2NE1 says “I Am The Best” on Inkigayo comeback

After a near 9 months hiatus from performing regularly on music shows, the 2NE1 girls are back on SBS "Inkigayo" with a powerful new performance of their latest release, "I Am The Best".

Having originally been offered a 10 minute comeback stage by SBS, YG decided against it and went with just the 1-song performance of "I Am The Best". "I Am The Best" is definitely shaping up to be one of the hottest dance tracks of the summer. Equipped with a heavy bass line and a catchy look, "I Am The Best" is  an infectious party track that will have fans reaching for the replay button over and over for the rest of the week.

During their interview prior to performing, Park Bom was asked, "Your doll-like body is garnering quiet the attention lately. What's your secret?" She replied, "I'm just thankful that people think of it that way. As for secrets, I think it's because I eat a lot of watermelon instead of rice." When asked whether fans will be seeing 2NE1 more often, Dara replied, "Through 'Inkigayo', we'll be showing ourselves more often. See you again next week."

Source : allkpop

F.T. Island says goodbye with “Hello Hello” on Inkigayo

Having been away for a long while, the F.T. Island boys are saying goodbye once more through yesterday's SBS Inkigayo after a month of promotions with "Hello Hello".


F.T. Island are concluding their third mini-album promotions to prepare for their one-month-long "2011 F.T. Island Natsu Tour Messenger" concert tour which begins on June 29th.


Source : Allkpop

Doubles heartache for Indonesia as title drought continues

Indonesia badminton fans will have to wait another year to end their title drought on home soil after their shuttlers suffered double heartache in the Djarum Indonesia Open Superseries Premier on Sunday.


The crowd came with high hopes of seeing an Indonesian victory for the first time since 2008, but left disappointed as China once again dominated the OSIM BWF World Superseries, winning four titles, including two finals against Indonesian opponents.


Following victories by Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng in the men's doubles and Wang Yihan in the women's singles and a win for Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles, the real action, as far as the home fans were concerned started with the women's doubles.


Vita Marissa, who partnered Liliyana Natsir to the 2008 women's doubles crown - the same year as Sony Dwi Kuncoro won the men's singles crown - had powered her way to the women's doubles with Nadya Melati.


They had defeated two seeded pairs, including two former world No.1 combinations to reach the final but found current world No. 1s Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang, too hot to handle and succumbed 21-12, 21-10 in only 27 minutes.


Undaunted by that loss, the fans were still in full voice as the hottest pair on the world circuit, Liliyana and Tantowi Ahmad, who had won their last three Open tournaments - Yonex Sunrise India Open Superseries, Yonex Sunrise Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold and Li Ning Singapore Open Superseries - were up next.


The duo, who have since risen to No. 2 in the world, were up against world No. 1s Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei, a pair they beat in straight games at the Singapore Open semi-finals a week ago. Tantowi-Liliyana looked to be on their way to their third consecutive OSIM BWF World Superseries crown when they took the first games 22-20. The Chinese pair, however, turned up the heat in the remaining two games and came away with a 21-14, 21-9 victory to send the crowd home disappointed, yet again.


Source : Badminton World Federation

Chong Wei creates history in Indonesia

Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei turned in a devastating performance to win the Djarum Indonesia Open for the third consecutive year, and fouth overall, on Sunday.

The Malaysian No. 1 thus emulated Indonesians Ardy Wiranata (1990, 1991, 1992) and Taufik Hidayat (2002, 2003, 2004) as the only players to win the men's singles crown three consecutive times. Chong Wei also won this event in 2007, but skipped the 2008 tournament.

Facing Danish veteran Peter Gade, who reached his first ever Indonesia Open final after 15 years of trying, Chong Wei blew away the former world No. 1 21-11, 21-7 in only 31 minutes. A deflated Gade, whose best achievement prior to this year, was reaching the semi-finals 15 years ago, said: "I could do nothing against Chong Wei today. His variation of shots and speed were just tremendous. I had no answer. He was just too good for me."

Chong Wei, entered the final as the firm favorite after beating Gade 12 times in their previous 13 meetings. In their last meeting a month ago, Gade managed to stretch Chong Wei to three games before losing the Yonex Sunrise India Open Superseries in three-games. There was no such repeat on Sunday as the Malaysian, who has earned the moniker 'King of the Superseries' strolled to his record 19 OSIM BWF World Superseries crown since 2007.

With six of this year's OSIM BWF World Superseries tournaments already completed, Chong Wei has four wins and one runner-up spot. He skipped last week's Singapore Open but is on course to break his record of six Superseries titles in one season which he set last year.

"Rarely do you see Peter give up. It was a rare occasion to see him do so today," said Chong Wei, who collected US$45,000 for winning his sixth title of the year. "I have so much respect for him as a fighter on the court. He never gives up whatever the score. I played confidently and wasn't affected at all by the spectators. We've played against each other 14 times so I knew how he would play his game."

Source : Badminton World Federation

Perfect 10 for Wang Yihan

China's Wang Yihan showed she is ready to return to the top spot when she captured her first Djarum Indonesia Open Superseries Premier title on Sunday.

The former world No. 1, who has since dropped to No. 3 in the world, overcame a first game hiccup against two-time defending champion Saina Nehwal of India to register a hard-fought 12-21, 23-21, 21-14 victory to deny the Commonwealth Games champion a chance to win her third straight crown in Jakarta. It was a stunning performance from Wang Yihan, who faced match point in the second game, only to come back and win her 10th career Superseries title and maintain her winning record against Saina.

The two former world junior champions first faced each other in the 2006 World Junior Championships while their only other meeting on the senior stage was at last year's Uber Cup, which Wang Yihan also won in three games.

Saina, who has only won one tournament this season - Wilson Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold - has had a rather inconsistent year and struggled in the last two OSIM BWF World Superseries tournaments, losing in the first round in India and second round in Singapore last week.

After taking the first game quite comfortably, where her deft touches and clever placements left Wang Yihan flatfooted, Saina, as so often this year, let slip the momentum. Wang Yihan came charging back to lead 16-12 in the second, only for Saina to recover to serve for match at 20-19 but she sent a return long and Wang Yihan took advantage to win the game 23-21.

Her recovery boosted Wang Yihan's confidence and she began to dominate the match and eventually took the third game to main her record of winning every OSIM BWF World Superseries Premier tournament she has entered.

The Badminton Asia Championship winner won the inaugural Superseries Premier event in South Korea but missed the All England through injury. "I feel lucky to have won here in Indonesia. It was a tiring tournament and today's match was very difficult," said Wang Yihan.

Source : Badminton World Federation

World champions turn back the clock to claim victory

Four years ago, Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, were ranked No. 1 in the world and they completed a double to win the Singapore and Indonesian Opens.

Fast forward to 2011 and the three-time world champions have once again risen to the top of the world rankings and they celebrated the way they know best, by winning another OSIM BWF World Superseries crown.

Just like in 2007, the Chinese aces have won back-to-back titles in Singapore and Indonesia when they regained the men's doubles title in Singapore and Indonesia when they regained the men's doubles title by beating teammates Chai Biao-Guo Zhendong 21-13, 21-12 in a one-sided Djarum Indonesia Open Superseries Premier final at the Istora Senayan.

It was the pair's 10th Superseries crown since 2007, having won the Singapore Open, Indonesia Open and China Masters on two occasions as well as the Japan Open, Korea Open, French Open and the All England.

For the newly formed pairing of Chai Biao-Guo Zhendong, who captured the Proton Malaysia Open Superseries title earlier this year, they had to be content with the US$22,000 prize money and 9,350 world ranking points.

After their semi-final appearance in Singapore last week, they moved five places to No. 17 in the world and Chai Biao-Guo Zhendong can expect a similar push when the next rankings are published on Thursday.

The winners took home US$47,400 and 11,000 points and a big confidence booster with the World Championships in London less than two-months away.

Source : Badminton World Federation

Kamilla Rytter Juhl eyeing a double in Jakarta

Kamilla Rytter Juhl put in a Herculean effort on Friday to reach two semi-finals in the Djarum Indonesia Open Superseries Premier, the sixth tournament in the OSIM BWF World Superseries 2011 calendar.

A world champion in the mixed doubles with Thomas Laybourn in 2009, Juhl stands a chance of winning the mixed and women's doubles after a hard day which saw her play the second match of the afternoon and the last tie late at night at the Istora Senayan.

Juhl's day began when she and Christinna Pedersen, faced sixth seeded Indonesians Meiliana Jauhari-Greysia Polii. After an easy first game which the Danes won 21-15, the local lasses upped the gear before eventually losing 24-22. The Europeans will now meet top seeds Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang, who survived a scare from South Korea's Ha Jung Eun-Kim Min Jung to win 13-21, 21-10, 21-11.

The other semi-final will see Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa of Japan, who beat team mates Shizuka Matsuo-Mami Naito 15-21, 21-12, 21-15, taking on Indonesia's Vita Marissa-Nadya Melati. The Indonesians defeated former world No. 1s Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui of Malaysia 21-17, 17-21, 21-17.

Juhl then partnered Laybourn to upset second seeds Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam of Thailand 21-13, 16-21, 22-20 in the mixed doubles. The Danes might find it tough to win in Jakarta as world No.1s Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei of China are still in the hunt after beating team mates Tao Jiaming-Tian Qing 21-11, 21-16.

There was mixed new for Denmark elsewhere in the tournament. Evergreen Peter Gade reached the men's semi-finals when he ousted third seed Taufik Hidayat, but world No.1s Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen, were knocked out of the men's doubles by Indonesia's Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan.

Tine Baun, who reached the final in last week's Li Ning Singapore Open Superseries, was eliminated from the women's singles event. Baun, who has recently recovered from injuries to her heel bone, succumbed to two-time defending champion Saina Nehwal of India, who won 21-19, 21-19.

The Commonwealth Games champion will fancy her chances of reaching her third consecutive final in Jakarta when she plays Taipei's Cheng Shao Chieh on Saturday. Shao Chieh, who upset world No. 1 Wang Shixian on Thursday, defeated another Chinese shuttler in the quarter-finals, beating Liu Xin 21-17, 21-15. The other semi-final is an all-Chinese affair between world No. 3 Wang Yihan and Jiang Yanjiao.

SOURCE : Badminton World Federation