SOUTH KOREA END JINX FOR FIRST UBER CUP CROWN

KUALA LUMPUR (15 MAY 2010) – South Korea ended their Uber Cup jinx in style when they dethroned China 3-1 in the final of the 23rd edition of the World Team Championships for women at the Putra Stadium in Bukti Jalil today.
The pumped up Koreans rose to the occasion and handed the mighty Chinese a lesson in badminton to win their first ever Uber Cup after the disappointment of losing their previous five finals – all to China.
The Koreans broke down the the Great Wall in style after winning the first singles through Bae Seung Hee and the first doubles through Lee Hyo Jung-Kim Min Jung.
Wang Xin pulled a point back for China when she won the second singles but Korea made sure the cup was theirs when second doubles Lee Kyung Won-Ha Jung Eun won the third winning point.
"This is a historic day for Korean badminton. We reached the finals five times before and we were beaten in all five by China. But today it was a different story, we were not the second fiddle.
“We've had enough of losing to the Chinese. The players were determined to break the jinx and we did it in Kuala Lumpur. We will remember the Putra Stadium and the supporters for their support,” said Korea team manager Kim Jong Soo.
“We are worthy winners. China under estimated us. Tomorrow is Teachers Day and the players presented the perfect present to their teachers (coaches).”
Korea’s top singles player Bae Seung Hee put her country on the right track when she dumped World No 1 Wang Yihan in straight sets, winning 23-21, 21-11 in 49 minutes.
The Chinese camp was shell shocked with the early setback as they had expected Wang Yihan to deliver to first point to give the defending champions the psychological boost and advantage.
But the Chinese were virtually speechless and a sullen looking Li Yongbo – the Chinese chief coach – spoke of the mood in the camp as the Koreans, boosted by Seung Hee’s win, took the first doubles as well with Lee Hyo Jung-Kim Min Jung battling for 66 minutes before registering a 18-21, 21-12, 21-15 win over Ma Jin-Wang Xiaoli.
Wang Xin narrowed the deficit to 1-2 when she defeated Sung Ji Hyun in a three setter before winning 21-14, 16-21, 21-7 in 59 minutes.
Korea had played five Uber Cup finals – in 1988, 1990, 1992, 2002 and 2004 – but China denied them the title on all occassion.
For the record, China had not been beaten since 1998 with the last defeat in 1996 when they were beaten 1-4 by Indonesia in the final in Hong Kong.

WE WILL BE BACK STRONGER, SAYS YONGBO

KUALA LUMPUR (15 MAY 2010) – “We will be back stronger,” said China chief coach Li Yongbo after the defending champions surrendered the Uber Cup to South Korea - going down 1-3 in the final at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
The mighty Chinese had been the undisputed Uber Cup queens since 1998.
However, the Great Wall crumbled this evening as the Koreans broke the jinx of having lost the last five Uber Cup finals to China.
Yongbo blamed inexperience as the main cause of the defeat and said: “China did not play well today although I had confidently predicted that we will retain the Cup.
“However, confidence alone which was based on our past matches in the group stage, quarter-finals and the semi-finals, cannot win title. Having confidence does not mean you win.”
In the same breath, Yongbo added that most of the teams do not want China to keep on winning.
"It becomes rather boring. So it is good to let Korea win the Cup to give badminton some variety," he quipped.
Yongbo said China will now prepare for other upcoming tournaments like the World Championships and the Asian Games.
“But we will be back for the Uber Cup. We want to take the Cup back in two years time. The young players who froze today will be much stronger and more experienced to face such a crowd,” added Yongbo.
“Anyway, I wish to congratulate the Koreans for their splendid win. They deserve to lift the Cup. They were the better team.”

2011 SUDIRMAN CUP TO BE HELD IN QINGDAO, CHINA

KUALA LUMPUR (15 MAY 2010) – The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced after their Annual General Meeting (AGM) today that next year’s Sudirman Cup World Team Championships will be held in Qingdao, China from May 22-29 .
Representing the BWF at the signing ceremony were BWF president Dr Kang Young Joong and BWF deputy president Paisan Rangsikitpho while the Chinese Badminton Association was their secretary-general Liu Fengyan with Qingdao Badminton Association represented by their honorary vice-president Oeng Yinian.
BWF president Dr Kang Young Joong also announced that badminton at the 2012 London Olympics will be played at the Wembley Arena.
“This was agreed by the BWF, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Local Organising Committee Olympic Games (LOCOG). As a matter of routine, this will now go to the Olympic Board for ratification,” said Dr Kang.
The BWF and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have also agreed to extend the contract to house the BWF headquarters in Kuala Lumpur until 2013.

Korea Luar Biasa! Buat Sejarah Baru

KUALA LUMPUR, Kompas.com - Korea Selatan membuat sejarah baru di arena Piala Uber. Untuk pertama kalinya, tim "Negeri Ginseng" ini meraih gelar juara turnamen bulu tangkis beregu putri tersebut, setelah di final, Sabtu (15/5/10) di Stadium Putra, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, mengalahkan juara bertahan China 3-1.

Ganda kedua Lee Kyung Won/Ha Jung Eun menjadi pahlawan Korea. Tampil pada partai keempat, pasangan nomor 11 dunia tersebut mengalahkan ganda nomor dua dunia Du Jing/Yu Yang dengan 19-21, 21-14, 21-19.

Ini merupakan gelar pertama Korea dari enam kali masuk final Piala Uber. Sebelumnya, mereka berhasil menapaki partai puncak turnamen dua tahunan ini pada 1988, 1990, 1992, 2002 serta 2004. Dan, lima kekalahan itu pun diderita dari China. Artinya, kemenangan ini merupakan revans yang sempurna bagi Korea.

UBER CUP UPDATE: SOUTH KOREA WIN FIRST EVER UBER CUP

KUALA LUMPUR (15 May 2010) - South Korea won their first ever Uber Cup when they beat defending champions China 3-1 in the final that was played this evening at the Putra Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
The Chinese, who have won the Uber Cup for the last five editions, did not have the best of start when world No. 1 Wang Yihan fell to Bae Seung Hee in the first singles.
The South Koreans then capitalised on that win to pick up their second point through Lee Hyo Jung-Kim Min Jung in the first doubles.
And while China managed to give themselves a fighting chance when they grabbed their first point through Wang Xin in the second singles, the second doubles would prove to be pivotal.
Despite losing the first set 19-21, the pair of Lee Kyung Won-Ha Jung Eun kept their nerves intact to take the second set 21-14 to set up the decider in the rubber set.
And it was close with against the Chinese pair of Du Jing-Yu Yang when they played catch-up at the start before the score went from point to point up until 13-13.
After that, it was all South Korea as they went on to win the third set 20-18 to land their first ever Uber Cup crown.

UBER CUP UPDATE: WANG XIN BRINGS CHINA’S FIRST POINT TO PUT SCORE AT 2-1

KUALA LUMPUR (15 May 2010) - Wang Xin won the first point for China in the second singles when she beat Sung Ji Hyun in three sets to put the score at 2-1 to the advantage of South Korea.
The Koreans had taken the first two points in the Uber Cup finals through Bae Seung Hee in the first singles and then Lee Hyo Jung-Kim Min Jung in the first doubles.
And while there were thoughts of wrapping things up for South Korea’s first Uber Cup crown in the second singles, Wang Xin clearly had other ideas.
She won the first set 21-14 in 18 minutes before a lapse in the closing stages of the second set allowed Ji Hyun to steal to a 21-16 victory.
But the third set was all Wang Xin as she took the early lead before coasting to a 21-7 win in just under an hour.
With the score at 2-1, the second doubles will take to the court next with China’s Du Jing-Yu Yang taking on Lee Kyung Won-Ha Jung Eun.

UBER CUP UPDATE: SOUTH KOREA PICK UP SECOND POINT THROUGH SCRATCH PAIR

KUALA LUMPUR (15 May 2010) - South Korea’s scratch pair of Lee Hyo Jung-Kim Min Jung won the second point in the Uber Cup finals when they beat China’s top duo of Ma Jin-Wang Xiaoli in a three-set thriller that lasted over an hour.
The two Jungs lost the first set 21-18 to their better known opponents before recovering to win the second set 21-12.
Both matches lasted a mere 21 minutes.
But it was the third set that Hyo Jung-Min Jung showed their determination to win where even though the score stood at 4-4 at one time, they never really looked back as the Chinese pair played catch up only to lose 21-15 in 24 minutes.
Next up will be the second singles where Sung Ji Hyun will be facing Wang Xin.

UBER CUP UPDATE: SEUNG HEE OVERCOME YIHAN TO WIN THE FIRST POINT FOR SOUTH KOREA

KUALA LUMPUR (15 May 2010) - Bae Seung Hee gave South Korea the best of start with the first point in their Uber Cup final clash against China’s Wang Yihan in the first singles.
The current world No. 1 Yihan was stronger at the start of the first set but Seung Hee used her experience and determination to defend before taking the first set 23-21 in 28 minutes.
With the win, Seung Hee’s confidence grew and she was quick to capitalised when she raced to a 15-8 lead before wrapping up the second set and the first point for South Korea 21-11 in 21 minutes.
South Korea will now look at the first women doubles Lee Hyo Jung-Kim Min Jung for their second point when they square up against China’s Ma Jin- Wang Xiaoli next.

OFFICIAL SITE RECORD HITS OF MORE THAN 10 MILLION

KUALA LUMPUR (15 May 2010) - The more than 10 million hits recorded by the Thomas Cup/ Uber Cup official website at www.thomasuberkl2010.com has forced the site operators to shut the site down for several hours this morning.

For the Thomas Cup/ Uber Cup, a 120GB of space were created but following the overwhelming response from badminton fans over the past week, it resulted in an overload that the site just could not handle.

Kenny Goh, the acting secretary general of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), was well pleased with the response to the site from fans around the world as it reflected Malaysia’s capable hosting of what is in effect the badminton World Cup.

“I believe that the enormous response from the fans is a result of the hardwork of all involved as the site is always updated with the latest, fresh news,” added Kenny.

“The picture galleries and also the stories complement the work of the media all over the world and the site has proven to be priceless not only to badminton fans.”

Added the official website operator: “this has never happened before. We’ve done the World Championships and also the Malaysian Open before and we have never experienced this kind of response. It has been enormous.”

The shutdown enabled the site operator to add a further 120GB of space to make sure that fans and enthusiasts will not miss the finals of the Uber Cup today and also the Thomas Cup tomorrow.

JAPAN WANTS JOO BONG TO STAY ON TILL LONDON OLYMPICS 2012

KUALA LUMPUR (15 MAY 2010) – Park Joo Bong has taken Japanese badminton to new heights and the Japan Badminton Association (JBA) wants the South Korean to stay on and extend his present contract, which ends in March next year, until the 2012 London Olympics.

“I have not decided on that (request) yet,” said Joo Bong, who is the most successful player in the world championships with five titles – two in the men’s doubles and three in the mixed doubles.

Joo Bong, who is currently in Kuala Lumpur with the Japanese teams in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals, has been instrumental in Japan’s rise in the badminton world.

Japan reached their first ever Thomas Cup semi-finals before bowing out to 13-times champions Indonesia 3-1 with a fighting display.

And young Kenichi Tago, 21, is one of Joo ong’s products. Tago created a shockwave when he reached the All England final in March this year but lost out to Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei in the final 21-19, 21-19.

“I may stay on or may not. My present contract will only end in March next year. I am happy coaching the Japanese teams and have no grouses,” said Joo Bong, who won the men’s doubles gold with Kim Moon-soo in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic – beating Indonesia’s Eddy Hartono-Rudy Gunawan 15-11, 15-7 in the final.

He won the silver in the Atlanta Olympics with Ra Hyung-min when they were beaten in the mixed doubles final by compatriots Kim Dong-moon-Gil Young-ah 13-15, 15-4, 15-2.

In the World Championships, Joo Boong won the men’s doubles and mixed doubles gold in Calgary, Canada in 1985, the mixed doubles gold in Jakarta (1989) and the men’s and mixed doubles gold in Copenhagen (1991).

Joo Bong was also a double gold medallist in the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul where he won the men’s and mixed doubles gold. He also completed a double by taking the men’s and mixed doubles gold in the 1991 Asian Championships.

In the prestigious All England Championships won nine titles in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Joo Bong and Moon-soo won the men’s doubles title in 1985 and 1986, with Lee Sang Bok in 1989. He renewed his partnership with Moon-soo to take the title in 1990.

He won five All England mixed doubles titles with Chung Myung Hee in 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991 and with Ra Kyung-Min in 1996.

“We have made inroads in badminton but we are still lacking behind the top four badminton countries in the world - China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Denmark. However we are slowly catching up on them,” said Joo Bong.

“We achieved our target of reaching the semifinals in both the Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup. It is a big achievement for Japanese badminton. I am proud of my players for their fighting display against the favourites.

“Our target is the Olympics where I believe that we will be a lot stronger. As I said, I am very happy that Japan gave the strong teams a good fight,” added Joo Bong, who once coached in Malaysia.

RASHID: WE NEED TO MAKE DRASTIC CHANGES

KUALA LUMPUR (14 MAY 2010) – Malaysia’s chief coach Rashid Sidek drove home a firm message that they will need to make drastic changes and 'expose the juniors more to take over the seniors' if Malaysia wants to win the Thomas Cup again in the future.

Speaking at press conference after Malaysia were crushed 3-0 by defending champions China in the semi-finals tonight, Rashid said: “whether we like it or not, we will have to make some drastic changes and bring in our youngsters. The changes need to be made fast.

“We will conduct a post mortem on our performance in the Thomas Cup. No doubt we lost to a better team but we lack in many departments. We had a solid preparations but China were the better side. The Chinese are fully focussed on winning the Thomas Cup.

“China did not compete in many international tournaments as they were preparing for this Thomas Cup. Lin Dan did not perform well in the All England and the Swiss Open but look at him at the Thomas Cup.

“What was seen of him and the other Chinese players is totally different.”

Rashid also hit home that the Chinese are not the least bothered of the world rankings.

LIN DAN NOT INTERESTED IN BEING WORLD NO. 1

KUALA LUMPUR (14 MAY 2010) – Three time world champion Lin Dan is not interested in chasing the mantle of being the World No. 1 ranking badminton player.
The Chinese ace bluntly told a press conference that the 'world No. 1 status does not interest him at all' as he has gained everything possible as a badminton player.
“I won everything that the badminton world has to offer. I have the Olympic gold, the world championships and the All England plus numerous other titles. What more do I want to prove my worth?,” said Lin Dan after he outplayed current World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the first singles in the Thomas Cup semi-final against China at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight.
Lin Dan won 21-17, 21-8 to hand Chong Wei his first defeat in 19 matches with the much awaited Chong Wei-Lin Dan encounter lasting 48 minutes.
The win stretched Lin Dan’s wins over Chong Wei to 14 against six defeats.
Lin Dan, however, praised Chong Wei and said: “Chong Wei is the most difficult opponent to beat. He is one tough player to overcome on court.”
He rates Taufik Hidayat and Chong Wei as the best players with whom he would like to be friends with 'although I do not speak much English.'
“I want to be a better friend with Chong Wei and Taufik,” he quippedd with a smile.