Report from Aviva Open Singapore Website, 29 May:

Denmark’s Peter Gade is the No 1 seed in the US$170,000 Aviva Open Singapore 2006 and it has given him the opportunity to win a tournament he has never won before.

And China’s Chen Hong, a two-time winner is also looking at the possibility of a third Aviva Open Singapore title following the draw made at the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) on Monday (29 May), 3pm.

Like Gade, Chen Hong who is seeded in the No 3-4 bracket but in the lower half of the draw, has always considered the Indoor stadium, venue of the five-star meet, a favourite hunting ground and naturally the two of them are looking forward to the meet starting on June 5-11.

The draw conducted by officials from the SBA also saw Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark, the Aviva Open Singapore winner in 2004, as the No 2 seed and an all Dane final in the men’s singles looks a likely scenario.

But again, there is another Chinese in the way of the two Danes- China’s Bao Chun Lai, the world ranked No 5 and the hero in China’s Thomas Cup triumph in Tokyo recently. Chun Lai is in the upper half of the draw with Gade.

Chun Lai, was in terrific form, as his performance in Tokyo, where he demolished Jonassen in the straight games in the final, showed.

This means the 30-year old Gade, the World's ranked No 3, is in for a tough time, although he does appear to have an easy passage until the last 16 where he is expected to meet China's Chen Yu, the No 9-16 seed.

And if all goes according to plan, Gade will face up to Chun Lai, in the semis. But then again Chun Lai may have to face up to the Aviva Open Singapore 2006 defending champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia who is seeded in the No 5-8 bracket in the last eight.

Jonassen, the No 2 seed also appear to have a smooth passage, at least until the last eight where a meeting with Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro, in a likely encounter before the last four in which, the two-time winner of the Singapore Open, China's Chen Hong, the No3-4 seed lies in wait.

Singapore’s Ronald Susilo who is on the comeback trail after an Achilles’ heel injury, also appears to have a tough first round match where he is down to play Malaysia’s Kuan Beng Hong, the No 5-8 seed.

Li Li, Singapore’s hope in the Women’s Singles has drawn Malaysia’s
Norshaliza Baharum in the opening round and should sail past her opponent for a 2nd round clash against Taipei’s Cheng Shao Chieh or China’s Lu Lan.

And if Ronald and Li Li manage to emerge to progress beyond the quarter=finals, they will stand to win each $2,000 for the semis, $4,000 for the finals and $10,000 as champions from title sponsor Aviva.

The Danes are also the No 1 seed in the men's doubles with their World ranked No 1 Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen firmly established as the red hot favourites.

Malaysia's Chong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah, the recent Asian champion are the No 2 seed and in the absence of the defending champion pair of Sigit Budiarto and Candra Wijaya with the retirement of the latter, the field is left wide open.

Malaysia's No 1 pair of Koo Kim Keat and Chan Chong Ming, the No 3-4 seed together with Indonesia'a Luluk Hadiyanyto and Alven Yulianto, could spoil the party for the big guns as well.

The challenge for the Women’s Singles title at the Aviva Open Singapore 2006 will be led by Netherland’s Mia Audina with France's Chinese import Pi Hongyan as the No 2 seed.

The Aviva Open Singapore 2006 women's singles race looks wide open.

In the women's doubles, China will start with world ranked No 2 Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen. They are expected to play the No 2 seed Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg of England.

Malaysia's Commonwealth Games gold medallist Wong Pei Tty and Chin Ee Hui are the No 3-4 seed together with Taipei's Cheng Wen Hsing and Chien Yu Chin, the recent Asian Badminton Confederation winner in Johor Baru.

Watch the drama unfold on the courts at the Aviva Open Singapore 2006 this June 5 –11, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Qualifying round matches are admission free while preliminary round and quarterfinal matches are priced at S$8 for adult and S$4 for senior citizens and children.

The semi-finals and final tickets are priced at S$10 for adults; S$8 for students and senior citizens and S$2 for children (under 12). Tickets are available from SISTIC.

Somehow the full draw hasn't been released for this 5* US$170,000 (S$270,000) event by IBF yet, but as reported in yesterday's Straits Times, the top seeds are:

Men's Singles

1. Peter Gade (Den)
2. Kenneth Jonassen (Den)
3. Bao Chunlai (Chn)
4. Chen Hong (Chn)
5. Hafiz Hashim (Mas)
6. Taufik Hidayat (Ina)
7. Kuan Beng Hong (Mas)
8. Dicky Palyama (reported as Ina, but I think it should be Netherlands)

Women's Singles

1. Mia Audina (Ned)
2. Pi Hongyan (Fra)
3. Yao Jie (Ned)
4. Kaori Mori (Jap)
5. Tracey Hallam (Eng)
6. Cheng Shao-chieh (Twn)
7. Petya Nedeltcheva (Bul)
8. Zhu Lin (Chn)

None of the Singapore players are seeded.

Notable absentees are:

Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Zhang Ning and Xie Xingfang.

But we still have strong competition in all events.

IBF has just updated their website!
The Singapore Open draws are out!!

Check them out:
http://www.internationalbadminton.org/draws.asp

Hey! Reiko and Kumiko are not in the draw??? :-(

I guess I'll just have to make do with Kanako and Eriko. :-)

Nope, they will be going to Indonesia and Msia Open instead.

Nope, they will be going to Indonesia and Msia Open instead.

Grrr... :crying:

Hey! Reiko and Kumiko are not in the draw??? :-(

Maybe the following pics will bring back some happy memories for you:

Despite what the IBF has assured that there will be no lack of world-class competition during this May-June period for IBF sanctioned events, I feel we are not getting the best compared with last year. Of course the Thomas and Uber Cup tournaments took away most of the shine. And the World Championships in Madrid this September and the Asian Games in Doha in December will also affect participation from the top players.

Starting with the 4* Philippines Open, only Hafiz, Boonsak and Xu Huaiwen represented the top echelon shuttlers. Yes it did give the young talents such as Saina Nehwal of India and local Filipino players a chance to prove themselves, but the glamour is lost. It is a shame that the PO is not better supported as badmionton there is gaining great popularity.

The now ongoing 6* Indonesian Open also lacks the prestige it deserves. Yes the earthquake and security issues did some damage but if such a highly prized 6-star event is not attracting the world no. 1 players, then it is not a good sign. Yes at least Lee Chong Wei, Bao Chunlai and Taufik are on show.

Now, the same goes with the 5* Singapore Open. No Lin Dan, no Chong Wei, no Zhang Ning, no XXF, who are requlars before. This is really sad for badminton fans in Singapore! :mad: :crying: :crying:

But it seems the Malaysian Open that follows the SO will be able to attract better participation. At least Lin Dan will be there!

I will not go beyond the Chinese Taipeh Open. Wonder how many top mainland China players will be there? :rolleyes:

Blame it on the calendar. Way too many tourneys on 1 stretch. Anyway just enjoy the game. I'm sure no Big Guns will not hamper the spirit of badminton.

Maybe the following pics will bring back some happy memories for you:

They certainly did. Thanks so much!

Despite what the IBF has assured that there will be no lack of world-class competition during this May-June period for IBF sanctioned events, I feel we are not getting the best compared with last year. Of course the Thomas and Uber Cup tournaments took away most of the shine. And the World Championships in Madrid this September and the Asian Games in Doha in December will also affect participation from the top players.

Starting with the 4* Philippines Open, only Hafiz, Boonsak and Xu Huaiwen represented the top echelon shuttlers. Yes it did give the young talents such as Saina Nehwal of India and local Filipino players a chance to prove themselves, but the glamour is lost. It is a shame that the PO is not better supported as badmionton there is gaining great popularity.

The now ongoing 6* Indonesian Open also lacks the prestige it deserves. Yes the earthquake and security issues did some damage but if such a highly prized 6-star event is not attracting the world no. 1 players, then it is not a good sign. Yes at least Lee Chong Wei, Bao Chunlai and Taufik are on show.

Now, the same goes with the 5* Singapore Open. No Lin Dan, no Chong Wei, no Zhang Ning, no XXF, who are requlars before. This is really sad for badminton fans in Singapore! :mad: :crying: :crying:

But it seems the Malaysian Open that follows the SO will be able to attract better participation. At least Lin Dan will be there!

I will not go beyond the Chinese Taipeh Open. Wonder how many top mainland China players will be there? :rolleyes:

Well... maybe because Singapore Open is only 5-star and not 6-star?

Well...Malaysia Open is a 4 Star Event.. yet it attracts the big names.

Well...Malaysia Open is a 4 Star Event.. yet it attracts the big names.

You know why?

Because ants, Punch and IBF are there. Malaysia is now a powerhouse in every sense of the word! :D ;) :p

Well...Malaysia Open is a 4 Star Event.. yet it attracts the big names.

Maybe because Singapore traditionally and perenially sucks big time in badminton since god knows how long ago and thus do not have a fine tradition to attract respect?

Maybe because Singapore traditionally and perenially sucks big time in badminton since god knows how long ago and thus do not have a fine tradition to attract respect?

I disagree with you on this. Well on whatever reason .. i cant explain.

Maybe because Singapore traditionally and perenially sucks big time in badminton since god knows how long ago and thus do not have a fine tradition to attract respect?

I, too, have to disagree. Last year, you can find the world's top ten ranking players in almost every event. Of course the Olympic Games Council meeting was held here at about the same time to decide on the next host for the Olympic Games and this must have helped.

I think the rather tight interenational calendar for this year is the main culprit and now that the WC is to be held every year instead of alternate years. Too many big events this year - Commonwealth Games, TC, UC, WC and Asian Games.

Maybe because Singapore traditionally and perenially sucks big time in badminton since god knows how long ago and thus do not have a fine tradition to attract respect?

My guess is that countries like Korea and China are using the Singapore Open as a platform to improve the rankings of their more "junior" players. Afterall, it is a 5 star tournament which can provide a good harvest of points. But also, at the same time, this also gives the more "senior" team or simply the players that have consistantly played some intense badminton since the start of the year, some off time during this leg of IBF tournaments.

I would say that the "poorer" turnout this year is probably the result of a combination of bad luck and an overly tight schedule rather than some intrinsic systemic problem. So hopefully, we'll see an improvement next year.

My guess is that countries like Korea and China are using the Singapore Open as a platform to improve the rankings of their more "junior" players. Afterall, it is a 5 star tournament which can provide a good harvest of points. But also, at the same time, this also gives the more "senior" team or simply the players that have consistantly played some intense badminton since the start of the year, some off time during this leg of IBF tournaments.

I would say that the "poorer" turnout this year is probably the result of a combination of bad luck and an overly tight schedule rather than some intrinsic systemic problem. So hopefully, we'll see an improvement next year.

I agree. The fact that we have 5 tournaments on a row starting from last week's Philippine Open means that its virtually impossible to send the first team players to all of these tourneys. The team managers have decided to prioritize certain tournaments.

For Team Indonesia, they have decided to send the first team players to Singapore Open and probably Chinese Taipei Open. The second team will be sent to the Malaysia Open (and the recently concluded Philippine Open).

For Team China, some of the first team players (and youngsters) are included in the Indonesia and Singapore Open. However, the remaining first teams players like Lin Dan, Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun, and Zhang Jun/Gao Ling will be sent to the Malaysia and Chinese Taipei Open.

Similarly, for Team Malaysia, I believe the bulk of the first team players will concentrate on the Singapore and Malaysia Opens, even though LCW, the women's doubles and the young men's doubles pairs such as Mohd Tazari/Lin and Abdul Latif/Gan are also sent to compete in the Philippine and Indonesia Opens.

I, too, have to disagree. Last year, you can find the world's top ten ranking players in almost every event. Of course the Olympic Games Council meeting was held here at about the same time to decide on the next host for the Olympic Games and this must have helped.

I think the rather tight interenational calendar for this year is the main culprit and now that the WC is to be held every year instead of alternate years. Too many big events this year - Commonwealth Games, TC, UC, WC and Asian Games.

It still doesn't explain why the top players didn't player in a 5-star Singapore Open and chose a 4-star one instead?

It still doesn't explain why the top players didn't player in a 5-star Singapore Open and chose a 4-star one instead?

I think you can only blame it on the date of the tournament.
Singapore Open 2006 is just right in the middle.
For players who want to play as many tournaments as possible from Philippines Open to Taipei Open will choose to rest Singapore Open because of it's date of the tournament.
Players cant possible attend all 5 as this will be too tiring for them.
(According to Thai Team :p )

I agree with Khelben that countries like Korea and China are using the Singapore Open as a platform to improve the rankings of their more "junior" players.
I guess different teams have different opinions regarding this matter.

I also disagree that Singapore fails to attract top players.
Singapore Open has been a "class" and "quality" event for many years.
Those who watched it will also know.
For the past few years, it has been attracting many top players all over the world to participate in it.
Only for this year,some players choose to give it a miss.
Not that top players pursposely choose to attend a 4 star tournament instead of a 5 star one. I think the big problem lies in the date after all.

Let's see what happen next year.
:)

It still doesn't explain why the top players didn't player in a 5-star Singapore Open and chose a 4-star one instead?

The number of stars doesn't matter! All England has always been a 4-star tournament and it has ALWAYS attracted the best players.

Similarly, both Singapore and Malaysia Opens have had long histories. Top players usually will play back-to-back (like last year). However, it has been explained that the calendar is packed and team managers do have to reshuffle their players around to give them the necessary exposure.

Team Indonesia choose Indonesia and Singapore Opens as the events for their top players. Team China chooses Malaysia and Chinese Taipei Opens. Nothing wrong about that and I agree that it shouldn't diminish the glamor of the event itself.

Don't just look at China/Indonesia/Malaysia.

I think the European teams will find Singapore attractive compared to tournaments on the Asian circuit. Not all the other Asian tournaments may get the same strong European particpation that SO gets - if you recall the 6-star China open in 2005, most of Europe gave it a miss.

(1) Air-con venue
(2) Neutral umpiring/linesman because we don't have anyone capable of winning. (not saying that others are not neutral... cough cough)
(3) Crowd support also well balanced. eg: last year Chen Hong v Taufik, both players had huge support.

haha.. means lin dan will be playing in the m'sia open...aikss... if got enough money must go to s'wak to see him in real person...hahahahhaha

Well...Malaysia Open is a 4 Star Event.. yet it attracts the big names.

why can't malaysia open be upgraded to be 6 stars event ? :D

Don't just look at China/Indonesia/Malaysia.

I think the European teams will find Singapore attractive compared to tournaments on the Asian circuit. Not all the other Asian tournaments may get the same strong European particpation that SO gets - if you recall the 6-star China open in 2005, most of Europe gave it a miss.

(1) Air-con venue
(2) Neutral umpiring/linesman because we don't have anyone capable of winning. (not saying that others are not neutral... cough cough)
(3) Crowd support also well balanced. eg: last year Chen Hong v Taufik, both players had huge support.

shopping...... shopping :D

Now is the Great Spore Sale season right?

I will not go beyond the Chinese Taipeh Open. Wonder how many top mainland China players will be there? :rolleyes:

LI Yongbo said ALL for Chinese Taipei Open 2006.

There is a re-draw for the WD event.

QUARTER 1
Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen (1)
Jo Novita/Greysia Polii (5/8)
-- Luck is on Jo Novita/Greysia Polii. They avoid the Singaporean pair of Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia and from the draw, the should have no problem reaching the quarter-final, with a potential meeting with Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen. I would be glad if they could reach yet another quarter-final in Singapore next week. Yang/Zhang to possibly win another tournament.

QUARTER 2
Chien Yu-Chin/Cheng Wen-Hsing (3/4)
Mette Schjoldager/Britta Andersen (5/8)
-- Meanwhile, Chien Yu-Chin/Cheng Wen-Hsing will now face Jiang/Li in the first round. Definitely the match of the round. The winner of the first-round match will meet either an England pair (Nicholas/Munt) or Japanese pair (Matsuda/Akao). The other seeded Danish pair should have no problem reaching the quarter-final. Chien/Chen to qualify from this quarter.

QUARTER 3
Wei Yili/Zhang Yawen (5/8)
Wong Pei-Tty/Chin Ee Hui (3/4)
-- Wei/Zhang should reach the quarter-final easily, facing possibly Wong/Chin. However, Wong/Chin would probably find it tough to beat Hwang Yu Mi/Kim Min Jung in the second round. Wei/Zhang to qualify from this quarter.

QUARTER 4
Satoko Suetsuna/Miyuki Maeda (5/8)
Gail Emms/Donna Kellogg (2)
-- Seedings do not matter here since the unseeded Zhang Dan/Zhao Tingting will beat the Jap pair to reach the quarter-final. The England pair also faces little problem reaching the quarter-final, however, they will probably lose to Zhang/Zhao. The Chinese pair to qualify from this quarter.

PREDICTION: 3 Chinese pairs will mean no chance for the other pairs.

ahhh... i see that my favourite doubles pair - buntet/nova are not playing this time round!!! =(

The timetabling of this years' Matches has improved over last year. Previously, the organisers had to rush through as many matches as possible by fixing matches in all 5 courts simultaneously up to the QF stage.

From the current schedule, it appears that they will only use 3 courts simultaneously (if necessary to 'overflow' longer running games into a 4th or 5th court). I guess the 21 point scoring system, with it's promise of shorter games, have allowed the organisers to do this.

Anyone going down today to see qualifiers, pls report :)

Jo / Novita is a good pair. They can play 3 sets against Zhang Dan / Zhao Tingting in Indonesia Open. I think they will top ten in next year. They only loss to China pair. Remember...they can win PO easily.:D:o

The timetabling of this years' Matches has improved over last year. Previously, the organisers had to rush through as many matches as possible by fixing matches in all 5 courts simultaneously up to the QF stage.

From the current schedule, it appears that they will only use 3 courts simultaneously (if necessary to 'overflow' longer running games into a 4th or 5th court). I guess the 21 point scoring system, with it's promise of shorter games, have allowed the organisers to do this.

Anyone going down today to see qualifiers, pls report :)

The timetable is ok except for one thing. The first and second rounds of the WS are too close to each other. If you look at Thu's schedule, the winners of the first round only have 3 hours to get ready for the second round. If it were me, I would use all courts available and finish the first round on Wednesday like all the other events.

Furthermore, the 21-point system have shortened most matches but not for WS. According to Zhang and Xie, the matches have even lenghtened.

The timetable is ok except for one thing. The first and second rounds of the WS are too close to each other. If you look at Thu's schedule, the winners of the first round only have 3 hours to get ready for the second round. If it were me, I would use all courts available and finish the first round on Wednesday like all the other events.

Furthermore, the 21-point system have shortened most matches but not for WS. According to Zhang and Xie, the matches have even lenghtened.

Good point. Use all availabe courts to finish the round to be fair to all.

Quite possible for some good women singles players as they were playing 11 points before as opposed to 21 now! Faster to finish off the really weak players with 11 points, particularlly if the strong player wins all the points without loss of service. :D

Good point. Use all availabe courts to finish the round to be fair to all.

Quite possible for some good women singles players as they were playing 11 points before as opposed to 21 now! Faster to finish off the really weak players with 11 points, particularlly if the strong player wins all the points without loss of service. :D

I prefer 3 courts simultaneously rather than 5 courts simultaneously from a fan's point of view. It is far more spectator friendly.

From a player's point of view, there may been more people watching/supporting his/her match which may be nice for them as well.

Also, on paper, it may seem tight, but last year, I would say that it was also bad for players because of time overruns due to long matches. ' Also, the unpredictability of when the player's matches were going to start meant that they may be waiting anxiously for 1+ hour in the waiting area or whatever rather than relaxing in their hotel. I recall in 2005 coming for a match that was scheduled at 12.30 pm in the preliminary rounds. Because of time overruns of other matches, the match started around 1.15 pm. By the evening, the time overrun had multiplied into something like 1.5 hours...

With this system, the matches are likely to end on time, not only because of 21-points but because organisers have the option to open up a 4th and 5th court to cope with over-long matches (i assume they will still have 5 courts set up), so that the next match can start on time. So compared to 2005, players may still have a better 'experience' this year even though the timings seem tighter.

Another theory - only 3 courts this year because not enuf people volunteered to be line judges - check with Netasia :)

It still doesn't explain why the top players didn't player in a 5-star Singapore Open and chose a 4-star one instead?


I thought that would have been apparent : Malaysian hotels are cheaper and the sites are better. Also, imagine cooling off in Kuching at the Damai beach rather than the congested East Coast or Changi Beaches.

Realistically, for a night in a Singapore hotel you can get 2 nights in a Malaysian one, and if you are lucky, you can probably include a real massage !!!:D

I saw Daren Liew's name listed, is he the promising junior for malaysian mens single??

I thought that would have been apparent : Malaysian hotels are cheaper and the sites are better. Also, imagine cooling off in Kuching at the Damai beach rather than the congested East Coast or Changi Beaches.

Realistically, for a night in a Singapore hotel you can get 2 nights in a Malaysian one, and if you are lucky, you can probably include a real massage !!!:D

Are the sites in Malaysia better? I have never been to any in Malaysia. Care to elaborate?

Are the sites in Malaysia better? I have never been to any in Malaysia. Care to elaborate? there are some great ones ;) (notice my one eye is shut)

there are some great ones ;) (notice my one eye is shut)

Yeeeeeee........

Yeeeeeee........

I was joking. :cool:

I saw Daren Liew's name listed, is he the promising junior for malaysian mens single??

Hmm.. i think.. the most promising juniors are Lim Kenn & Tan Chun Seang :rolleyes:

Hmm.. i think.. the most promising juniors are Lim Kenn & Tan Chun Seang :rolleyes:
Who did Rashid Sidek mentioned... he mentioned couple of promising juniors in some article and I thought Daren liew was one of them...

Who did Rashid Sidek mentioned... he mentioned couple of promising juniors in some article and I thought Daren liew was one of them...

Rashid Sidek mentioned both of them. Esp Lim Kenn. i think u had mistaken him with Liew Daren.;)

Rashid Sidek mentioned both of them. Esp Lim Kenn. i think u had mistaken him with Liew Daren.;)
Ooo.. thanks for clarifying.. looks like they are not ready yet for this tournament

oh I went and check.. it was chongwei that says Daren is a promising one...
Lets hope he perform well:)

well, i think Malaysian's delight has always been the main attraction of tourists rather than exclusive hotels n huge shopping complex or petronas twin tower...

My friends from other countries had only nyonya kuih, asam laksa, roti canai, fried kuey teow n lots more in thier mind when they came here...

oh I went and check.. it was chongwei that says Daren is a promising one...
Lets hope he perform well:)

He got beaten easy in the recently concluded Malaysian Sukma Games. So I figure this guy will not perform immediately -- he would cave in when things are not looking good.

News from a source: Taufik's not participating in SO this yr due to his back injury..

News from a source: Taufik's not participating in SO this yr due to his back injury..


I had a feeling that would happen coz it would take too much of him (even if he does not carry injuries).

It would be hard to back up from a win --- these days the players are very good and to beat them all the time takes a lot of energy (MILO does not do the job of providing enough energy anymore !);)

News from a source: Taufik's not participating in SO this yr due to his back injury..

Quite expected......if he's not in the mood, he will just not bother turning up.
Same old trick...

Any body know about Indonesian MD pair Aji Basuki Sindoro/Ruben Gordown? At Thailand satellite, They were Malaysian according to http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/(X(1)S(uqxp11vd235kly550akw4m55))/feed/player.aspx?memberid=53653&sport=2

So where are they truely from?

Quite expected......if he's not in the mood, he will just not bother turning up.
Same old trick...

Any body know about Indonesian MD pair Aji Basuki Sindoro/Ruben Gordown? At Thailand satellite, They were Malaysian according to http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/(X(1)S(uqxp11vd235kly550akw4m55))/feed/player.aspx?memberid=53653&sport=2

So where are they truely from?

i heard they are indonesian, but hired by BAM as sparring partner for malaysian MD team.

News from a source: Taufik's not participating in SO this yr due to his back injury..

HASS THIS BEEN TRULY COMFIRMED? SPOIL MY MOOD LAH...

HASS THIS BEEN TRULY COMFIRMED? SPOIL MY MOOD LAH...

it's still unconfirmed about taufik's withdrawn

let's see tomorrow...

be patient :D

it's still unconfirmed about taufik's withdrawn

let's see tomorrow...

be patient :D

if he went back becoz of the scandal but manage to come back in time to play.. then i'll rather he withdraw.. coz i dun wanna see him playing juz for the sake of playing.. but judging from his character, he'll most probably cite injury (which is true to large extend) as withdrawal reason... in that case, i rather he withdraw then put up a lousy fight man....

[Does anyone know which website to go to to view the Draw of matches for tomorrow 7 Jun 2006

quote=storkbill]The timetabling of this years' Matches has improved over last year. Previously, the organisers had to rush through as many matches as possible by fixing matches in all 5 courts simultaneously up to the QF stage.

From the current schedule, it appears that they will only use 3 courts simultaneously (if necessary to 'overflow' longer running games into a 4th or 5th court). I guess the 21 point scoring system, with it's promise of shorter games, have allowed the organisers to do this.

Anyone going down today to see qualifiers, pls report :)[/quote]

News from a source: Taufik's not participating in SO this yr due to his back injury..
only way to confirm is if Loh, badMania, ants or others following the SO can let us know...:p :rolleyes:

Any professional player know that flying and competing in the same day is not good. Taufik should know this. Logic dictates he is 100% out.

Taufik is already out. Spoken with him before he left.