German Open Finals Day

[hcyong]

Today's finals is of high quality. Although generally, in any tournament, the semi- and quarter-finals are more exciting, the finals today is about as good as it gets. So any Germans reading this, go and catch the action.

It's uncommon that they are holding the finals on a Saturday, but I think it's an excellent strategy. The German Open is a run-up tournament to the All-England, so any extra day of rest between the two tournaments is welcomed. The downside is that the rest of the tournament is during the weekday.

First up,
XD
Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms v Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung
None of the players are involved in other finals (which is pretty unique), so this is the only chance for them to grab a title. Robertson/Emms are hardened veterans. The Lees are newcomers to this event but showed their mettle when they convincingly defeated Eriksen/Scholdager for the Korean title. Lee Jae Jin is a fiery character and I expect a showdown with Robertson.
Prediction: the English to win in three games.

WS
Zhang Ning v Xie Xingfang
If you don't think this tie is exciting, then how about beauty and grace in motion. Zhang is widely acknowledged as the best WS player out there, and Xie is one of the chasing pack, possibly the best among the chasing pack. Therefore, it's not just grace and beauty, it's also a high-quality match.
Prediction: Zhang to win in straight games.

MD
Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard-Hansen v Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng
The best from Denmark take on the best from China. Experience, composure and psychological experts, the Danes, against hard-hitting, fast-moving, risk-taking Chinese.
Prediction: The Danes to come back for a 2-1 win.

WD
Gao Ling/Huang Sui v Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting
This may be the least exciting tie today, but on the other hand, I have never seen an all-Chinese WD match that is not interesting. Maybe it's because they know one another so well, and there are so many of them (no one wants to be bottom of the heap).
Predictions: Gao/Huang is straight sets.

MS
Lin Dan v Mohd. Hafiz Hashim
The big one. Lin Dan: World no 1, the one to beat in every tournament he enters, every time he loses it is big news, watch his sublime skill, speed and ability. Hafiz: Not high in the rankings but don't be fooled by that, a player that all respect including Lin, every opponent hopes that he is not on fire, watch his trickery reminiscent of the great Zhao Jianhua. But like Zhao Jianhua, Hafiz is fully capable of tricking his own self. We know Lin Dan is an excellent player, but we don't know if Hafiz will even be a fairly good player.
Predictions: Lin Dan, whether easily or with a struggle depends on Hafiz's mental state.

[prince_user]

Good calls,

Just want to add a little insight.

1. Believe that the Zhang Ning, Xie Xingfang match is a toss-up. While I truly want Zhang to win, Xingfang has been on fire winning 4 tournaments in a row.

2. Although I believe Robertson/Emms will win, I hope and pray they do not ( no offence to their fans ). Saw them in the Copenhagen masters and have been cheering against them since that wretched display.

3. Go Martin and Jens ( Best men's doubles team out there )

[mikki]

I hope Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng will be the winner in this tournament. It could be the openning title for them in 2005.

[jug8man]

i have seen the future!!!!!! :cool:

MD
i dont think the chinese MD pair has enough raw firepower and speed to really trouble Jens & Lundgaard. i predict the danes to win in straights and no more than 11 points in each sets for the chinese.

MS
i predict a rubber. going either way. it is leaning to lin dan 55% and 45% to hafiz.




MD
Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard-Hansen v Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng
The best from Denmark take on the best from China. Experience, composure and psychological experts, the Danes, against hard-hitting, fast-moving, risk-taking Chinese.
Prediction: The Danes to come back for a 2-1 win.



MS
Lin Dan v Mohd. Hafiz Hashim
The big one. Lin Dan: World no 1, the one to beat in every tournament he enters, every time he loses it is big news, watch his sublime skill, speed and ability. Hafiz: Not high in the rankings but don't be fooled by that, a player that all respect including Lin, every opponent hopes that he is not on fire, watch his trickery reminiscent of the great Zhao Jianhua. But like Zhao Jianhua, Hafiz is fully capable of tricking his own self. We know Lin Dan is an excellent player, but we don't know if Hafiz will even be a fairly good player.
Predictions: Lin Dan, whether easily or with a struggle depends on Hafiz's mental state.

by tomorrow when the results come out im most probably gonna look very stupid! :D

8man

[FEND.]

i have seen the future!!!!!! :cool:

MD
i dont think the chinese MD pair has enough raw firepower and speed to really trouble Jens & Lundgaard. i predict the danes to win in straights and no more than 11 points in each sets for the chinese.

MS
i predict a rubber. going either way. it is leaning to lin dan 55% and 45% to hafiz.



by tomorrow when the results come out im most probably gonna look very stupid! :D

8man
Actually, I think you've made the right calls on this one. LD does have the edge and I think he'll take it.

[kwun]

here are the prediction. i have two types, ones that came from my sense, and one that came from my heart.

XD:

heart says Koreans, but sense says England.
WS:

heart loudly says Xie, but sense says nobody can topple the great Zhang. Xie is fast and powerful, but Zhang is even faster and more powerful. and who says she is 29? she plays like she is only 19.

MD:

old fast and furious against new fast and furious. heart and sense is still fighting over this. heart says the Chinese deserves a title after such a long drought, sense says the only way they can win is to play faster and more importantly, smarter.

WD:

heart says Zhang/Yang isn't playing so it doesn't care. sense that unless someone breaks an arm, Gao/Huang will win.

MS:

heart have no preference here. sense that it will take a giant to topple Lin Dan, but then Hafiz isn't exactly small in stature either....

[ctjcad]

I have a feeling the MS will go rubber set. Why??Li Mao is now on the M'sian side, and def. he knows the weakness(es) of Lin Dan. What else will he tell Hafiz??..Win or lose, we'll see if Hashim has enough in the tank to battle it out with LinDan..But come to think of it, i just have a funny feeling that LiMao is working as a "spy" for the Chinese team??(hehe)..Sorry, this is just me, I mean think about it, could he also possibly tell LYB on what the M'sian player(s) weaknesses are??..Anyways..

For WS, I wouldn't be surprised to see Zhang Ning let XXF wins it. Zhang Ning will probably get some rest, prepare and finally get the AE title next week, to add and basically complete her trophies.

WD, it should be a good one. Again, GaoLing/HuangSui could give this game to the other Chinese pair. I'm quite surprise to see how the Korean WD team has advanced and improved, esp. with the play Lee HyoJung. If she keeps this up, and the same with her partner Lee JaeJin in the MX, the fans won't really miss RaKyungMin and KDM.
I think she and LeeJJ, barring any major injuries, will be the next "great" Korean doubles player.

MD, I would be surprise if the Danes lose, esp. after what they did in the Korean Open against Candra/Sigit.

For XD, it's going to be a close one as well, could go rubber set. Again, win or lose, the Korean pair, LJJ/LHJ are improving and have been the surprise thus far, so we shall see what they can provide.

All in all, IMO, whoever wins in all the fields, most likely they won't win the AE. It's tough enough to win the AE(because of so many good players and basically all the best players competing), let alone compete all-out and win in 2 straight 'Grand Prix' tournaments.
The All-England will be interesting. Esp. on the MS side, where Peter Gade and Kenneth Jonassen will be well rested and they'll be awaiting the Chinese quartet(Chen Hong, XXZ, Lin Dan, BCL). Too bad though, as I was expecting a match between Taufik vs. PGade..:P.

just my 2 cents...



It's uncommon that they are holding the finals on a Saturday, but I think it's an excellent strategy. The German Open is a run-up tournament to the All-England, so any extra day of rest between the two tournaments is welcomed. The downside is that the rest of the tournament is during the weekday.

First up,
XD
Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms v Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung
None of the players are involved in other finals (which is pretty unique), so this is the only chance for them to grab a title. Robertson/Emms are hardened veterans. The Lees are newcomers to this event but showed their mettle when they convincingly defeated Eriksen/Scholdager for the Korean title. Lee Jae Jin is a fiery character and I expect a showdown with Robertson.
Prediction: the English to win in three games.

WS
Zhang Ning v Xie Xingfang
If you don't think this tie is exciting, then how about beauty and grace in motion. Zhang is widely acknowledged as the best WS player out there, and Xie is one of the chasing pack, possibly the best among the chasing pack. Therefore, it's not just grace and beauty, it's also a high-quality match.
Prediction: Zhang to win in straight games.

MD
Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard-Hansen v Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng
The best from Denmark take on the best from China. Experience, composure and psychological experts, the Danes, against hard-hitting, fast-moving, risk-taking Chinese.
Prediction: The Danes to come back for a 2-1 win.

WD
Gao Ling/Huang Sui v Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting
This may be the least exciting tie today, but on the other hand, I have never seen an all-Chinese WD match that is not interesting. Maybe it's because they know one another so well, and there are so many of them (no one wants to be bottom of the heap).
Predictions: Gao/Huang is straight sets.

MS
Lin Dan v Mohd. Hafiz Hashim
The big one. Lin Dan: World no 1, the one to beat in every tournament he enters, every time he loses it is big news, watch his sublime skill, speed and ability. Hafiz: Not high in the rankings but don't be fooled by that, a player that all respect including Lin, every opponent hopes that he is not on fire, watch his trickery reminiscent of the great Zhao Jianhua. But like Zhao Jianhua, Hafiz is fully capable of tricking his own self. We know Lin Dan is an excellent player, but we don't know if Hafiz will even be a fairly good player.
Predictions: Lin Dan, whether easily or with a struggle depends on Hafiz's mental state.

[prince_user]

Just checked the German Open website. Lee/Lee win over Robertson/Emms. Hooray and congratulations to them. Looks like we have the likely successors to Kim/Ra here.

[seawell]

Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms 0:2 Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung :eek:

[Gessle]

Zhang Ning lost to Xie XinFang 5-11 , 4-11

[SmartCivet]

For WS, I wouldn't be surprised to see Zhang Ning let XXF wins it. Zhang Ning will probably get some rest, prepare and finally get the AE title next week, to add and basically complete her trophies. ...

Yes ,I agrre with you! ZHANG NING never get AE title, I think the AE title is more important for her.

[jaclyn]

where can get the live score????

[*GaDe~CaMiLlA*]

any men's singles result? :confused:

[hcyong]

here are the prediction. i have two types, ones that came from my sense, and one that came from my heart.
...


Such conflict between your heart and your mind...

[hcyong]

0-2 for my predictions so far. If I bet against myself, I would be a rich man.

[whizkelv]

any men's singles result? :confused:

MS will be the last match of the day.
Now playing MD, and followed by WD.

[whizkelv]

If Hafiz wins today, it could spell disaster for Malaysian badminton.

Why?

Like his elder brother, he may isolate himself from other players, wake up 4am in the morning to jog and ended up disgracing himself in the biggies (possibly next week's prestigious AE).

[hcyong]

Fu/Cai won 6-15, 15-3, 15-10.

My predictions are dead accurate in the opposite way. 0-3. :rolleyes:

[double]

Fu/Cai won 6-15, 15-3, 15-10

[SmartCivet]

Fu/Cai won 6-15, 15-3, 15-10.

My predictions are dead accurate in the opposite way. 0-3. :rolleyes:
So ,I admire you! It's not easy that none of your top 3 predictions is right.^_^Let's see the last two matches. Maybe it will have no any unexpected results.

[wl2172]

Fu/Cai won 6-15, 15-3, 15-10.

My predictions are dead accurate in the opposite way. 0-3. :rolleyes:

I hope your predictions are wrong for Hafiz ;)

[jamesd20]

Surprising results so far all round.

I didnt predict any, but I would have predicted ENG for the mixed, ZN for the WS, and eriksen/luungard for the MD.

It would be a bigger surprise for me if Hafiz beat lin, and it may happen, he is an all or nothing kind of guy.

The biggest surprise though would be to see Gao/Huang lose.

Cant wait to see this Lee Jae Jin at the AE, i hope he makes it through to the QF (I will be watching from then.)

[hcyong]

Well, my losing streak has been broken. This does not augur well for Hafiz.

Gao/Huang won 15-4, 15-10

[other]

Fu/Cai won 6-15, 15-3, 15-10
well done! nice to do well before the AE:)

[Bresis]

Has the MS finals match started yet? Anyone watching live? :) If LD wins this, I wonder if he still has enough stamina and energy to go all the way in AE.

[Syaoran_Style]

well this is Lin Dan lol he won 5 tournaments in a row last year lol i guess he'll be able to go through the final quite easily =p

[Qidong]

For WS, I wouldn't be surprised to see Zhang Ning let XXF wins it. Zhang Ning will probably get some rest, prepare and finally get the AE title next week, to add and basically complete her trophies.


So many people say Zhang Ning let XXF win it. But XXF has been quite successful against Zhang Ning for the past 2 years. She was 3-1 (or 4-1 including he China National Championship) against Zhang Ning in their last 4 or 5 meetings. Maybe Zhang Ning really has problem with XXF's style - long arm that can retreve every shot and accurate offensive clear. :rolleyes:

[wl2172]

It would be a bigger surprise for me if Hafiz beat lin, and it may happen, he is an all or nothing kind of guy.



Hahaha...this is funny..all or nothing. Apt way to describe Hafiz, very true. :)

[ploppers]

If Hafiz wins today, it could spell disaster for Malaysian badminton.

Why?

Like his elder brother, he may isolate himself from other players, wake up 4am in the morning to jog and ended up disgracing himself in the biggies (possibly next week's prestigious AE).I don't understand how that could happen? Please enlighten.

[wl2172]

I don't understand how that could happen? Please enlighten.

His elder borther and Misbun have a very strange training regime. One of it includes waking up in the middle of the night for jogging sessions. The idea behind this is to perhaps prepare for a tournament in a different time zone.

Having strange programmes like that may not suit everyone.

[SmartCivet]

So many people say Zhang Ning let XXF win it. But XXF has been quite successful against Zhang Ning for the past 2 years. She was 3-1 (or 4-1 including he China National Championship) against Zhang Ning in their last 4 or 5 meetings. Maybe Zhang Ning really has problem with XXF's style - long arm that can retreve every shot and accurate offensive clear. :rolleyes:

zhang didn't appear in China National Championship when xie get the title.

before the match:

Ning ZHANG 5 - 3 Xingfang XIE

Year Tournament & Nation Round Winner Score
2004 CHINA OPEN 2004
P. R. OF CHINA Quarter-Finals XIE 10-13 11-9 7-11

2004 NOONNOPPI KOREA OPEN 2004
KOREA Quarter-Finals ZHANG 11-3 11-8

2003 CHINA OPEN 2003
P. R. OF CHINA Quarter-Finals XIE 11-6 8-11 10-13

2003 PROTON EON MALAYSIA OPEN 2003
MALAYSIA Quarter-Finals XIE 3-11 3-11

2003 YONEX-SUNRISE SINGAPORE OPEN 2003
SINGAPORE Quarter-Finals ZHANG 11-4 11-3

2002 China Open 2002
P. R. OF CHINA Semi-Finals ZHANG 11-7 9-11 11-5

2002 Yonex-Sunrise Singapore Open 2002
SINGAPORE Semi-Finals ZHANG 11-2 11-4

2002 Korea Open 2002 (I)

KOREA Quarter-Finals ZHANG 7-4 7-2 7-5


My mean is Xie could not beat Zhang so easy in straight games.

[other]

ah...i don't think ZN will mind too much after she wins the AE:) XXF has imrpoved a lot, i always thought of her as the China WS equivalent of Chen Yu in MS...but she seems to be making good progress. Future is looking bright, especially after Gong RN seems to be lacking a bit of form and ZN will retire soon i think.

[wl2172]

XXF is less powerful compared to ZN, but has tremendous reach and is very patient. XXF is also very accurate for the 4 corners, and her dropshots are fast.

[wl2172]

I wonder why is the MS taking so long, anyone has any results?

[jamesd20]

I wonder why is the MS taking so long, anyone has any results?


Me too! It seems like long time since WD finished, and no results on the page.



I see XXF more like BCL. Tall and thin with accurate, deceptive strokes, but inconsistent with them, and seems nervous and impatient at times.

[Bresis]

Lin Dan wins 15-8 in both sets according to the live results in the official website

[other]

well done...next up AE2005:)
hehehe...good thing there is sky sports in the jcr:cool:

[kwun]

Such conflict between your heart and your mind...
heart wins!

always follow your heart, as they say. :)

[chinadoll]

hahaha... i was right... the chinese couple won the title together again.... :D
congrats to cai/fu, gao/huang too........
yeah chinaaaaaaaaaaaa~!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[Syaoran_Style]

i wish that economet has some HOT Pics to share !! LoL

[Wizbit]

I didn't write it down, but I swear that my five predictions all came true :cool::cool::cool:

Lin Dan
Xie Xing Fang
Cai/Fu
LeeJJ/LeeHJ
Gao/Huang

[Anatolii]

Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms 0:2 Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung :eek:

NEWS: (BBC Sport) British pair miss out in Mulheim

Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms fell in the final of the mixed doubles at the Yonex German Open in Mulheim.

The Olympic silver medallists lost 15-12 17-14 to Korea's Lee Jae Jin and Lee Hyo Jung despite having led 14-3 :eek: :eek: in the second with five game points.

Coach Andy Wood admitted the pair had been "a bit sloppy, but added "Overall they are performing well."

Robertson and Enms had beaten their Athens conquerors Zhang Jun and Gao Ling of China in the semi-finals.

They also beat the pair in the Singapore Open quarter-finals earlier this season, only to lose their next match.

But they are in good form ahead of next week's Yonex All England Championships in Birmingham.

[Loh]

His elder borther and Misbun have a very strange training regime. One of it includes waking up in the middle of the night for jogging sessions. The idea behind this is to perhaps prepare for a tournament in a different time zone.

Having strange programmes like that may not suit everyone.

IMO Misbun has vision. I don't think a coach's job is to suit everyone. The coach should think of different scenerios that his players may have to face in different countries and time zones and incorporate some of these in his training programme.

I still remember not too long ago, not a few IBF tournaments in Asia ran past the normal time into after midnight. If a player has been given training in such odd hours, he is better prepared to meet the competition.

[Loh]

XXF is less powerful compared to ZN, but has tremendous reach and is very patient. XXF is also very accurate for the 4 corners, and her dropshots are fast.

Furthermore, she must have received some valuable tips from Lin Dan! ;)

[mikki]

congratulation fo Fu/Cai. as my prediction, they won against "the old coupe" from denmark. hope you will deffend this success until AE2005. Bravoo!!!!




Fu/Cai won 6-15, 15-3, 15-10