 18-21

Mixed Doubles >>
Yong Dae LEE/Hyo Jung LEE [KOR][1] vs Songphon ANUGRITAYAWON/Kunchala VORAVICHITCHAIKUL [THA][7] : 21-13 20-22 21-15
Nan ZHANG/Yunlei ZHAO [CHN] vs Bo ZHENG/Jin MA [CHN][2] : Walkover - Bo ZHENG/Jin MA win

SCHEDULE FOR FINAL [11/22]
Starting at 1:00 PM
Mixed Doubles >> Yong Dae LEE/Hyo Jung LEE [KOR][1] vs Bo ZHENG/Jin MA [CHN][2]
Mens Singles >> Jorgensen JAN [DEN] vs Dan LIN [CHN][2]
Womens Doubles >> Qing TIAN/Yawen ZHANG [CHN][6] vs Jing DU/Yang YU [CHN][2]
Womens Singles >> Yanjiao JIANG [CHN][6] vs Xin WANG [CHN]
Mens Doubles >> Kien Keat KOO/Boon Heong TAN [MAS][1] vs Jae Sung JUNG/Yong Dae LEE [KOR][2]

Prediction :
Mixed Doubles >> Yong Dae LEE/Hyo Jung LEE [KOR][1] vs Bo ZHENG/Jin MA [CHN][2] : 45-55
Mens Singles >> Jorgensen JAN [DEN] vs Dan LIN [CHN][2] : 45-55
Womens Doubles >> Qing TIAN/Yawen ZHANG [CHN][6] vs Jing DU/Yang YU [CHN][2] : 50-50
Womens Singles >> Yanjiao JIANG [CHN][6] vs Xin WANG [CHN] : 60-40
Mens Doubles >> Kien Keat KOO/Boon Heong TAN [MAS][1] vs Jae Sung JUNG/Yong Dae LEE [KOR][2] : 50-50

LI-NING CHINA OPEN 2009 - Jorgensen gets his 'Wei'

No easy day for the top seeds – Wang Yihan was very close to losing while Lee Chong Wei was upset by Jan Jorgensen of Denmark in the first round of the Li-Ning China Open in Shanghai.

“I knew it was in me. But today’s victory is just unbelievable. I used to look up at these amazing players when I was a kid, but now, I have to realise I have become one of them,” said Jorgensen.

And the Dane was as happy as one can be after his first round of the Li-Ning China Open held in Shanghai. ChinaOpen-D1-wang

“It wasn’t a good draw at all for me, but on the other hand, I knew that he could be tired after his victory in Hong Kong Last week, so I took all my chances,” added Jorgensen.

The Dane got off to a flying start with an impressive 21/6 first game pocketed in no time. Chong Wei didn’t seem so frustrated but put on the higher gear in the second game that he won 21/13. All seemed back onto the normal track but the third game once again showed Jorgensen’s talent.

Early on the shuttle, relying on a good defense while the Malaysian wasn’t as accurate with his attacks, Jorgensen took an important lead in the decider – he was quickly leading 12/5.The public was cheering for Lee Chong Wei when he caught back to 16/18 but this wasn’t to be enough – the world’s best was sent packing in three games 6/21 – 21/13 – 17/21.

“I think that I had proven in the past that I could take games or win against players like him. Now, if I beat the world number one, it does show that I can win many more matches against the top players. I’m playing great at the moment and this win is definitely going to boost my confidence,” he added.

The Young Dane may have been expecting to play Dutchman Eric Pang, but instead of that it will be France’s Brice Leverdez, who created an upset over his neighbour, winning in an easy 21/6 – 21/13 success, giving France its first success in the men’s singles of a Super Series event since Lo Ying Ping had entered the second round in the French Open last year. ChinaOpen-D1-yihan

If Park Sung Hwan had a sweet and easy revenge over Chan Yan Kit of Hong Kong – the latter had ousted the Korean in Hong Kong last week – other seeds had much more difficult times: Chen Jin struggled with three long games to beat Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk while Sony Dwi Kuncoro had to go the full distance to beat an inspired Andrew Smith of England, 23/21– 14/21 – 21/16.

Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai delighted the home crowd with the big match for China, past 11 PM, but as expected the Olympic Champion beat his taller opponent in straight games 21/12 – 21/19 with obviously some fun rallies played by the two friends where Lin Dan practiced his dives and retrieves to the fans’ delight.

Leverdez’s success was good news for France as his compatriot Pi Hongyan, who usually gets France’s flag flying in International competition was sent home early by youngster Wang Shixian in one of the upsets of the day.

Pi could only manage to get a close second game, but apart from that, the Sichuan born Pi could not match Wang’s pace and went down 12/21 – 21/19 – 12/21 after one hour of fight. Wang Yihan could have been upset as well as the top seed, originally from Shanghai, was all but serene against Korea’s Bae Seung Hee.

After losing easily the first game, she was back at one game all but trailed most of the third game, where the tiny Korean made her work for her points. At 19/19, the Korea wasted her chance to score, putting her smash wide and giving her opponents a first – and decisive match point as Wang converted it right away.

“I was lucky on the last two points because I didn’t play well then. My shots were not accurate nor precise, but fortunately, she didn’t take advantage of it. Maybe she was too eager to win. As for me, I think I was both a bit tired and stressed to play here in China” said Wang. She will take on Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia in the next round.

Wang Chen, from Hong Kong but born in Shanghai will have plenty of time to visit friends and family : the 8th seed was also edged out by qualifier Li Xuerui in straight games – the latter spent so little time and energy on court that she actually ran to shake hands with both the umpire and the service judge. Yao Jie – thought out of the tournament after her walkover last week in Hong Kong but still in Shanghai – was also beaten in the first round, by another young Chinese – Xia Jingyuan.
Source : www.internationalbadminton.org

LI-NING CHINA OPEN 2009 - Final countdown begins for SS Finals

The Li-Ning China Open which kicked off in Shanghai this Tuesday with the qualification rounds will be the last chance for a player or pair to earn points to qualify for Super Series finals to be held in Johor Baru, Malaysia, from December 2-6.
One last chance to make the cut. That what was probably on the mind of players who flew from Hong Kong to Shanghai, this week end, during the short flight that took them from Hong Kong to China’s fashion capital – Shanghai.
Several players and pairs are already assured of their ticket for the US$500 000 Finals, but some will need to perform well in China this week to make it into the top 8 of the dedicated ranking – which takes in account only the points given in the 12-leg Super Series.
If Peter Gade, Lee Chong Wei, and Lin Dan are already assured of travelling to Johor Baru, other big names may not. Taufik Hidayat is only 500 points ahead of Park Sung Hwan and less than a thousand ahead of his compatriot Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
As the 2004 Olympic champion is not travelling to China this week, he could see his closest rivals overtake him and qualify. It’s especially true of Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who could be the second – and last – Indonesian to qualify should he reach a higher stage.
In order to do that, he will have to beat Andrew Smith of England, then, either Shon Wan Ho of Korea or Arvind Bhat of India before facing Chen Jin, who is the No 4 seed.
However, Indonesians have yet to confirm whether they will be participating in the Finals after their governing body enhanced the importance of the upcoming SEA Games.
For Park Sung Hwan, 6thseed, and currently 9th on the Super Series Ranking, his first round might be crucial – even if the fact that three Chinese are ahead of him, he might get him into the invitation list for the finals.
But the odds are such that the Korean will be facing his direct opponent Chan Yan Kit of Hong Kong, 10th on the Super Series Ranking, and who ended the Korean’s run in Hong Kong last week. It will be revenge time for the Korean.
Top seed Lee Chong Wei will also have a tough first round in the name of Jan Jorgensen, the new jewel of Denmark – the first player in over 10 years to have beaten Peter Gade on the International stage.
Jorgensen will have had a little more time to rest as he was ousted earlier in the Hong Kong Open last week while Chong Wei had to go the full distance – clinching the gold medal on Sunday.
Amongst the other mouth watering starters, the two friends Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai were drawn to play each other in the worst possible draw for China. Kenichi Tago, meant to play Simon Santoso, as well as Hafiz Hashim, Kuan Beng Hong all withdrew from the tournament as did Gade and Hidayat.
Tine Rasmussen, who is also assured of participating in the Finals, heads to Shanghai with some video footage to look at – she was present in the Hong Kong Final Open, in the stands, recording the match between Wang Yihan and Jiang Yanjiao.
She could be meeting again Wang in the final as they are both top seeds on either side of the draw. Rasmussen starts her tournament with Ai Goto, the ever running Japanese, while the worst draw for the seeded players is awarded to Pi Hongyan, 5th seeds and meant to play one of the two uprising “Wangs” – Shixian – in the first round.
If the 8 players are almost set to be picked, the only one hoping for a last minute chance would be Salakjit Ponsana, but the tiny Thai has to face Jiang Yanjiao in the first round. But new faces could be appearing as it is usually the case in China events.
This Tuesday, youngster Li Xueri could be one of them as she qualified for the main draw to face Wang Chen, representing Hong Kong but originally from Shanghai. Zhou Mi will not participate in the event.
The Chinese couldn’t hope for a worse draw in the men’s doubles as well – the first round will see Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng take on their partners Guo Zhengdong and Xu Chen. And, as if seeing the best two pairs of the same country play each other in the first round wasn’t bad enough, the two pairs are hand in hand in the race for the Super Series qualification, at 9th and 8th spots respectively.
This means that, no matter what, China will have only one men’s doubles pair in Johor Baru. Should Cai and Fu make it to the quarter final, they are likely to play against Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae of Korea, winner last week in Hong Kong.
Korea’s in luck as the new pairing of Cho Gun Who and Shin Baek Chol will not have to face Malaysia’s Zakry Abdul Latif and Faruzizuan Tazari as the latter withdrew as did some of their compatriots. Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan will have another chance at getting even with Alvent Yulianto and Chandra, who beat them last week – the two pairs are meant to meet in the quarter finals.
Top seeds Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong start of their Li-Ning China Open against the young Chinese duo of Liu Xiaolong and Xiu Zihan.
If the women’s doubles is usually a done deal for China, this should be even more true this week, as no less than 14 pairs from mainland China have entered the draw. Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei are top seeds and could face either compatriots Zhang/Tian in the quarter, or Korea’s Kim/Park.
Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty have been quite lucky with the draw, with only one out of the 14 pairs in their quarters. Their strongest opponents should be either India’s Ashwini Ponnappa/Jwala Gutta or England’s Jenny Wallwork/Gabrielle White.
For Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung, this event will be the perfect way to get even with Indonesia’s Fran Kurniawan and Pia Zabedah Bernadet, who had stunned the Olympic champions last week : they will play each other in the first round.
The only seeded team to have withdrawn is Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen, but all eyes will be on Liliyana Natsir and her new partner Devin Lahardi who replaces the evergreen Nova Widianto.
Source : www.internationalbadminton.org

Polish stunner

Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiucyz made a stunning impression by clinching their first ever Super Series title over double world champions Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir while Lee Chong Wei also signaled his return with a bang.

Six months ago, Nadiezda Kostiuczyk was at home, doing nothing. And hating to sit around while she could have been practicing as hard as ever, but a second hip injury performed in March meant she was to wait a little while longer before she could resume training – she had been out since the 2008 Olympics with a recurrent injury which forbade her to play.

Little did she know that she would enjoy an amazing evening in Hong Kong, less than 6 months after her second operation, she would be stepping on the highest step of a Super Series podium for the first time in her career.

The Polish pair of Mateusiak and Kostiuczyk were facing Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir – a pair they had never beaten in the past. Yet, Mateusiak thought they had their chances. “First of all, we talked about it and realized that except for one exception, we had never lost any finals before and even if those were not Super Series final, we took it as a good sign.

“Secondly, we had beaten this week the English pair of(Donna) Kellogg and (Anthony) Clark – even if he was obviously tired after his men’s doubles – but it was the first time, so, we believed we had our chances today,” hinted Mateusiak.

“For me, playing again is just amazing and like a lot of other people who have come back from injury, I am just happy to be on court and to be able to play. I do not take it for granted anymore, and then, it takes off the pressure from our shoulders,” added Nadiezda.

The Poles stayed very focus and were more consistent than their opponents throughout the game. The key of the match was certainly when the Indonesians led 20/18 and failed to convert. Instead, the Polish got back and scooped the first game 22/20.

It was then a whole different story. “They started feeling insecure; we could feel it after the first game. It’s was really the turning point I think,” said Mateusiak, still excited few minutes after the match.

The second game was even until 10/10, but with no real solution for the Indonesians, they lost track in the second part of the game, letting the Polish pair up by 6 points – the gap was then too big and Mateusiak kept hitting hard from the back while Kostiuczyk worked wonders at the net.

On their second match point, they scored for their first ever Super Series win, falling into each other’s arms while the fans were stunned.

Denmark was hoping for two Golds in Hong Kong. They will leaving the city with two silver instead as the world ranking was respected in both the singles and the doubles. There was not much difference between Peter Gade and Lee Chong Wei, but the Malaysian played a bit better at key points, on top of being lucky.

“In the third game, I was leading 3/0 and he came back thanks to three lucky shots with one behind his back. It could have gone the other way then and made a difference. But Chong Wei is one of the two best players in the world right now with Lin Dan, and I proved that I was not that far this week. I still have the motivation in me to win the big ones and I am overall satisfied with my performance this week. Now I need to get back to my family whom I miss and get ready to compete in the Super Series finals,” said Gade, after his 13/21 – 21/13 – 16/21 loss to the Malaysian.

Same fate with Jonas Rasmussen and Lars Paaske, who were mentioning the night before how one result from a teammate could affect the performance of the others competing the same day. It turned out to be true on Sunday as they failed to take their first title since the Yonex Japan Open 2008.

The first game against Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung went smoothly for the Danes, who applied the tactic which had seen the mighty Koreans not winning a medal in the Olympics last year. But after a fragile start, the Korean duo started getting back into the game, thanks to some inspired shots by Yong Dae on top of the power delivered by Jae Sung.

The second game went Korea’s way and the decider was a one sided story for the title holders, with Lee and Jung ending their journey in Hong Kong with a 13/21 – 21/15 – 21/8 success.

China clinched the other two titles, as expected as it was all China girls involved In the other finals. Wang Yihan was delighted to beat Jiang Yanjiao in 39 minutes with a score of 21/13 – 21/15, showing what kind of form she’s in few days before her home event in Shanghai – the city she was born in.

Olympic Champions Du Jing and Yu Yang, on their hand, failed to deliver in spite of being higher ranked than their compatriots Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli. After a beautiful battle, the youngsters took it 16/21 – 21/19 -21/12.

The Chinese will all be present in this week’s China Open, including Lin Dan, while some of the heroes of this year’s Hong Kong open will go home, such as Taufik and Peter Gade, who will meet again before the end of the year for the Super Series finals.
Source : www.internationalbadminton.org

Sempurnanya Novak Djokovic

Paris - Untuk kali pertama Novak Djokovic mencapai final Paris Masters. Lajunya mantap dan Rafael Nadal yang ditaklukkan di semifinal pun angkat topi. Tak keliru jika Djokovic menyebut dirinya tampil sempurna.

Setelah pekan lalu menyungkurkan Roger Federer di final Swiss Indoors pekan lalu, Djokovic meneruskan laju okenya di Paris. Si petenis rangking tiga dunia melaju mulus sampai final Paris Masters untuk menghadapi Gael Monfils.

Monfils yang rangking 15 dunia boleh jadi di atas kertas akan jadi underdog saat menghadapi Djokovic. Namun, karena Monfils yang kelahiran Prancis tampil di depan publiknya sendiri, fans di Bercy niscaya ada di belakangnya.

Meski begitu, Djokovic juga dalam tingkat kepercayaan diri tinggi bermodal penampilan gemilangnya saat menghadapi Nadal di partai semifinal. Saat itu Djokovic tampil dominan untuk menang 6-2 dan 6-3.

"Tak ada banyak hal yang bisa dikatakan tentang penampilan hari ini kecuali itu sempurna, Anda tahu, tepat seperti yang aku inginkan," ucap Djokovic ceria di Reuters.

"Aku mencetak angka dari seluruh bagian lapangan dan benar-benar berusaha menjaga momentum itu berjalan sepanjang pertandingan," simpulnya.

Nadal yang belum pernah meraih gelar lagi usai menundukkan Djokovic di final Roma Masters bulan Mei lalu pun mengakui kekalahannya dikarenakan si petenis Serbia tampil luar biasa.

"Aku tidak bermain buruk, tapi permainannya tak dapat dipercaya. Sangat sulit buatku untuk mengalahkannya saat dia bermain di level itu, terutama dalam lapangan indoor yang cepat," puji Nadal.

Nadal yang sudah tersingkir kini setidaknya bisa fokus ke persiapannya guna berlaga di World Tour Finals di London pada 22-29 November depan. Untuk itu, Nadal pun tak mau terlalu diberati oleh kekalahan telaknya atas Djokovic.

"Aku menuntaskan turnamen ini dengan lebih baik ketimbang saat aku memulainya. Kepercayaan diriku takkan pupus karena aku kalah 2-6, 3-6 dari Djokovic," lugas Nadal di Yahoosports.

Source : www.detiksport.com

Chong Wei looking for first Hong Kong title

Lee Chong Wei trounced Bao Chunlai to enter the final of the YONEX-SUNRISE Hong Kong Open on Saturday evening. He will meet Peter Gade on Sunday, for a clash which will give a first time Hong Kong Open winner as neither one have won the event before.

In spite of the home support, Bao Chunlai will not get his revenge of the French Open against Peter Gade. The tall Chinese was beaten in straight games by a boiling Lee Chong Wei, back at his best. The surprise came with the score – 21/17 – 21/12, which was explained by the amazing start from the Malaysian.

Picking the side of the court with the wind on the back, Chong Wei knew that the first game was going to be difficult. But he managed to keep ahead in spite of the court disadvantage.

“I knew I had to play at net level and not lift anything as I would get punished. I was ready to lose the first game, but once I managed to win it, I knew I would win as I was going to play on the easier side after,” said Chong Wei.

The second game, as expected was a one man show for the Malaysian, who looked sharp and very quick on his feet, while Bao was often late on the shuttles, and sending his clears way wide at the rear of the court.

Chong Wei was in full confidence and rolled on to an easy 21/12 victory in the second. “I didn’t expect such an easy victory, really. I feel good and my knee injury is gone. I will now meet Peter Gade in the final. I know it will be a tough match as he is also very experienced and knows to play in difficult conditions. It will be a mental game,” said the Malaysian, who had met Gade twice at the beginning of the year – he had won in Malaysia before losing in Korea.

Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk were the other big winners of the evening session when they upset Taipei’s Fang Chieh Min and Wang Pei Rong.

The match was a delight to watch with its share of suspense towards the end, when the Poles saved three match points before turning into gold – or silver - their only one. They will be meeting Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir who had taken care of their compatriots Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Vita Marissa earlier in the day in what appeared to be a friendly and fun match rather than a Super Series semi-final.

The men’s doubles should be exciting as well, with Denmark’s Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen taking on Korea’s Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae, with quite a good record for the Europeans against the mighty Koreans.

Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung beat Indonesia’s Chandra and Alven Yulianto in straight games for the last match of the day. Before that, Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli secured a final showdown against Du Jing and Yu Yang, and Wang Yihan beat Wang Xin in a very entertaining game.
Source : www.internationalbadminton.org