Who will be hot in 2004?

[Morten]

This year is almost over and the same is the tournaments except Copenhagen Masters. Who do you think will be in form in 2004, the same players who are in form now or someone else? Here's my bet.

MS:
Lin Dan, he has shown great consistency and I think he has matured to be a great consistent shuttler just like Chen Hong. We will see more to this guy, if he can stay away from injuries.

Peter Gade, from China Open we can see that Gade is slowly getting better and will perhaps be in his old form next year?

Wong Choong Han, has also shown great form since his silver medal in WC and after that, he will perhaps be the only malaysian who can win the big events.

Chen Hong, we all know what he can do on a court.

Outsiders: Taufik and Bao, these two are talented players but not consistent, perhaps they will mature next year.

WS:

Only thread to the chinese armada is Camilla Martin.

Mia, Wang and Pi plays well and get to semis sometimes, but the only girl being able to beat 3-4 chinese players in a row is Camilla. I think she will be back with new confidence after a having the break that she needed. And renember its her last tournament so she will be in top form.

WD-Chinese :)

MD:

Cai/fu, very interesting and young pair, who have made some impressive runs this year and gained a bronze medal in WC this year, I think they are on there way. they just need a little more experience.

Lars/Jonas. What can i say they won the two biggest and strongest tournaments this year and have showed consistency reaching at least a quarter final since WC.

Ha/Kim and Lee/Yoo

These Koreans are just world class pairs. I think one of them will take the olympic gold medal

Chan/wah wah they have revived like Peter Gade and can perhaps make a great upset in next years olumpic

Wijaya/Halim they have yet to proove some consistency, but they havent played together that long. I think they will be stronger next year.

MX:

Ha/Kim what can i say they are like Superman and Supergirl

Gao/Zhang the only pair who has a chance against the korean pair.

WD:
all chinese.

What do you think about these shuttlers/pairs am i totally wrong or have I forgot someone??

[cooler]

i think zhang ning (WS) would be in top form in preparation for the olympic

[ants]

I think Lin Dan will be the next big brother after Xia and Chen Hong. We will never know.. maybe he will be the next Gade if he get injured. Should watch out for him.

Lee Choong Wei and Lee Tseun Seng of Msia would probably make a good show next year. They may give a hard time to those Chinese players.

Wong CH the man! I think he have still alot of things up his sleeeves. He has been denied by the Chinese Players this year..I think he will work harder to win more titles in 2004

Peter Gade , well said by Morten.

For Mens doubles Msia.. at the moment i cant see any upcoming young star that can make impact in the international Arena.
Lee and Choong.. the veterans will be good for next year.

Cai/Fu would be interesting to watch.

Our very own JR/LARS.

Koreans Ha/Kim.. they had a good start early this year.. but towards the end of this year, they kinda slowed down a little. I'm sure they will rise up again in 2004.


WS and WD

China still rules.

MX : Basically the same as morten.

[ants]

btw the Indonesians seem to be queit this year... maybe they will come up with some suprises in 2004.

[Morten]

Yeah perhaps indonesia has some cards hidding for us :)...Still hope that Taufik will go back to the national team and then again be a threat to the chinese players. And Simon Santoso showed us that he is a very talented player.

[edwin]

What about Lee Hyun II? I'm suprised he hasn't been mentioned.

I'll also be keeping my eyes on Ng Wei. He seems to be very consistent and has improved a lot this year..

[kwun]

indonesia. kinda worrying. they are just relying on the older generation for MD. even pulled in Trikus from XD to fill in the gap for Tony. that means they have nobody who are of the same caliber as the others three. Flandi/Hian are good. but still not as top a form as the others.

as for MS, Taufik and Sony are young. but Taufik isn't the wonder boy that he was anymore. XD indonesia is completely out of the scene now that Trikus/Minarti aren't together anymore. i am afraid Indonesia's hope of retaining the MD gold will be slim.

China MS : how can you leave out Xia? :)

the only Chinese MD pair that has potential IMHO are Cai/Fu. Cheng/Wang are technically weaker and Sang/Zheng are mentally weaker.

[ants]

Originally posted by edwin
What about Lee Hyun II? I'm suprised he hasn't been mentioned.

I'll also be keeping my eyes on Ng Wei. He seems to be very consistent and has improved a lot this year..

Oh yeah.. i totally forgot about LEE Hyun Il.

[Morten]

I also forgot Lee but I cant see him as a winner in the biggest tournaments. I konow he is ranked 2 but try to look on his points. He is very consistent but never wins the big ones like All England, WC, China Open etc. So I dont think we will se Lee win All England or something like that. But his still very good but perhaps to defensive in my opinion.

Xia Xuanze, yes perhaps i forgot him or perhaps not. I dont know yet if he has started to lose his form and perhaps in an age of 25 already is done. A lot of chinese players are done when they are 25 just look at Sun Jun. But I hope he will be back in 2004 but im afraid he wont be at the same lvl as in WC :/

[ants]

Originally posted by kwun
indonesia. kinda worrying. they are just relying on the older generation for MD. even pulled in Trikus from XD to fill in the gap for Tony. that means they have nobody who are of the same caliber as the others three. Flandi/Hian are good. but still not as top a form as the others.

as for MS, Taufik and Sony are young. but Taufik isn't the wonder boy that he was anymore. XD indonesia is completely out of the scene now that Trikus/Minarti aren't together anymore. i am afraid Indonesia's hope of retaining the MD gold will be slim.

China MS : how can you leave out Xia? :)

the only Chinese MD pair that has potential IMHO are Cai/Fu. Cheng/Wang are technically weaker and Sang/Zheng are mentally weaker.

I did Mention Xia's name :) hehehe. i do agree that Indons are weak in MDs this time.
Even for WS , i don't think they have any uprising womens since Susi Susanti. Except for Mia Audina of Neds.

Malaysia and Indonesia are weak in the womens department both in Singles and Doubles. Hmm maybe in 5 to 10 years time?

[kwun]

Malaysia, WS/WD/XD are out. MS-wise, i think Wong should win at least one or two tourneys with a good chance for the run of the Olympics. he has the potential to deliver a medal for Malaysia IMHO. the others will only be quarter/semi material IMHO.

as for MD, Lee/Choong are hot the past few weeks. but they have always shown inconsistency. it looks like Malaysia still have a lot of work to do.

[Morten]

Im in doubt if Malysia even can have 3 single players in top 16.... the hashim brothers skipped China Open and therefor lost important olympic points.. Gade captured almost 400 points and moves into top ca 13-14 and pushes both hashims down perhaps under the 16 spot. Being under the 16 spot you're not seeded and runs into the top guns early in tournaments. Just ask Gade how hard it has been to struggle back or Gopi who hasnt made it past 2 round :eek: Wong will of course qualify but the other has to fight for it.

[Morten]

Im not sure if this is correct but I have tried to figure out the ranking in MS on the 1st january 04 here it is. If somebody has another list please post it. The parantes indicates the ranking now.

1. Lee 3168(2)
2.Lin Dan 3096(4)
3.Chen Hong 3093(1)
4.Xia Xuanze 2754(3)
5.Wong 2535(7)
6.Bao 2467(11)
7.Shon 2442(8)
8.Chen Yu2313(10)
9.Jonassen 2268(5)
10.Sony 2252(6)
11.Boesen 2208(12)
12.Gade 2096(17)
13.Susilo 1975(14)
14.NG 1975(13)
15.Taufik 1965(9)
16.Roslin 1935(18)
17.Hafiz 1857(15)
18.Kaldau 1803(16)

[shuyi]

What about Thailand's Boonsak Polsana? I am keeping an eye for him :)

[wilfredlgf]

My pick for 2004

MS

1. Lee Hyun-Il - young and already so consistent. I'd bet on him to do very well next year. As they said, experience makes one wiser. I'd rate him as the most exciting prospect of 2004.

2. Wong CH - he had finally found that winning mentality and form to get push him out of the 'mediocre' crop of players to emerge as a true champion material. All he needs now is to keep producing the goods and he'd finish better than he ever would be by the end of 2004.

3. Chen Hong - if he remains consistent as he is this year, he'd rule the rankings again.

4. Lin Dan - he's got it right now and I can't see him slowing down except for (touch wood) injury. One of the my top picks after Lee Hyun-Il.

Dark horses : Bao Chunlai, Taufik Hidayat, Xia Xuanze
Star youngsters : Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Lee Chong Wei


MD

1. Ha/Kim - well, there's nothing to say, no? ;)

2. Candra/Halim - 2003 was pretty shaky, without reaching any finals and losing to their rivals. I would have prefered to having Candra/Sigit together as they're a more formidable pairing (VERY formidable) but that's history now. With time, their partnership should work out and they would re-emerge as the top doubles pair of the world.

Outsiders : JR (!) / Lars, Choong/Lee, Lee/Yoo, Cai/Fu, Sang/ Zheng

WS

1. Gong Ruina - I like her consistency and I'd think she'd be able to bulldoze her way through next year, but with much resistance from team mates Zhang Ning and Zhou Mi as well as Camilla. I'd rank her number one next year.

2. Zhou Mi - no, it's not because I always post he photos on BF... :D She is also good enough to fight for the crown of world's number one, but lacking perhaps in term of luck. I think she'd perform just a little better than this year, challenging Gong closely.

3. Zhang Ning - the entire Chinese armada is powerful, and Zhang Ning is one of the members. So, naturally she'd be one of the best for 2004 as well. I'd rate her third or second, tussling with Zhou.

4. Camilla - the only European who could pose a challenge to the Chinese bulldozers but I doubt she'd do as good as her Chinese counterparts. Still, no jokes when they play her. Underestimating Camilla = defeat.

Dark horses : Xie Xingfang

WD

1. Gao/Huang - they are so pleasant to watch on the court, their smiles, who won't want them to win? That's probable one good reason why we like them so much apart from their obvious superiority in skills and understanding, no?

2. Zhao/Wei - second fiddle, again. They also look kinda serious... but if being serious wins you titles, then, no comments. ;)

Dark horses : Ra/Lee


XD

1. Kim/Ra - no contest. I'd like to see them win EVERY tournament in 2004.

2. Zhang/Gao - fabulous challengers to Kim/Ra, making them the top two greatest XD pairings for 2003.

Dark horses : eh...

[nauknip]

Originally posted by wilfredlgf
Kim/Ra - no contest. I'd like to see them win EVERY tournament in 2004.


You said it man!! :D Kim/Ra rulez!

New kids on the block:

MS - Boonsak Polsana (I still think Boonsak hasn't made up his mind on how to anglicise his name:p)
WS - Jun Jae Youn

I liked them since they first came out in 2001. Although they don't look like world-class material yet, but they're progressing slowly and I believe they'll be able to provide some excitement here and there, esp Jun who has the help of Li Mao's magic wand. Boonsak... still has to struggle for 2 more years in law school although he has been there for 4 years now.

[fhchiang]

Originally posted by Morten
Im in doubt if Malysia even can have 3 single players in top 16.... the hashim brothers skipped China Open and therefor lost important olympic points.. Gade captured almost 400 points and moves into top ca 13-14 and pushes both hashims down perhaps under the 16 spot. Being under the 16 spot you're not seeded and runs into the top guns early in tournaments. Just ask Gade how hard it has been to struggle back or Gopi who hasnt made it past 2 round :eek: Wong will of course qualify but the other has to fight for it.


Well.... Morten i think you didn't notice Lee Chong Wei..... he is Only 21

He Is Rising Fast..

Eversince making the Breakthrough Reaching the Finals Of Malaysia Open, He Made it into Semi Finals Of dutch Open and Quarter Finals Of Denmark Open..

he reached the Third Round Of China Open... Losing to Xia Xuan Zhe 17-16, 10-15 , 15-12 in 94 minutes....


he gave xia xuan zhe a Tough Win.....

[kwun]

how about Denmark? neither PeterG nor the doubles pairs are dominating, but they are of very high caliber players too.

Kenneth J seems to have faded after his run at the beginning of the year.

[Mag]

Regarding the Danes, here's how I see it:

MS:
Gade: will be a top 10 contender. He could even win the odd tournament, but I don't see him in the top 1 position.

Jonassen: will also be a top 10 contender. I doubt we'll see him win any big tournaments though. I doubt he'll ever make a better season than this one. He's one year older than Gade and isn't getting any younger...

Boesen: same here, it's hard to picture him making any drastic steps at this point of his career. He'll stay posted in the top 20.

Rasmussen: injured again. He's top 10 material, if injury-free -- but it it seems his body just isn't holding up.

There are no "next generation" players in sight.

MS: Camilla will quit after Athens, and the only one to take her place is Tine Rasmussen. Her technique is on par with Camilla's, but strategically and pshychiologically the gap is big. She is also very injury prone, with a chronic ankle problem. It's looking dark.

MD:
Jonas and Lars will continue to develop. One must remember where they come from: Danish MD is traditionally less of a speed game than in Asia, rather they rely on strategy, risk-reduction, and "clever play". This is the spirit in which Lars and Jonas were fostered. However, it seems they've spend a great deal of time on increasing the speed of their game. Today they are capable of playing classic "Danish" doubles, but in a "fast and furious" tempo. We have seen that they can keep up with just about any pair. As a pairing they are still relatively fresh. Time is on their side.

Jens Eriksen, grand ole man of Danish MD, hasn't had a bad season with Martin Lundgaard-Hansen, but he's had a few injuries recently. He's not getting faster, but he knows just about every trick in the book and doesn't hesitate to use them. That makes him a player that still, on a good day, can beat anybody. Let's hope he stays injury-free until Athens, after which he's quitting. Jeez, he's OLD --- as old as myself!!! :p

I also predict that we will see Thomas Laybourn and Peter Steffensen park in the top 10. Their curve is pointing fairly steeply upwards.

WD: No news there, Rikke and Ann-Lou will remain in top 10 and Mette and Pernille in top 20. However, I have a feeling that the Rikke and Ann-Lou pairing hasn't quite reached their full potential. We'll see.

MX:
JR and Rikke is, or rather should be, a class act. It seems they haven't quite sorted out their game yet, perhaps it will happen this season. Both Jonas and Rikke certainly have the brains to be successful in mixed doubles.

Jens and Mette aren't getting as far as they used to anymore. They've been playing together for quite some time now, and it's hard to see how they are going to develop further. It's a pity Jens never got to play with Rikke Olsen -- that should have been lethal.


All in all, it looks fairly grim, with MD as the exception. Danish Badminton has "ENDANGERED SPECIES" stamped all over it, especially after Athens...


I suspect it's going to be business as usual:
China, China and China.

Oh, and China, of course.

[Morten]

I also think that Rasmussen will find it very hard to come back to the top 10... I dont think that Lee Chon Wei will show us great results next year, perhaps in 2-3 years but not next year. His ranking will dump to the mid 20's when we gets to 04, just check the world ranking and see the points that he loses in december. being ranked mid 20's in MS means that you get no seeding and then turns into the big guns from start. Thats why i cant see him as a outsider. Sorry. But give him more time his a big talent and is very young.

[Hugo]

Originally posted by wilfredlgf
My pick for 2004
WD

1. Gao/Huang - they are so pleasant to watch on the court, their smiles, who won't want them to win? That's probable one good reason why we like them so much apart from their obvious superiority in skills and understanding, no?

2. Zhao/Wei - second fiddle, again. They also look kinda serious... but if being serious wins you titles, then, no comments. ;)

Dark horses : Ra/Lee


My good sir, where is Zhang/Yang on your WD list. The pair won 5 golds and 4 silvers on the year. Not a bad feat. I would place them 2nd but barely behind Gao/Huang.

Everybody's basically summed up all there's to say. Every discipline's going to have the usual suspects on the podium (really usual for WS and WD!).

However, in MS, I wouldn't place Lee HI up near the top. Sure, he's a good player and has won 3 tourneys this year, but they're all 3* and less. Aside from German Open, the rest of them didn't have a tough draw (relatively speaking). He's going to stay in the top 10 and perhaps in top 5 in rankings but that's solely because he makes some SF and QF appearances regularly. I'm not betting on him to win any GP above 3* this coming year.

I am hoping for Bao CL to climb back and win a few GPs like he last did in Denmark '02. He's actually been more consistent than Lin over the past 1.5 yrs. but just that Lin became superman all of a sudden during the past 2 months.

[2cents]

Originally posted by Morten
Im not sure if this is correct but I have tried to figure out the ranking in MS on the 1st january 04 here it is. If somebody has another list please post it. The parantes indicates the ranking now.

1. Lee 3168(2)
2.Lin Dan 3096(4)
3.Chen Hong 3093(1)
4.Xia Xuanze 2754(3)
5.Wong 2535(7)
6.Bao 2467(11)
7.Shon 2442(8)
8.Chen Yu2313(10)
9.Jonassen 2268(5)
10.Sony 2252(6)
11.Boesen 2208(12)
12.Gade 2096(17)
13.Susilo 1975(14)
14.NG 1975(13)
15.Taufik 1965(9)
16.Roslin 1935(18)
17.Hafiz 1857(15)
18.Kaldau 1803(16)

How did you get these points? Unfortunately, they are not correct.

For example now Chen Hong has 3,501.98 points from best 10 results. By the 1st of January, 2004. His points will be:
3501.98 - 408 (2002) + 216 (the 11th best) = 3309.98 points.

Lin Dan's points:
3288 (current) - 192 (2002) + 105 ( the 11th) = 3201 points.

Lee HI's points:
3,168.58 (current) - 0 (no 2002 points) = 3168.58 points

Wong CH:
3015 (current) - 480 (2002) + 0 (no 11th) = 2535 points

Xia XZ:
3009.33 - 264 + 75 = 2820

Jonassen K:
2730 - 336 - 180 + 54 = 2268

Bao CL:
2,467.33 - 0 = 2467.33

So Chen Hong will remain the unreplacable world number one at the start of next year.

Lin Dan will remain the 2nd,

Lee HI will remain the 3rd,

Xia XZ will be the 4th, up from the current 5th, while

Wong CH will be down to 5th (interesting! Wong CH's loss are always Xia XZ's gain!)

Bao CL will be up to 6th from 7th.

Basically no big change.

I think because of your calculation mistakes, many fans here bet on Lee HI to be the superstar next year.

[Morten]

yes i made a mistake but saw it after i had posted it. I Personally think Gade and Lin Dan will be the big guns in 2004 with Wong choong Hann and Bao as dark horses. Gade has regained his attacking style and pace now only needing his stamina. But he has 2 month to build up some endurance and stamina. Lin Dan has matured and is close to be a perfect player with no big weaknesses. My bet on a Olympic champion would be Lin Dan, if he can avoid injuries.

[dlp]

Interesting guys but what about new players who will make breakthrough in 2004?

From an English point of view Emms Kellog should continue to rise back up rankings if they stay fit. Its hard to see any mens pair emerging near Robertson/Clark, Blair has potential to go higher in both mixed and mens if he can get world class partner.

In womens singles Hallam seems to be going through a low patch after her great run after the WC and it looks like her and Julia Mann will contest the no,1 spot for the another year , Liz Cann did beat Hallam at domestic event but hasn't had any results on the big stage yet.

In mens singles with Smith injured and Ghaffar still inconsistent we are looking to 17 year old Rajiv Ouseph to challenge Haughton, but South has returned to fitness.

Outside England, Denmark are looking for Lamp/Boe or Steffenson/Laybourn as their next great pair but perhaps the young Mogensen/Anderson will emerge as stars.

[Morten]

Rajiv ouseph is indeed a talented player(plays a little like Gopichand :D). Im a year older than he and therefor we plays in same league every second year.. And i must admit that I was very impressed when i saw him this year. He has improved a lot and can perhaps be Englands comeback on world scene in some years.

[LazyBuddy]

Originally posted by Morten


but the only girl being able to beat 3-4 chinese players in a row is Camilla. I think she will be back with new confidence after a having the break that she needed.


Don't forget she will be 1 yr older as well. ;)

[cooler]

my gut feel is that CM might gonna retire next year. Retire i mean from international competition, not badminton.

[Morten]

yes she will be one year older...and perhaps she will not be at the same level at the Olympics. But on the other side, europeans can stay longer on top because of the other training structures than the chinese players are used to.. If Camilla Martin is done then perhaps Zhang Ning is also, who knows she's also 29. But lets hope both will be there and in topform. I hope Camilla Martin can stop her career on top with a gold medal from Athen.

[dlp]

Camilla will be at 30 at Athens, but more to the point she has been on the international circuit since the age of 16, and world class for over ten years, thats a long time to continue to improve with the pace of the game and remain world class, let alone against the chinese machine. I hope she will be back to her best next year but somehow I doubt it.

[da ding]

if you take the question literally, i think Xie Xingfang will be hot (good looking) in 2004:D :D but that is irrevelant...anyways

who will be hot in 2004?

MS
Lin Dan, of course, had a really good streak at the end of 03 and seems to be strong technically and mentally, but seems to encounter trouble when he plays fellow chinese.

Chen Yu is actually a very good player potentially, as shown by his back to back Chinese Nateional Championship wins, and if he works on his consistency, i think we will really see a massive improvement in his international results

Wong Choon Hann is still very much a force to be reckoned with, and he has shown a marked improvement in composure and consistency lately... i think he is malaysias best ms player by far

TaufiK Hidayat needs to: get a coach, get back into the indo team, get back to training properly, and get back to winning! really though, in terms of raw talent, he's the best around

WS
Xie XF (go xie!):D --well, if she can get her mental strength to match her technical strength, i reckon she will be the best in the world--and she seems to be improving this aspect lately (won the CNBC and the Masters)

The rest of the chinese fleet...nothing to be said here

Jun Jae Youn: the hope for the future of Korean WS, she has shown some impressive form in the second half of 03 and frequently troubled the more established names

MD
Fu/Cai--fast and furious young pair, just lacks a lot of top-level experience, compared to Kim/Ha, Lee/Yoo, Wijaya/Haryanto etc.

Wijaya/Haryanto--new pairing really seems to have got into stride at the Masters when they bulldozed past just about everybody, quite lethal with Halim at the back and Candra at the front

Kim/Ha: deadly, if Ha can keep fit

And of course, our very own JR and his partner Lars Paaske!

WD
China, china, and ... china?

XD
Kim/Ra, Kim/Ra and ...Kim.Ra?
oh yeah, Zhang/Gao too:D

JR and Rikke Olsen are promising too.

So my current predictions for the Olympics:

MS
Choon Hann/Lin Dan final

WS
All chinese final...preferably xie xingfang involved:D

MD
Fu/Cai and Kim/Ha final

WD
Gao/Huang and Yang/Zhang final

XD
Kim/Ra and Zhang/Gao finals

[Qidong]

I'm surprised that Gao/Zhang and Ha/Kim are not broken up yet. From the all the matches I watched between Gao/Zhang and Ra/Kim, Zhang is the weakest one. He made too many unforced errors and could not cover the back court. Same as Ha/Kim, the opponent always pick on Ha. :confused: I think Kim/Lee or Kim/Yoo will do much better and dominate the MD like Kim/Ra in the XD. :rolleyes:

[Morten]

I dont believe Cai/Fu will make it to the final.. Kim/Ha is favourites, but i believe Jonas/Lars, 2nd korean pair and Candra/ Halim are the other favourites. Cai/Fu havent proved yet that they can win the big tournaments..

[da ding]

Qidong, I certainly agree wiht you on the fact that Zhang Jun is the weakest out of the four XD players, though i have to say that Ra is also better than Gao. From what i reckon:

Kim has more accurate smashes (he is much taller), quicker, smarter, makes less unforced errors, and is much more solid defensively thatn Zhang, who relies overly on power smashes

Ra and Gao are equally lethal at hte net, but at the back court Ra is very much stronger: i have even seen her hit outright winners from the back on quite a few occasions, while Gao can only drop shot, waiting for the opportunity to switch with Zhang. Actually, both Chinese suffer from a great height disadvantage and it must be said that Kim Dong Moon is THE best doubles player of the generation.

I would really like to see some of the younger MD players in china trying out for XD, eg Cai, Fu or maybe Zheng bo etc.

However, on the doubles front, i think China has a brighter future than Korea: apart from Kim/Ha and Lee/Yoo who are all in their late 20's, Korea have no outstanding young doubles talent, and seen to rely now more on Lee Hyun Il and Jun JAe Yun etc in the singles.

btw, about Kim/Lee forming a partnership...they did for the Malaysia Open this year, when Ha and Yoo were injured, and as a new pairing, hey happened too win it, but that will leave Korea with only one world class MD pairing as Yoo/Ha just are not as good.

[da ding]

Originally posted by Morten
I dont believe Cai/Fu will make it to the final.. Kim/Ha is favourites, but i believe Jonas/Lars, 2nd korean pair and Candra/ Halim are the other favourites. Cai/Fu havent proved yet that they can win the big tournaments..

Actually, ive reconsidered the MD situation, and i must say i agree wiht you, Morten. Cai/Fu have another 6 or 7 months to prove themselves before the olympics though, and i really like watching them play, so i hope they do well...their main attribute is speed i guess.

JR/Lars are indeed very strong, as are Candra/Halim, who must show that their Masters win wasn't just a flash in the pan. It must be said though that although Halim has a potent smash and ample experience, in terms of overall skills he is inferior to Candra. Many pairs have taken advantage of this eg in the China Opne, i think it was the q-finals, Cai/Fu beat the indonesions 15-5 15-2 very quickly by concnetrating on Halim.

Also, the 2nd korean pair of Lee dongsoo and yoo yong sung are not very strong in attack, but are very fast and solid defensivley, but wiht that lack of firepower, i think it will be hard for them to make it to the finals

So i think a JR/Lars and Kim/Ha final will be very nice, it will be a good contrast of styles. I wouldn't rule out candra/halim or cai/fu though

[kwun]

Kim/Ha and Lee/Yoo are all approaching retirement age. the chances that they will split up now to form new permanent pairing is rather slim imho.

i do agree that Zhang Jun has faded a lot in the past year or two. he and Gao won the Olympics and WC on good solid smashes from Zhang and good will-not-die fighting spirit. imho, Gao never was above Ra in neither speed nor anticipation.

unforutnately, either Zhang is getting old or some reason, he is not as lethal as he used to be. and honestly i think from a fundamental point of view, he is lacking from other players. however, he does have experience behind him. for sure he and Gao will be able to participate in the Olympics being the only contender who is able to defend their title.

[Qidong]

From the recent matches like Hong Kong Open, World Cup and Sudirmen Cup, Zhang's smash was no longer a threat because Kim/Ra were able to return his smash without much trouble. And on the other hand, Zhang was having problems returning Kim's smashes and too slow to return Ra's net shots. So if Zhang can't improve, and Kim/Ra keeps on attacking on Zhang, I really don't feel Zhang/Gao have any chances beating Kim/Ra in 2004.

[kwun]

agree. without any surprises, i think the Olympics gold will most likely end up in the pockets of Kim/Ra and then Zhang/Gao and may be a Danish pair Silver/Bronze depending on the draw.

however, the Olympics is a place that is full of surprises. i mean, China banked on Liu Yong/Ge Fei for mixed, and who came out on top? and then MS as well...

[Cheung]

Xie Xin Fang for ladies singles. Barring injury, I think she's the girl for Gold in Athens.

[Qidong]

But based on current ranking, Xie may not even play in the Olympics because she ranks after Gong, Zhang and Zhou. Will be very interesting to find out which 3 girls the Chinese coaches will pick, and all 4 are capable of winning the gold. ... Unless China let her play for Hong Kong.... :)

[Qidong]

And with Chen Wang and Xie in the Hong Kong team, who can challenge Hong Kong for the Silver in Ulber Cup. ... Start dreaming too early. :D

[kwun]

i doubt they will let her play for HK. at least not willingly. but it is true that Xie is currently the weakest of the 4 hopefuls. not the weakest technically, but weakest in terms of rankings as well as tournament results.

there was a report quoting Li Yongbo, he said it is not the ranking that determines who gets to go to the Olympics, but instead their tournament performance against foreign players.

from the Chinese team mangers point of view, it doesn't matter who goes but what does matter is somebody (don't care who) brings back a gold medal. and in order to do that, they want to bring somebody who can beat Camilla, Wang Chen and Mia and whoever else is a thread to the medal.

there is still a half year to go before a decision needs to be made (july 1st) and we will see a lot of matches before then. Xie did well by beating Camilla in her home turf in the Copenhagen Masters. that will certainly score a point for her in the road to Athens. but while my hearts want her to be there, i still think she is number 4 at the moment...

[crazy_smasher]

Referring to Morten's ranking,

how come Lee point is 3168 when i do not heard of him winning any tournaments or reaching the final or semis this year like chen hong , xia xuanze, wong choon hang and chen hong?

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[da ding]

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Referring to Morten's ranking,

how come Lee point is 3168 when i do not heard of him winning any tournaments or reaching the final or semis this year like chen hong , xia xuanze, wong choon hang and chen hong?

:confused: :confused: :confused:

You mean Lee Hyun Il?

Yeah, he has won tournaments, quite a few actually, but most of them are lower graded ones, that probably why you havent heard about it: he won hte German Open, Dutch open and Swiss Opne, he also played very well to help Korea win the Sudirman Cup: in both the semis (vs Gade) and the Final (vs. Chen hong), he delivered the pivotal point.

He has yet to prove himself in major tournaments, but the German open, although only 2/3* graded, had all the top players participating. It also must be noted that in the finals of that competition, lee beat Lin Dan convincingly, making him the only person to beat Lin in the last few months of '03

btw check http://www.worldbadminton.net/Portal/desktopmodules/biography.asp?pnumber=11704

it shows he also made to to 4 semis and 1 final too...

personally i don't like his style: too defensive.

[da ding]

Originally posted by Qidong
But based on current ranking, Xie may not even play in the Olympics because she ranks after Gong, Zhang and Zhou. Will be very interesting to find out which 3 girls the Chinese coaches will pick, and all 4 are capable of winning the gold. ... Unless China let her play for Hong Kong.... :)

That's perfectly true... china really need 4 berths in the olympics for the WS: it has to be said, if you check the rankings, Xie is above both Wang Chen and Mia Audina in terms of individual points, the only reason the other two are above xie is because they are the best in their respective countries so get many team points in team competitions while xie has to compete with Zhang, GOng and Zhou.

I really wouldn't mind if xie came to hk... i might get to see her quite often:D :D :D

[LazyBuddy]

Originally posted by kwun
and in order to do that, they want to bring somebody who can beat Camilla, Wang Chen and Mia and whoever else is a thread to the medal.


I think this is exactly Xie's weakest link, as she does not have very good mental streghth. Of course, she's still young, and her performance lately surely give herself a boost in confidence. However, the "old generation" might suffering injuries and stamina problem after the past several months of tournies. So, things could be totally changed after they got enough rest in winter.