The first MVP CUP

Zhang Ning warm up

Nathan Going for the Smash

More pics of the event

The Asuncions : Kennevic , Nelson ( Dad ) , Kennie. During the second set lost.

Zhang Ning during the match

Zhang Ning during break

Lin Dan in action

Yao Jie and Zhang Ning

For the Lin Dan's fans

Zhang Ning during her serve

Team Asia on Podium

Beautiful.. but do u have taufik's pics??? thanks

Ants!

Why is Zhang Ning between Taufik and Lindan? Do you have any story behind this :D to share us?

Team Asia on Podium

It's good to see players from different nations gather and compete, doesn't have to be East vs West as long as is competitive and friendly plus fun is more than good enough. Just seeing pictures of players gathered around Zhang Ning plus all the smiling faces from players bring joy to me as fan. The only blemish was Taufik and Lin Dan, didn't seem williingly to communicate to one another, two highly talented players with something in common : personal ego come first :mad:

finally there is pictture of MVP cup!! thx for all this pic ants:)

I love this picture the most. Zhang Ning is like a eldest sister and the rest are like youger sibling listening to thier eldest. :p

Zhang Ning during break

A local badminton forum called Baddicts (http://www.baddicts.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=934) has more pictures of the MVP Cup. Go to Page 20 of the "SMART sponsored MVP Cup" (http://www.baddicts.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=934&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=285) thread and also the pages after p20. There's a nice pic of Pi Hongyan there. :D

The Asuncions : Kennevic , Nelson ( Dad ) , Kennie. During the second set lost.
im so proud to the siblings kennie and kennevic asuncion.they gave the english team a hard time to win the game. though they say they paid the game to reach into third set, i don't believe what they say. for vic and kennie gave their best and showed the blood of a filipino!!:p

Ants!

Why is Zhang Ning between Taufik and Lindan? Do you have any story behind this :D to share us?

One thing i realised during the whole 3 days event.. not even once Taufik and Lindan sit next to each other. Definately there will be someone between them. They can't communicate well with each other. But at times i do see them exchange hi fives when their team mates won.

Gail/Nathan In action

The Asuncions in Action

But at times i do see them exchange hi fives when their team mates won.

Atleast not so bad. They still keep the team spirit:p .

Atleast not so bad. They still keep the team spirit:p .

Basically they respect and acknowledge each other. However the problem is the language. If not it will definately be interesting to watch them talking with each other.

Ants!

Why is Zhang Ning between Taufik and Lindan? Do you have any story behind this :D to share us?

Taufik and Zhang Ning are MVP's favorites. Whenever Team Asia will give a token gift to MVP, it's always Zhang Ning and Taufik giving whatever to him. I guess their being olympic champions carry a heavier weight than "simply" being number one. Several times, i've seen zhang and hidayat standing together instead of zhang and lin dan.

where is the pic of europe team? share pls...;)

Gail/Nathan In action

hehe - maybe this should just say Gail in action - Nathan looks rather static :D

i'm sure he's ready to explode to his shot tho :D

Thanks ants :D

I really think that there is a language problem between Lin Dan and Taufik.

Does Lin Dan speak English?

Thanks ants :D

I really think that there is a language problem between Lin Dan and Taufik.

Does Lin Dan speak English?

Minimal. I usually speak mandarin to him. So you imagine how can he talk to taufik. hehehe

Zhang Ning and Kian Keat

Zhang Ning and Kian Keat


promoting China/Malaysia Relationsions!! \

promoting China/Malaysia Relationsions!! \

You mean Relationship. :)

More pics of the event

Mia when introduced.

Koo and Chan from the back

Pi HongYan in Action

Me and some celebrity. I think the Philipinos should know who they are. :D

Happy Time... stress free tournament. :)

Team Europe at Podium

LinDan and ZhangNing

Joppien and PiHongyan

Nice pics, ants. I love the one with Zhang, Chan, Koo and Hidayat. It's so nice to see all of them sitting together, having a great time:). More pics please...hehe..

Mia when introduced.

Bloody hell. Look at the size of her quads! :eek:

Bloody hell. Look at the size of her quads! :eek:
It has to be big to support her size. Too bad the match was one sided. Expecting to watch a close match. I guess it didnt materialise. :(

Joppien and PiHongyan

Umm.... Who's the blonde on the right with the camera? :p

Umm.... Who's the blonde on the right with the camera? :p

Pretty huh? heheheh Joppien's gf i guess. Everybody was like eyeing her. Me especially ;)

A nicer picture of her.

Happy Time... stress free tournament. :)

I noticed that Zhang Ning's right hand fingers are all taped up individually. Is that for practical reasons or just a fashion statement?

I noticed that Zhang Ning's right hand fingers are all taped up individually. Is that for practical reasons or just a fashion statement?

Its more for practical reasons. She doesnt have them taped when she is not playing.

Is KKK wearing an ear-ring?

Is KKK wearing an ear-ring?

Yes he does. :) He is the most playful among the rest.

Damn you ants!!! You lucky hehehe :D

How did you get so close to Aubrey and Francine :D

Me and some celebrity. I think the Philipinos should know who they are. :D

Speechless ants!really good and clear pics.You are a real good shot:) [i am assuming u took them all yourself]

Oh no, the blemish that you're referring doesn't exist...I saw Taufik cheering and clapping for Lin Dan and Lin Dan did the same thing when Taufik was playing...There was a short moment that they sat beside each other...Ants is right, the language barrier kinda prevented them from talking to each other very often...

It's good to see players from different nations gather and compete, doesn't have to be East vs West as long as is competitive and friendly plus fun is more than good enough. Just seeing pictures of players gathered around Zhang Ning plus all the smiling faces from players bring joy to me as fan. The only blemish was Taufik and Lin Dan, didn't seem williingly to communicate to one another, two highly talented players with something in common : personal ego come first :mad:

Speechless ants!really good and clear pics.You are a real good shot:) [i am assuming u took them all yourself]

I took the pics myself. Thanks for the compliments. :)

I took the pics myself. Thanks for the compliments. :)

wow.. i really envy u! able to get so close to all these badminton personalities... (wide-open mouth drooling...:D) haha anyway.. kepp those pics coming ok? thanks man!

Playful Taufik after the event

Smiling faces.. everybody is enjoying themselfs

Some serious moments.

Kennevic getting some pointers from Sathinee

Badminton Inside Stuffs , so to speak.

The asuncions in the game

The asuncions in the game
oh, i envy you too
how can you get yourself so close to them????:eek:

Partners in Crime Nathan/Robert Blair

LinDan with teammates after a match

Thank you for so many beautiful photos .I love them very much .

Thank you for so many beautiful photos .I love them very much .
thanks ants , i love them too :)

wow...great pictures,ants!! thx for all this wonderful pictures!!:)

Robertson raves over Pinoy fans
7/19/2005 6:00:27 AM
Manila Times

ASK Nathan Robertson one reason why he would come back to the
Philippines to play badminton, and he will have a quick, short
reply: "The fans."

"I love them. They're crazy-but in a great way," says the 28-year-
old Briton, who got to see how crazy Filipino fans could get on
Thursday night, when he and longtime partner Gail Emms went up
against the country's best players, the siblings Kennevic and Kennie
Asun*cion, in the MVP Cup Asia vs. Europe tournament.

Robertson and Emms prevailed in three sets, but not after the home
crowd that filled the Philsports Arena in Pasig City-who also
endured the venue's lack of air conditioning-gave them an earful
trying to coax the Asuncions to an upset victory.

The lively Filipino audience is one of the things Robertson, one-
half of the world's best mixed-doubles team along with Emms, will
take away from his first visit to the country for the Ryder Cup-sty
le event held in honor of telecom tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan.

Meanwhile, the native of Milton Keynes, a city one hour north of
London, is looking forward to a return-not just to Manila, but to
the Olympics, where he and Emms settled for the silver medal against
China's Zhang Jun and Gao Ling last year in Athens, Greece.

"We weren't very happy with that finish," Robertson says over lunch
at the Discovery Suites in Pasig City. "Maybe we would have won the
final, so now we're aiming for gold in Beijing [in the 2008
Olympics]. It would be nice to take it from them [Chinese] there."

Despite the Olympic setback, Robertson and Emms-playing partners
since they were both 15 years old-have an impressive list of
victories in the last 18 months. They are the reigning European, All-
England and Swiss Open champions, and were finalists in the Denmark
and German Opens.

"She's just brilliant," he says of Emms, who briefly left their
partnership to go to col lege, hooking up again in 2001. "She may
not be as good as the Chinese, but she's dangerous around the net
area. She's very aggressive and feisty, and she hates to lose-which
is the same for me."

But their long-term alliance isn't the only reason for their
success, says Robertson, the youngest of four children who started
playing the game at age 6-at a club once owned by his mother-and
turned pro at 16 after finishing basic schooling at Nottingham.

The dashing Englishman points to his badminton shoes made by Hi-Tec,
a British brand he has endorsed for the last nine years that entered
the local market in September and is catching on with Filipino
players.

"They're good. They help me a lot," Robertson says of Hi-Tec shoes,
which were developed in Britain's indoor courts in 1974. "Seeing
that Asian players are normally lighter and faster than Europeans,
that gives them a speed advantage. The shoes help me cope with that,
and allows me to think my gam e over better than my opponents."

Hi-Tec, which has expanded into a global sports brand, has also
developed a golf-shoe line that Robertson-an avid golfer who holds a
10-handicap and hits the links at least twice a week between
badminton tournaments-also gives the thumbs-up.

"I got a free membership to a local club back home after the
Olympics, so I go there between events, and the shoes I wear [from
Hi-Tec] are just perfect for me," he says.

Still, Robertson's passion is badminton, so much that he doesn't
have a clear picture what he will do once he hangs up his racket. He
does say that if he cannot play for Britain when London hosts the
2012 Olympics, he would like to be a badminton commentator for TV or
just "get involved" with the game.

"I really have no definite plans. I have some investments in
properties in Bulgaria and Miami in the United States, but I'd like
to play for as long as I can," he says.

Besides taking care of his daughter Neve, 7, who lives in Milton
Keynes, what's clear for Robertson is that he would like to return
to the Philippines to play again in the MVP Cup, which he describes
as a "bonus" to the sport.

"I'd love to be invited back," he says. "The format is brilliant,
and it's one of the best events I've played in. There's always a
good crowd and a great atmosphere, and I really was surprised by it
in a good way.

"Besides, I don't think many of the players in the tournament have
been to the Philippines before, and I'm sure most of them would want
to come back," he adds.

Filipino badminton fans would also want Nathan Ro*bert*son to return-
so they could show how crazy they are for him too.
--Jimbo Gulle

KOo and the Gang... everybody is feeling so hot.

Yao Jie Returning a Drop

Zhang Ning baseline

Yao overhead shot

I love this picture the most. Zhang Ning is like a eldest sister and the rest are like youger sibling listening to thier eldest. :p
I know zhang ning has lotta fans but she's taking this to a new level :eek: :)

One thing i realised during the whole 3 days event.. not even once Taufik and Lindan sit next to each other. Definately there will be someone between them. They can't communicate well with each other. But at times i do see them exchange hi fives when their team mates won.

language barrier :confused: :confused:

Pi HongYan shot

I love this picture the most. Zhang Ning is like a eldest sister and the rest are like youger sibling listening to thier eldest. :p

Yeah she is like a big sister there. All of them was fanning her since the aircond of the stadium was swtiched off. The shot was taken after a set with Yao Jie.
During the event, All of them put aside their differences. All for a team the same goes to team Europe.

Pi Hongyan going to execute a shot

Pi Hongyan going to execute a shot

Had I not known who she is, I'd have guessed she's a tennis player about to hit a serve.

Zhang Ning and Kian Keat

Won't be surprised if Zhang was actually giving him ideas on how the training and technique differs in China.

Picture #2 looked a lot like, "Shh... later, that annoying cameraman is at it again..."

Won't be surprised if Zhang was actually giving him ideas on how the training and technique differs in China.

Picture #2 looked a lot like, "Shh... later, that annoying cameraman is at it again..."

Hahah.. what a nice way to put it :)

Hey ants! Nice photos you have here. Where is your pic with Lin Dan and Taufik on your sides and with you in the middle? Im sure the others would just be envious when they see that! :)

New Doubles Pair Mia/Emms :)

hmmm, this is prolly a little off topic, but here goes..

just watched the vid of robertson and emms vs the asuncions.. anybody know where they sell those yellow carlton shirts? it's brilliant. The carlton website still doesn't exist so not sure where i can buy carlton clothes...

anybody know if they're on sale around the world.. would certainly be interested in importing.

thanks for any help in advance.

Coops

New Doubles Pair Mia/Emms :)

Hmmm.... is that a FOREHAND serve i see from Mia? I've never seen a forehand serve in doubles at this level nowadays

Hmmm.... is that a FOREHAND serve i see from Mia? I've never seen a forehand serve in doubles at this level nowadays

the sister in the asuncion pairing serves forehand too.

anybody find that yellow carlton shirt?

...anybody find that yellow carlton shirt?

Yeah, the yellow carlton shirt is available in sport shops here in manila. There is also a light-gray version available :)

:D

Just look at the 2 fotos above.

Mia is 3 meters far from Gail while she's serving, i'm not very fan of this positions cause the divorce area is bigger..

Onthe contrary, Gail is sticking Mia in a very agressive position !! I prefer this kind of behaviour.

I'm just surprised none of you guys mentionned this great difference.

Just look at the 2 fotos above.

Mia is 3 meters far from Gail while she's serving, i'm not very fan of this positions cause the divorce area is bigger..

Onthe contrary, Gail is sticking Mia in a very agressive position !! I prefer this kind of behaviour.

I'm just surprised none of you guys mentionned this great difference.

lol - none of us question pro player tactics.. but the difference is easily explained.

mia is a singles player and not as familiar or as comfortable with standard doubles tactics. gail however is an accomplished doubles player.

Coops