Equinox New Zealand Open 2006 2*

[x50926x]

Website: http://www.equinoxnzopen.com (http://www.equinoxnzopen.com)

[Oops sorry, didn't notice the other thread for NZ open :o]

[badMania]

Some early results from Day 1:
Yoshimi Hataya bt Frances Liu Fan 22-20, 17-21, 21-12 -- the Jap continues her good run by beating her Singaporean opponents.

Ronald Susilo bt Delius Tang 21-6, 21-7 -- no probs for Ronald, all over in 18 mins. His opponent tomorrow will be the Chinese Taipei player Cheng Ching-Hung. The first real opponent will come on Thursday..in the form of the top seed Sairul Amar Ayob.

I think Team Singapore brings ALL its players to NZ for this tournament as well as a holiday perhaps? We will see some early clashes between the Singaporen players from tomorrow onwards, eg: Xing Aiying vs Zhang Beiwen, and possibily Li Li vs Shinta Mulia Sari.

In terms of draws, I have said earlier that Singaporean players might win most events, but, this may turn out to be incorrect, esp in MS and WS. However, Singapore is indeed most likely to win the WD and XD events (with Li Yujia grabbing two golds perhaps?). The MS and WS are pretty open to anyone.

In MS, Kendrick Lee Yen Hui is only seeded 7th. He will face tricky opponents starting from either Saman Ismail or Richard Vaughn in Round 1/16 on Thursday. A potential quarter-final clash with Shoji Sato awaits on Friday.

Meanwhile, Ronald will also face the top seed Sairul Amar Ayob in Round 1/16, followed probably by John Moody in the quarter-final. The winner from this quarter will face the winner of the second quarter which contains Kendrick Lee and Shoji Sato.

[ants]

Lee Tseun Seng lost to Jah Fei LEE of NZ... got trashed 21-3/21-5! My Goodness

[wynn000]

no , lee tseun seng beat JFL
Lee won juz now i oso very surprised but actually
the official mistakes

[ants]

Phew! I thought what happened to him when i read the results at the website. I almost give him a call. Hahah.. anyway i've noticed that they corrected the Error.

[Loh]

I also couldn't believe that Tsung Seng could lose so badly to an unknown and knew it must be a horrible mistake! :D

Frankly, I think there will be a few upsets as some of the seedings for the local players especially may be a little too presumptuous. ;)

[badMania]

More results:
Some of the more established players like Lee Tsuen Tseng, Saman Ismail and Richard Vaughn in the MS have progressed. Saman vs Vaugn will perhaps be one of the more interesting match tomorrow. Singaporean players like Erwin Djohan and Shinta Mulia Sari also have no programs. One SIngaporean was out though...Derek Wong Zi Liang lost to Alan Chan in straight sets 16-21, 17-21.

4 more matches to be completed for today and its unlikely that we will see any upset for those matches.

[badMania]

Some of the more interesting matches tomorrow (not much though). Predictions in bold.

MS ROUND 1/32
Nikhil Katekar vs Erwin Djohan
Saman Ismail vs Richard Vaughn

MD ROUND 1/32
Craig Cooper/Daniel Shirley vs Cheng Ching-Hung/Hsieh Yu-Hsing

WS ROUND 1/32
Rachel Hindley vs Gu Juan -- can Gu upset the top seed?
Xing Aiying vs Zhang Beiwen -- a batlle of two China-born Singaporeans. Aiying to progress!
Yao Lei vs Tania Luiz -- again, a Singaporean vs a seeded player.

WD ROUND 1/32
Rebecca Bellingham/Nicole Gordon vs Yao Lei/Fu Mingtian

XD ROUND 1/32
Geoff Bellingham/Rebecca Bellingham vs Ross Smith/Tania Luiz
Chew Choon Eng/Chor Hooi Yee vs Daniel Shirley/Renee Flavell -- remember Daniel Shirley? He was in the semi-final of the WC last year and his partnership with Sara Runesten-Petersen had created a few upsets. Too bad, his partner decided to retire this year.

[Simp84]

damn... I cant believe i am missing this live.. lol
landing in NZ right after final finish haha:(

[badMania]

Selected results from Day 2:
MS ROUND 1/32
Ronald Susilo bt Cheng Ching-Hung 21-16, 21-10 -- a smooth ride for Ronald...but Sairul Amar Ayob awaits tomorrow.

Kendrick Lee Yen Hui bt Kevin Da Silva 23-3, 21-13 -- similarly no problem for Kendrick so far. Tougher test for him in the form of Saman Ismail or Richard Vaughn tomorrow also.

Nikhil Kathekar bt Erwin Djohan 21-14, 21-15 -- no such luck for Erwin though...as the Indian beat him.

WS ROUND 1/32
Xing Aiying bt Zhang Beiwen 21-17, 21-13 -- Aiying progressed as expected...and she should win again tomorrow, playing against the unknown Maggie Chan.

Yao Lei bt Tania Luiz 21-19, 21-17 -- perhaps the only shock so far? A good victory for the China born Singaporean as she beat the fifth-seed Tania. She will meet her compatriot Fu Mingtian tomorrow. We could have quite w couple of all-Singaporean matches tomorrow. Shinta Mulia Sari vs Li Li and Fu Mingtian vs Yao Lei.

[hcyong]

Reasonably strong field for a 2* tournament.

MS:
I am predicting a Conrad Hueckstaedt v Sato Shoji final, and Sato to win.
Strong contenders: Ayob, Susilo, Kendrick, Smith, Lee TS

WS:
Yoshimi Hataya v Li Li, with Li winning.
Strong contenders: Xing, Umezu

MD:
Hendra/Hendri v Sukmawan/Hian, with Indons (the ones who still represent Indonesia) winning.

WD:
Lim PS/Joanne Quay v Jiang YM/Li YJ, with Singaporeans winning

XD:
Hendri/Li YJ v Chew CE/Chor HY with Singaporeans winning
Strong contenders: Hendra/Frances

[Simp84]

Reasonably strong field for a 2* tournament.

MS:
I am predicting a Conrad Hueckstaedt v Sato Shoji final, and Sato to win.
Strong contenders: Ayob, Susilo, Kendrick, Smith, Lee TS

WS:
Yoshimi Hataya v Li Li, with Li winning.
Strong contenders: Xing, Umezu

MD:
Hendra/Hendri v Sukmawan/Hian, with Indons (the ones who still represent Indonesia) winning.

WD:
Lim PS/Joanne Quay v Jiang YM/Li YJ, with Singaporeans winning

XD:
Hendri/Li YJ v Chew CE/Chor HY with Singaporeans winning
Strong contenders: Hendra/Frances
Sato Shoji wins? no way.. Ronald or Sairul will be the favorite..:)

[badMania]

A few more selected results from today and a few upsets involving Singaporeans losing.

WS ROUND 1/32
Vina bt Shinta Mulia Sari 21-19, 21-19 -- so, no all-Singaporean match tomorrow. Instead, Vina will now meet Li Li.

Rachel Hindley bt Gu Juan 21-17, 24-22 -- another close match and the top seed managed to progress to Round 1/16.

XD ROUND 1/32
Chew Choon Eng/Chor Hoi Yee bt Daniel Shirley/Renee Flavell 14-21, 21-18, 21-17 -- a good result for the Malaysian pair. They have a chance to go all the way to the final.

[badMania]

Selected matches for tomorrow.

MS ROUND 1/16
Sairul Amar Ayob vs Ronald Susilo (MATCH OF THE DAY) -- tough test for both players. I hope Ronald win!

Kendrick Lee Yen Hui vs Richard Vaughn

Koichi Saeki vs Andrew Smith -- tricky tie for the second-seeded English player...but he should manage.

MD ROUND 1/16
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Hendra Wijaya vs Chen Hung-Ling/Huang Shih-Chung

Lin Yu-Lang/Chien Yu-Hsun vs Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian -- the Djarum players should also win!

WS ROUND 1/16
Rachel Hindley vs Yoshimi Hataya -- the Jap to win and continues her fine form.

Fu Mingtian vs Yao Lei

WD ROUND 1/16
Lim Pek Siah/Joanne Quay Swee Ling vs Rebecca Bellingham/Nicole Gordon

Gu Juan/Zhang Beiwen vs Purwati/Meiliana Jauhari

Chor Hoi Yee/Ang Li Peng vs Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia

XD ROUND 1/16
Chew Choon Eng/Chor Hooi Yee vs Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan

[badMania]

Selected early results from Thursday:

MS ROUND 1/16
Lee Tsuen Tseng bt Stuart Gomez 21-12, 21-11 -- the Malaysian is the first to reach QF.

Nikhil Kanetkar bt Geoff Bellingham 21-6, 21-12

XD ROUND 1/16
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Li Yujia bt Ashley Brehaut/Erin Carroll 21-6, 21-5 -- They will face another NZ pair in the QF tomorrow...and by right, they should win the title!

[badMania]

More results...
MS ROUND 1/16
Kendrick Lee Yen Hui bt Richard Vaughn 21-17, 21-15 -- he faces Shoji Sato next in tomorrow's match of the day.

Koichi Saeki lost to Andrew Smith 12-21, 16-21 -- no problem for the English player and he will meet the Indian player Nikhil Kanetkar in the QF.

WS ROUND 1/16
Rachel Hindley lost to Yoshimi Hataya 12-21, 9-21 -- the top seed lost to the Jap player as expected. The Jap will meet Trupti Murgunde next.

Fu Mingtian bt Yao Lei 21-14, 19-21, 21-10 -- the Singaporean player will face Huang Chia-Chi who suprisingly beat the second seed Setheaswari Mundukasan in straight sets.

Xing Aiying bt Maggie Chan 21-6, 21-7 -- Aiying also progressed.

MD ROUND 1/16
Lin Yu-Lang/Chien Yu-Hsun lost to Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian 15-21, 15-21 -- the second seeded Djarum pair passed their first test in the New Zealand Open.

As a note, Rian Sukmawan is still very young (born in 1985) and this partnership is beginning to bear some fruits. They have beaten Hoon Thien How/Tan Boon Heong, Hwang Ji Man/Jung Tae Kuk and Sudket Prapakamol/Patapol Ngernsrisuk.

So far, they have lost mostly to top 10 pairs such as Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah (twice), Chan Chong Ming/Koo Kien Keat, Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae, and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari/Lin Woon Fui. A title here will do them good!

[hcyong]

badMania, I think you got the convention wrong.
1/16 should mean Last 32. Normally, for short, I would call it R32, meaning Round of 32.
1/8 means R16.
1/4 is a Quarter, hence QuarterFinal.
1/2 is a Half or Semi, hence SemiFinal.

Therefore to avoid confusion, it would be better to call today's matches R16 instead of 1/16. Just my thought. I may be the one who is wrong.

[badMania]

badMania, I think you got the convention wrong.
1/16 should mean Last 32. Normally, for short, I would call it R32, meaning Round of 32.
1/8 means R16.
1/4 is a Quarter, hence QuarterFinal.
1/2 is a Half or Semi, hence SemiFinal.

Therefore to avoid confusion, it would be better to call today's matches R16 instead of 1/16. Just my thought. I may be the one who is wrong.

Hmm...you are right...I guess its better to call it R32, R16 and so on.
Thanks for pointing it out.

[Loh]

Sorry. Repeated Post. Please see below.

[Loh]

badMania, looks like your predictions are correct so far.

Actually if you look at the draw, 1/16 is classified as Round 3 or R3 for short. I suppose they don't put it as Round 1/16, or Round 16 as 1/16 probably means there are 16 players left to compete in the event and not to confuse with the number of rounds of competition that have been played for that particular event. Similarly 1/32 means 32 players left or Round 2 if the number of entries started with 64 players in Round 1.

Conversely, if there are only 32 entries for that event, 1/32 will become R1, 1/16 will become R2. It really depends on the number of entries, but from QF onwards, it is standard. I think, during the recent Cheers Age-Group Singles tournament in Singapore, the number of entries for some events reached a record 128, so a Round 4 has to be included and the competitors have to play more rounds if they win and advance to the next round.

1/8, or 8 players left in the competition, would mean the Quarter Finals, 1/4 means only 4 players left in the Semi-Finals and the last two competitor will fight it out in the Finals, as you can also see from the draw. :)

[x50926x]

Ronald won Ayob Sairul in two straight games 21-16, 21-13.

[Loh]

Ronald won Ayob Sairul in two straight games 21-16, 21-13.

Good for Ronald, but he may have to meet compatriot, Kendrick later! :crying:

[badMania]

More good news for Singaporeans.
MS ROUND 3
Sairul Amar Ayob lost to Ronald Susilo 16-21, 13-21 -- a good result for Ronald...he passed his first test here. John Moody awaits tomorrow. Remember that poor Kuan Beng Hong lost to John Moody recently...so..not easy for Ronald.

Conrad Hueckstaedt lost to Bobby Milroy 16-21, 25-27 -- the Canadian will meet Lee Tsuen Tseng next.

MD ROUND 2
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Hendra Wijaya bt Chen Hung-Ling/Huang Shih-Chung 19-21, 21-16, 21-17 -- the Chinese Taipei pair pushed the 3/4 seed to 3 sets...a worrying start for Hendry/Hendra.


WS ROUND 3
Vina lost to Li Li 9-21, 10-21 -- Li Li will face a tricky tie against Chie Umezu tomorrow.

WD ROUND 2
Chor Hoi Yee/Ang Li Peng lost to Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia 19-21, 9-21

[noluckjim]

Ronald won Ayob Sairul in two straight games 21-16, 21-13.


Ayob looked like his fitness was shot :eek: :(

[Simp84]

Ayob looked like his fitness was shot :eek: :(
Ronald is good ok :p John Moody will be easier to beat compared to Ayob..

[noluckjim]

Ronald is good ok :p John Moody will be easier to beat compared to Ayob..
haha, yea, too true :rolleyes:

[Loh]

Guys, please don't count your chickens before they're hatched! :D
But let's hope Ronald will maintain his form and show his true self! :)
We've been very patient with him so far! ;)

[badMania]

I hope Ronald can get a title here. That will be like his second GP title after the 5* Japan Open 2004?

[hcyong]

badMania, looks like your predictions are correct so far.

Actually if you look at the draw, 1/16 is classified as Round 3 or R3 for short. I suppose they don't put it as Round 1/16, or Round 16 as 1/16 probably means there are 16 players left to compete in the event and not to confuse with the number of rounds of competition that have been played for that particular event. Similarly 1/32 means 32 players left or Round 2 if the number of entries started with 64 players in Round 1.

Conversely, if there are only 32 entries for that event, 1/32 will become R1, 1/16 will become R2. It really depends on the number of entries, but from QF onwards, it is standard. I think, during the recent Cheers Age-Group Singles tournament in Singapore, the number of entries for some events reached a record 128, so a Round 4 has to be included and the competitors have to play more rounds if they win and advance to the next round.

1/8, or 8 players left in the competition, would mean the Quarter Finals, 1/4 means only 4 players left in the Semi-Finals and the last two competitor will fight it out in the Finals, as you can also see from the draw. :)

1/16 does not mean there are 16 players left in the tournament.
Final = Final
1/2 Final = SemiFinal
1/4 Final = QuarterFinal
1/8 Final = Last 16
1/16 Final = Last 32
This is what some people actually meant when they say 1/16, but others will get confused because they will naturally think 1/16 is the Last 16.

So, instead of using fractions (1/2, 1/4, 1/8 etc), better to use something less ambiguous, like Final, SemiFinal, QuarterFinal, Last 16, Last 32 etc. (personally I prefer R16, R32 - shorter and sweeter).

I also don't like to use Round 1 or Round 2, because (like you mentioned) we don't know what is the draw size. I feel it is more important to know how many players are left in the draw than how many rounds they have played. For instance, it is more informative to say QuarterFinal (meaning 8 players left) than to say Round 4 (because Round 4 could also mean Last 16 or SemiFinal).

[Simp84]

Guys, please don't count your chickens before they're hatched! :D
But let's hope Ronald will maintain his form and show his true self! :)
We've been very patient with him so far! ;)
Don't worry Loh...
Ayob can beat Moody...
so it goes like this.. Susilo > Ayob > Moody:D
If everything goes according to plan.. it should all Singaporean final Kendrick vs Ronald:p if LTS suddenly on fire.. then it could be Ronald vs LTS hehe.. (of coz not forgeting sato shoji who is also very unpredictable)

[Budakkiwi]

THe reason why Singapore are out in full force in NZ is because they are playing in a series of test matches against the NZ national team.
The 2nd test or first..? Will be held at where i'am right now, Palmerston North next tuesday...wuhooo! I'm sooo gonna watch it :D

[badMania]

I have checked the ranking site at IBF. I think Loh is also correct. Round 1/16 also means that there are 16 players left in the draw. Similary, the first round for MS is usually Round 1/64.

To borrow from Chen Hong's ranking, he lost in Round 3 at Malaysia Open, which is also Round 16 or (1/16). So, they are referring to the same thing.

The format of the ranking site:
Event Date Event Name Grade Points Round
18/06/2006 Proton Malaysia Open 2006 4* 1680 1/16

I guess, to avoid confusion, we shall use Round 32, Round 16 and so on.

[ubite]

Don't worry Loh...
Ayob can beat Moody...
so it goes like this.. Susilo > Ayob > Moody:D
If everything goes according to plan.. it should all Singaporean final Kendrick vs Ronald:p if LTS suddenly on fire.. then it could be Ronald vs LTS hehe.. (of coz not forgeting sato shoji who is also very unpredictable)

There cannot be a Kendrick vs Ronald final. They are in the same side of the draw. There could be a semi-final between them though.

My picks for the quarter-finals in the MS:

Ronald Susilo to beat John Moody (although I hope John Moody can pull off a major upset :))

Yen Hui Kendrick Lee to beat Shoji Sato

Tsuen Seng Lee to beat Bobby Milroy

Nikhil Kanetkar to beat Andrew Smith

[storkbill]

Nikhil Kanetkar to beat Andrew Smith

After seeing them at SO, I'll predict Andrew Smith winning in straight sets. I think he's a player everyone underestimates because he's from England ;)

[noluckjim]

There cannot be a Kendrick vs Ronald final. They are in the same side of the draw. There could be a semi-final between them though.

My picks for the quarter-finals in the MS:

Ronald Susilo to beat John Moody (although I hope John Moody can pull off a major upset :))

Yen Hui Kendrick Lee to beat Shoji Sato

Tsuen Seng Lee to beat Bobby Milroy

Nikhil Kanetkar to beat Andrew Smith
If you're confident you can try those at the TAB :rolleyes:

[Simp84]

There cannot be a Kendrick vs Ronald final. They are in the same side of the draw. There could be a semi-final between them though.

My picks for the quarter-finals in the MS:

Ronald Susilo to beat John Moody (although I hope John Moody can pull off a major upset :))

Yen Hui Kendrick Lee to beat Shoji Sato

Tsuen Seng Lee to beat Bobby Milroy

Nikhil Kanetkar to beat Andrew Smith
opps... I didn't do a proper investigation lol.... sorry sorry!
So... it will be LTS vs the Singaporean (ronald/kendrick)

[Loh]

I have checked the ranking site at IBF. I think Loh is also correct. Round 1/16 also means that there are 16 players left in the draw. Similary, the first round for MS is usually Round 1/64.

To borrow from Chen Hong's ranking, he lost in Round 3 at Malaysia Open, which is also Round 16 or (1/16). So, they are referring to the same thing.

The format of the ranking site:
Event Date Event Name Grade Points Round
18/06/2006 Proton Malaysia Open 2006 4* 1680 1/16

I guess, to avoid confusion, we shall use Round 32, Round 16 and so on.

Well, I have heard of Round of 16 (maybe be interpreted as round of 16 players left), Round of 32, but Round 16 and Round 32 are confusing to me instead! :D

[hcyong]

Well, I have heard of Round of 16 (maybe be interpreted as round of 16 players left), Round of 32, but Round 16 and Round 32 are confusing to me instead! :D

The most unambiguous and sweetest for me are R64, R32, R16, QF, SF, Final.

[johnps]

THe reason why Singapore are out in full force in NZ is because they are playing in a series of test matches against the NZ national team.
The 2nd test or first..? Will be held at where i'am right now, Palmerston North next tuesday...wuhooo! I'm sooo gonna watch it :D

If you are attending any of the test next week, please do write about your impressions on the event and the matches played. Thanks.

[Loh]

After seeing them at SO, I'll predict Andrew Smith winning in straight sets. I think he's a player everyone underestimates because he's from England ;)

I haven't seen Nikhil Kanetkar play before but he has already proven himself in this tornament so far. I thought his name sounds familiar to one very good Indian player in the past.

On the other hand, I have seen Andrew Smith play in Singapore recently and followed his performance in the Asian circuit and I must admit he is impressive, certainly one rare English player with such abilities to have emerged from England for quite some time now. :D

[badmad]

I haven't seen Nikhil Kanetkar play before but he has already proven himself in this tornament so far. I thought his name sounds familiar to one very good Indian player in the past.

On the other hand, I have seen Andrew Smith play in Singapore recently and followed his performance in the Asian circuit and I must admit he is impressive, certainly one rare English player with such abilities to have emerged from England for quite some time now. :D

Nikhil Kanetkar is one of the top shuttlers in india, certainly not the best. But he is good. Prakash Padukone is his coach. But I guess Andrew smith holds edge in this match. If Nikhil is able to beat him, then it would come as sweet surprise to me. :)

[badMania]

Some early cheers for the Singapore contingent...

WS QUARTER-FINAL
Xing Aiying bt Renee Flavell 21-5, 21-15 -- Aiying is through to the semi-final but her real test will come tomorrow. Either Yoshimi Hataya or Trupti Murgunde will be a tough opponent. Can we see a Xing Aiying vs Li Li Final?

XD QUARTER-FINAL
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Li Yujia bt Daniel Forrest/Danielle Barry 21-6, 2-8 -- a breeze for the top seed. They are expected to take the title, in another all-Singaporean Final probably against their compatriot Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan.

.

[Loh]

Some early cheers for the Singapore contingent...

WS QUARTER-FINAL
Can we see a Xing Aiying vs Li Li Final?

XD QUARTER-FINAL
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Li Yujia bt Daniel Forrest/Danielle Barry 21-6, 2-8 -- a breeze for the top seed. They are expected to take the title, in another all-Singaporean Final probably against their compatriot Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan.

.

During the Melbourne Commonwealth Games< Li Li was shocked by the young and aggressive Saina Nehwal of India in straight games during the team event. But Aiying took revenge for Li Li when she beat Saina in three games (?) in the individual event.

It will be interesting to find out whether Li Li has learned to deal with her younger, faster and more powerful teammate. Aiying will be the unofficial no.1 if she manages to beat Li Li. Maybe Aiying has learned something from her new coach but Li Li has also improved.

Regarding the XD, it will be a pleasant surprise if the new pairing of Hendra/Frances reaches the final to face the favourites, Hendra's brother and MD partner, Hendry and his long time XD partner Li Yujia. Only the very brave would bet on Hendra and Frances to win. :D

[x50926x]

More good news for the singapore team!

Big upset by singapore wd pair sari shinta/vanessa neo. They defeated australians top seed in 2 fairly easy games. 21-17, 21-11.

kendrick lee defeats sato shoji in straight sets too. 21-19, 21-17.

[badMania]

More cheers for Singaporeans...

MS QUARTER-FINAL
Shoji Sato lost to Kendrick Lee Yen Hui 19-21, 17-21 -- a good result for Kendrick Lee. Is this the same Jap guy who beat Taufik in the Thomas Cup? Kendrick has definitely shown improvements in the past few months. He nearly beat Bao Chunlai in a 3-set match at the Aviva Singapore Open. Then, he went on to beat Chen Hong at the Chinese Taipei Open and reach his first major semi-final. Now, he beats Shoji Sato and will possibly meet his compatriot Ronald. A title here for either player (mostly likely to be Kendrick) is definitely going to be a morale booster.

Nikhil Kanethar lost to Andrew Smith 19-21, 21-18, 16-21 -- a tight match which ended with the English player winning. He will now face Lee Tsuen Tseng, who has beaten Bobby Milroy 21-13, 21-7.

WS QUARTER-FINAL
Yoshimi Hataya bt Trupti Murgunde 17-21, 21-12, 21-16 -- another 3-setter today and the Jap player won her 4th match at Auckland. I believe most of us do not even recognize her name before the Thailand Open last week. She has had an impressive 2 weeks. Can she beat Xing Aiying tomorrow?

MD QUARTER-FINAL
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Hendra Wijaya bt Jose Antonio Crespo/Henry Tam 21-9, 21-9 -- an easy match for the brothers...and they are through to the semi-final.

WD QUARTER-FINAL
Kate Wilson-Smith/Kellie Lucas lost to Shinta Mulia Sari/Vanessa Neo Yu Yan 17-21, 11-21 -- a straight-forward victory for the Singapore no 2 pair over the top seed. They will now face a tough tie against Lim Pek Siah/Joanne Quay Swee Ling.

Rachel Hindley/Kimberly Windsor lost to Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia 4-21, 10-21 -- all over in 19 mins. They will meet the Djarum pair of Purwati/Meiliana Jauhari tomorrow. Another all-Singaporean Final possibly? Hmm...

[badMania]

It will be interesting to find out whether Li Li has learned to deal with her younger, faster and more powerful teammate. Aiying will be the unofficial no.1 if she manages to beat Li Li. Maybe Aiying has learned something from her new coach but Li Li has also improved.


How old is Aiying...must be below 18 right? She has a bright future...

[Loh]

For a change, its nice to know that Singaporeans are winning, some against very strong opposition.

Kendrick's defeat of Shoji in straight games is a pleasant surprise as Shoji is capable of beating the best when he is in form, even TH. If Ronald Susilo manages to beat the wily John Moody this evening, Kendrick will have to prove that he is the rightful no.1 in Singapore badminton. But if Ronald should succeed, he will be on his way to bigger things. I just have to remain neutral and trust that the better man wins, though Ronald's mental strength seems to be more dominant.

For Sari and Vanessa to have advanced this far in the WD must be good tonic for this new combination. Let's hope they can progress further to prove us all wrong. :D

The Hendry/Hendra brothers looks very strong indeed in the MD and they will help to lift the mediocre doubles standards that bemoan Singapore for a long time now. :cool:

I must say Andrew Smith did not disappoint and our Singapore players will not have an easy time against him. :(

[badMania]

I will prefer Kendrick to win tomorrow...because he's Singapore's future. Don't forget he was the runner-up of the World Junior in 2002. He WAS SUPPOSED to deliver..but hasn't showed much of his talent, except for that 1* US Open title a few years back. So, I hope that the victory here (2* is much better than the current 1* title right :D ) will spur him to reach even greater heights. He's only 21 this year...

As for Ronald...he's past his prime...he can retire now...:cool:

[badMania]

Just in....Ronald Susilo thrashed the local favorite John Moody 21-5, 21-7 in 25 mins. Moody is probably in a "moody" mood today...hehe...

So, its Ronald vs Kendrick tomorrow....bring on the popcorn...

In the WS, the youngster Fu Mingtian lost to Huang Chia-Chi 10-21, 11-21. If Li Li can beat Chie Umezu (match still ongoing now), then she will meet Huang.

[badMania]

Last set of results:
WS QUARTER-FINAL
Chie Umezu lost to Li Li 8-21, 15-21 -- Li Li will face Huang Chia-Chi...a tie that is absolutely winnable!

MD QUARTER-FINAL
Ashley Brehaut/Aji Basuki Sindoro lost to Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian 19-21, 16-21 -- the Djarum pair reached their first semi-final as a pair. They have a tricky tie against Craig Cooper/Daniel Shirley tomorrow.

XD QUARTER-FINAL
Benjamin Walklate/Eva Ratanasena lost to Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan 15-21, 8-21 -- an easy match for the Singaporean pair. They will play against the second-seeded Glenn Warfe/Susan Dobson in the semi-final.

[badMania]

MEN'S SINGLES SEMI-FINAL
Ronald Susilo vs Kendrick Lee Yen Hui (MATCH OF THE DAY) -- whoever wins the match can brag that he's no 1 in Singapore. I pick Kendrick to beat Ronald and to go on and win the title!

Lee Tsuen Tseng vs Andrew Smith -- the English player has impressed in the past few tournaments. It will be difficult for Lee to beat him.

MEN'S DOUBLES SEMI-FINAL
Koichi Saeki/Shoji Sato vs Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Hendra Wijaya -- the presence of Shoji Sato makes it a tricky tie for the Singaporean players. But, they should manage.

Craig Cooper/Daniel Shirley vs Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian -- likewise, not an easy tie because of Daniel Shirley's presence. However, the Djarum pair should win (perhaps in 3 sets?)

WOMEN'S SINGLES SEMI-FINAL
Yoshimi Hataya vs Xing Aiying -- another candidate for match of the day. Aiying is relatively more experienced and I pick her to beat the rising Jap player.

Li Li vs Huang Chia-Chi -- similarly, if Li Li plays her best badminton, shouldn't be a problem for her.

WOMEN'S DOUBLES SEMI-FINAL
Shinta Mulya Sari/Vanessa Neo Yu Yan vs Lim Pek Siah/Joanna Quay Swee Ling -- the Malaysians are more experienced, but, the Singaporean pair has had a good week and they could surprise us again!

Purwati/Meiliana Jauhari vs Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia -- the Djarum pair has done well to reach the semi-final. It will be a bonus if they can beat the more experienced Singapore pair.

MIXED DOUBLES SEMI-FINAL
Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Li Yujia vs Geoff Bellingham/Rebecca Bellingham -- the first match of the semi-final and the Singapore contingent should start off with a victory.

Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan vs Glenn Warfe/Susan Dobson -- most likely, it's going to be an all-Singaporean Final in the mixed doubles.

[Loh]

How old is Aiying...must be below 18 right? She has a bright future...

Maybe around 17.

I saw a new Chinese coach, who is probably in his forties, training her in Singapore. Aiying still has to polish up on her finesse and widen on her repertoire of strokes. She is strong and fit no doubt and is not unduly distracted. I hope she knows what her main goal is and work hard to achieve it!

Xing Aiying's background

She first came to Singapore in April 2003 as a 13-year-old and held the distinction of having been China's Under-13 Champion. Unfortunately, despite her title, she has not been called up for centralised training in Beijing, mainly because of her short height at 1.63m.

She was not even recruited into her own Jiangus provincial team as the coaches there prefer shuttlers to be at least 1.7m. They felt that height is very important for a badminton player. So her chances of progressing further seem rather bleak.

SBA's China scouts recommended Aiying who passed her trials in April. She proved to be way above the standards of local girls her age and was even faster and fitter than some of the boys in the national team!

Aiying arrived about the same time as Java-born Indonesian, Shinta Mulia Sari, then 15 and Li Yuhia, 21.

A 17-year-old local National woman player could only get 3 or 4 points from her. Even then, while she was still unable to beat top national players like Li Li and Xiao Luxi, she could stretch them occassionally.

Aiying has the right attitude and even at that age she told a reporter that while she would have to forgo her studies, she could return to it even after 30! But she said she could not play badminton at that age. She had the full support of her parents.

Aiying, then 15, together with Kendrick Lee, then 19, won the 1* $30,000 US Open singles titles in California in September 2004 to join Ronald Susilo's win of the 5* Japan Open in April. Aiying defeated the more experienced American Zhou Lili. Kendrick beat then All-England quarter-finalist Aamir Ghaffar before his win over Denmark's 1997 world champion, Peter Rasmussen as Peter was forced to retire with an ankle injury.

So, we should expect more to come from both Aiying and Kendrick although our SBA has set a target for Thomas and Uber Cup 2012. :p

[hcyong]

MEN'S SINGLES SEMI-FINAL
Ronald Susilo vs Kendrick Lee Yen Hui (MATCH OF THE DAY) -- whoever wins the match can brag that he's no 1 in Singapore. I pick Kendrick to beat Ronald and to go on and win the title!


Not a fair statement for Ronald. He is still on a comeback trail and recently still losing to players he should have easily beaten if he were his "normal" self.

[hcyong]

She first came to Singapore in April 2003 as a 13-year-old and held the distinction of having been China's Under-13 Champion. Unfortunately, despite her title, she has not been called up for centralised training in Beijing, mainly because of her short height at 1.63m.

Aiying has the right attitude and even at that age she told a reporter that while she would have to forgo her studies, she could return to it even after 30! But she said she could not play badminton at that age. She had the full support of her parents.


I have heard of this Chinese ploicy, but I don't think Jiang Yanjiao is very tall, I am quite surprised she is in the national team.

Right attitude? I don't know. On the other spectrum, we have Europeans who excel equally in both badminton and in academics. Something like the Singapore Sports School would be preferable I think. At least something to fall back on. Just concentrating on badminton is throwing everything into one basket. I guess it's not so bad if you're talented like Xing Aiying but what about those we never heard of.

[Loh]

I have heard of this Chinese ploicy, but I don't think Jiang Yanjiao is very tall, I am quite surprised she is in the national team.

Right attitude? I don't know. On the other spectrum, we have Europeans who excel equally in both badminton and in academics. Something like the Singapore Sports School would be preferable I think. At least something to fall back on. Just concentrating on badminton is throwing everything into one basket. I guess it's not so bad if you're talented like Xing Aiying but what about those we never heard of.

That's the 'kiasu' attitude so reminiscent of Singaporean parents, I'm afraid. But attitudes are changing slowly as the lastest report on the Singapore Sports School would suggest. More parents are willingly to send their sports-talented children there instead of the top academic schools.

If Tiger Woods were to continue with his studies at Stanford University, I'm not so sure he will continue to be the champion golfer he is today. He placed all his bets on turing professional with his parents' blessings and he is now the highest earning sports professional in the world. (Don't know whether he beat the pro racing driver Shoemaker (?) :D , though.)

[hcyong]

That's the 'kiasu' attitude so reminiscent of Singaporean parents, I'm afraid. But attitudes are changing slowly as the lastest report on the Singapore Sports School would suggest. More parents are willingly to send their sports-talented children there instead of the top academic schools.

If Tiger Woods were to continue with his studies at Stanford University, I'm not so sure he will continue to be the champion golfer he is today. He placed all his bets on turing professional with his parents' blessings and he is now the highest earning sports professional in the world. (Don't know whether he beat the pro racing driver Shoemaker (?) :D , though.)

Woods did not totally neglect his education. He still got an entry into a university.

[Sandy]

Last set of results:
MD QUARTER-FINAL
Ashley Brehaut/Aji Basuki Sindoro lost to Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian 19-21, 16-21 -- the Djarum pair reached their first semi-final as a pair. They have a tricky tie against Craig Cooper/Daniel Shirley tomorrow.


Djarum pair beat half Djarum pair :cool:
Aji Basuki Sindoro also from Djarum club

[Loh]

Some reporting on the tournament and comments from Andrew Smith, England's WR 20:

The New Zealand Herald
Wednesday August 2, 2006
By Dave Worsley

The big names come out to play today at the US$50,000 ($82,000) New Zealand Badminton Open with a full round of games including world top-20 player, top seed and defending champ Sairul Amar Ayob from Malaysia who faces talented New Zealand teenager Henry Tan.

Also on court is Kiwi No 1 John Moody, who had one of the best wins of his career at the highly rated Thailand Open last week.

Moody, originally from Northland plays Auckland's James Moffat.

Regular New Zealand visitor Andrew Smith from England starts his campaign with a clash against Kiwi Nikhil Medara.

He then has a potential showdown with the semi-retired Geoff Bellingham in the quarter-finals if all goes to plan.

Smith, the second seed in Auckland, is his country's top-ranked player at 20 on the world list.

Smith said that although the sport originated in England and had some top players, especially with the mixed combination of Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms who won gold at the Commonwealth Games, it lacked recognition.

"It's a big participation sport. More people play than watch. In football more people watch than play," said the 22-year-old who bases himself Downunder for a few months of the year.

One of Smith's aims is the Beijing Olympics in 2008 although the London Olympics four years later is even more of an ambition.

Also on court today will be New Zealand's Commonwealth Games medal winner Dan Shirley and Renee Flavell in the mixed doubles and Shirley and Craig Cooper in the men's doubles.

In key matches yesterday, former top-10 ranked Ronald Susilo of Singapore scored an easy 20-minute victory over Auckland's Delius Tang 21-6, 21-7 to set up a clash against Ching Hung Cheng of Taipei.

A notable victory was by North Harbour's Melissa Leviana, 15, a Rangitoto High School student who defeated Fong-Meah Cheah of Australia 15-21, 21-14, 21-19.

Waikato's Maggie Chan had a solid win over Ireland's Ruth Kilkenny 22-20, 20-22, 21-16.

New Zealand Thomas Cup representative Alan Chan, 18, threw himself around the court to win in straight games over Singapore's Zi Liang Derek Wong 21-17, 21-16 and now faces Aussie teenager Jeff Tho in the second round.

[storkbill]

Kendrick seems to be basically an attacking player - if he finds an opening, he steps up a gear to press the attack and win the point. If he does not find openings, he may take half-chances, become frustrated and make unforced errors. Actually from what (little) I've seen, Andrew Smith is also a little like that.

Ronald is able to neutralise that sort of attacking style without much problem at the 'lower levels.' With a solid defence, he won't have to do much as the opponent will make risky attacking shots, the unforced errors will pile up and the game wll slip away... (aka Kendrick Lee v Bao ChunLai SO 2006)

[cant_backhand]

go go kiwis wish u all the best,,,good luck

[badMania]

A good start of the day for the Singapore team as both their mixed pairs are through to the Final tomorrow. Hendry Saputra Kurniawan/Li Yujia beat the NZ couple pair of Geoff and Rebecca Bellingham 21-9, 21-9. They will meet their counterparts Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan who also won convincingly 21-7, 21-12 over the second-seeded Glenn Warfe/Susan Dobson.

So, one gold for Singapore and more to come surely...

[badMania]

The match of the day between Ronald Susilo and Kendrick Lee Yen Hui.....at the end.....Ronald won in 3 sets 21-15, 19-21, 21-9 -- it appears that Kendrick gave up the last set after losing 19-21 in the second :cool: So, can Ronald last the distance and beat either Lee Tsuen Tseng or Andrew Smith in the Final tomorrow?

[badMania]

It was a titanic struggle between the new pairing of Shinta Mulia Sari/Vanessa Neo Yu Yan against the experienced Malaysian pair Lim Pek Siah/Joanne Quay Swee Ling. The scores were so tight in all three sets and experience proved to pay off as the Malaysian pair won 24-22, 20-22, 23-21 in 70 mins.

At the end, only 2 points separated the winner and loser in the longest and closest match of the tournament so far. So, no all-Singaporean Final in the WD.

[badMania]

More updates...
Xing Aiying is through to the Final after a straight-forward 21-16, 21-13 victory over Yoshimi Hataya . However, the dream of an all-Singaporean Final in WS is crushed after Li Li suffered a bitter defeat at the hand of Huang Chia-Chi. Huang prevailed after 3 very very tight sets 27-25, 23-25, 22-20 in the longest match of the tournament (78 mins). Again, only 2 points separate the winner and loser. Unlucky for Singapore...

Meanwhile, Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia beat Purwati/Meiliana Jauhari 21-12, 21-16 and will now meet Lim Pek Siah/Joanna Quay Swee Ling. In the other MS semi-final, Lee Tsuen Tseng beat Andrew Smith in two tight sets 25-23, 21-17. So, its Lee vs Ronald tomorrow. I hope Ronald can win!

In the MD, Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian are on their way to their first title as a pair after they beat Craig Cooper/Daniel Shirley in straight sets 21-17, 21-14. Their opponent in the Final has yet been decided as Koichi Saeki/Shoji Sato are still playing Hendri Saputra Kurniawan/Hendra Wijaya.

[tehsham]

More updates...
So, its Lee vs Ronald tomorrow. I hope Ronald can win!
Thanks for the update, however I hope Lee will win it will be good for his confidence

[badMania]

Last match of the day: Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Hendra Wijaya are also through to the Final after beating Koichi Saeki/Shoji Sato 21-11, 21-18 in half an hour.

To round-up, Singaporeans will be involved in ALL the final matches tomorrow. I predict that they will get 3 to 4 golds.

[badMania]

MEN'S SINGLES
Ronald Susilo vs Lee Tsuen Tseng (MATCH OF THE DAY) -- both players are supposedly on a decline. However, they have had an impressive week so far (esp Ronald). A victory for either player will be a morale booster for their flagging career. I pick Ronald to win!

MEN'S DOUBLES
Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Hendra Wijaya vs Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian -- both pairs are pretty new and they have reached their first final (as I predicted last week). It could go to 3 sets, with the Djarum pair having a slight edge.

WOMEN'S SINGLES
Xing Aiying vs Huang Chia-Chi -- I have just checked...Xing Aiying is only 17 this year..and the youngster could well pick up another title here. The former Chinese Taipei player has beaten Li Li in 3 incredibly tight sets today. Does she still have the stamina tomorrow? Xing to win....

WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Lim Pek Siah/Joanna Quay Swee Ling vs Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia -- the Singaporean pair to win!

MIXED DOUBLES
Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia vs Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan -- the more experienced Singapore pair to win and Li Yujia to get her second gold of the day!

[Simp84]

The match of the day between Ronald Susilo and Kendrick Lee Yen Hui.....at the end.....Ronald won in 3 sets 21-15, 19-21, 21-9 -- it appears that Kendrick gave up the last set after losing 19-21 in the second :cool: So, can Ronald last the distance and beat either Lee Tsuen Tseng or Andrew Smith in the Final tomorrow?
Ronald can win it.. piece of cake:D
Andrew smith need more exposure to Asian players.. Lee should take it

[badMania]

Reasonably strong field for a 2* tournament.
MD:
Hendra/Hendri v Sukmawan/Hian, with Indons (the ones who still represent Indonesia) winning.

WD:
Lim PS/Joanne Quay v Jiang YM/Li YJ, with Singaporeans winning

XD:
Hendri/Li YJ v Chew CE/Chor HY with Singaporeans winning
Strong contenders: Hendra/Frances

Spot on with these predictions (except that the Malaysian mixed doubles pair lost to the Singapore no 2 pair)....I hope the final results will be as what you predict also :D

[noluckjim]

MEN'S SINGLES
WOMEN'S SINGLES
Xing Aiying vs Huang Chia-Chi -- I have just checked...Xing Aiying is only 17 this year..and the youngster could well pick up another title here. The former Chinese Taipei player has beaten Li Li in 3 incredibly tight sets today. Does she still have the stamina tomorrow? Xing to win....
Huang came back fighting after trailing 3-11 (:eek: ) in the third set. At 16-19 Huang dug deep and capitalized on Li's unforced errors (you could see some of the singaporean team cringing at some mistakes near the end:( ).

In the end, I think willpower lead to Huang's victory. Go Aussie! :):D

[storkbill]

Huang came back fighting after trailing 3-11 (:eek: ) in the third set. At 16-19 Huang dug deep and capitalized on Li's unforced errors (you could see some of the singaporean team cringing at some mistakes near the end:( ).

In the end, I think willpower lead to Huang's victory. Go Aussie! :):D

Sigh, but not unexpected, given her dismal performance in Commonwealth Games as 'defending champion'. I think her fitness is no longer what it was.

[chris-ccc]

Sigh, but not unexpected, given her dismal performance in Commonwealth Games as 'defending champion'. I think her fitness is no longer what it was.
Hi storkbill,

You are absolutely correct.

When Li Li did not perform well at the Commonwealth Games @Melbourne 2006, I asked her WHY?

She told me it was because of her poor STAMINA.

She has to improve on her STAMINA. Li Li is still one of the best dropshot women players in the world today. With that weapon, she should still be able to perform well on the world stage.

Cheers... chris@ccc

[adelina76]

Hi guys,

I watched some of the semis games today at the NZ Open. I was cheering for Li Li but was very disappointed with her performance. Like noluckjim pointed out, she had a big lead in the start of the 3rd set only to allow the Aussie import Huang CC to claw her way back into the game. I thought Li had the match in the bag when she was serving for the match at 20-16 but Huang must have been watching LCW closely in his match against Lin Dan in the Malaysian Open Final as she pulled the carpet from underneathe the shocked Li Li's petite feet to win the third set very very closely. It is going to be hard for her tomorrow against Aiying given that the latter is fresher from a rather straight sets textbook victory over the Japanese. Huang is bandaged around her thighs, arms and also torso (back support) and if she can continue to hold her broken body together one more day and pull through, it will be the biggest win not only for the gangly Huang, but also for Australia, to win its first major badminton tournament.

Lee Sun Tseng gave Malaysian fans a fright after what many thought would be a relatively easy path for the southpaw to be in his first final in many years. Many had expected Smith to give Lee a fight, but not to actually defeat him! The new points system and the competitiveness between the two players meant that tension was riding high throughout the entire game, with many staring down and fist pumping at the opponent each time a point was won. The large capacity crowd held their breath for a possible upset when Smith came a hairline from snatching the first set from the Malaysian who at first were not able to retrieve many of Smith's powerful sharp sideline smashes. Smith was lethal in employing the tactic of netting the shuttle really tight, forcing Lee to lift only to see Smith leapt in anticipation and smashing it down for one winning point, after another. A few unlucky and careless play towards the end of the first set allowed Lee to steady his play to grab the first set. In the second, As Lee played smarter and more consistently, reading Smith better, the Englishman's smashes began to lose its sting and eventually, he surrendered the set and the match to the jubliated Malaysian who will try and keep the NZ Open title within the Malaysian strengthold after the failure of compatriot, Ayob to defend his title. Incidentally, it was Lee's challenger for the title, Susilo that ended Ayob's run in the tournament. Based on their current level of play, the favourites billing must surely go to Susilo and fans and critics alike will be looking forward to see if indeed Singapore's badminton lion will roar, signalling his readiness to rule the world badminton jungle once more, or will it whimper off quietly back to its cage to lick its wounds?

Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles are somehow not going to be as eventful with the former being a contest between mates now playing for different countries and the mixed doubles is anything but, with all four players representing Singapore.

Sorry Loh but I will once again give my support to the Malaysian Women's Doubles pair when they take on the Singaporean girls who definitely on paper are predicted to lift their first international title. I must say that Lim and Quay will have to pull something special from out of their 'badminton bags' if they want to capture the title. If their semi finals narrow win against the Japanese girls are anything to go by, they will have their hands full against these experienced Singaporean pair.

Great matches ahead. The other thing everyone will be waiting to see if wheather, chairman for the chief sponsor, Equinox will announce that next year's tournament will be a 3 star event! Well..if he does, in another 4 years, we'll see the likes of Lin Dan and LCW in our backyard...(of course, they'll be retired by then, so more like likes of Chen Jin, Chen Yu etc). Oh well..time will tell!

A

[noluckjim]

go to sleep A :p

Your vigourous and varied use of verbosity are certainly better than the snippets that I provide :o . Can't write creatively if you're spending late nights here on BC.

posting at midnight... what's with the world these days? :rolleyes:
<oh, and Malaysia boleh!>

[Loh]

Adelina, so you have come out from your slumber!

I must say that Lee Tsung Seng has done well to eliminate a higher ranked Andrew Smith but against a rejuvenated Ronald in the final, it will be a different story. Even your beloved reigning champion, Ayob, failed to take a game off Ronald, who has proven that he deserves the crown more than anyone else. I'm happy that his skills, mental strength and fitness have returned close to 100 per cent.

Our WD team deserves a break after having failed so many times in the recent past. Of course they will not take your Malaysian girls lightly but will instead show what they are capable of in the final.

I am confident that we will win.

[ants]

Glad Lee Tseun Seng advance to the finals. Before he left to NZ he told me that he hope he can win the NZ Open.

[jaclyn]

well done for lee tseun seng!at last have see some good result for him!
good luck to him for tomorrow!hope to see him win!

[Han]

Why the US 2-star Open can't attract good players like the NZ Open?

[Simp84]

well done for lee tseun seng!at last have see some good result for him!
good luck to him for tomorrow!hope to see him win!
too bad he no longer with BAM :o

[x50926x]

Why the US 2-star Open can't attract good players like the NZ Open?

Isn't the US Open only 1-star?

[phaarix]

Glad Lee Tseun Seng advance to the finals. Before he left to NZ he told me that he hope he can win the NZ Open.
And win he did :). He played extremely well in that match. Ronald perhaps made a few too many errors, and only really made any sort of comeback towards the end of both sets. I'm glad Lee won, I'll admit I really wasn't expecting it! He looked really confident the whole match and you could tell during the interview after the match that he was really pleased!

I did have a good laugh though when he went for a towel break, the umpire warned him or something so he sort of looked around for a way out and pointed to a spot on the floor he wanted to have wiped. I couldn't tell whether he really meant it or not, but in the circumstances it just looked like he needed an excuse for a rest :).

The womens singles was a brilliant match. So tense the whole time. Especially late in the second set where I think Huang was trailing about 20-16 after winning the first set, only to come back and reach 20 all. I was relieved when Xing finally took the set though as she was really putting her all into it. She's so cute :p, very expressive and acts her age (I can't really talk heh, I'm the same age).

On a side note, it's about time Badminton got some decent TV coverage here. I hope next year will be the same :) (preferably more).

Edit: Unfortunately the Motorsport apparently takes precedence here as it has taken over so I'll miss out on the MD and XD finals :(.

[fanatico]

OMG SUSILO LOST!!! I THOUGHT HE WAS 90% TO HIS PEAK! WHAT HAPPENED?!:crying:

[phaarix]

OMG SUSILO LOST!!! I THOUGHT HE WAS 90% TO HIS PEAK! WHAT HAPPENED?!:crying:

I guess 90% just wasn't quite good enough today :(. Lee really was playing amazingly though.

[badMania]

All the finals have been completed. The Singapore contingent takes home 2 golds, in mixed doubles and women's doubles. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia (courtesy of a Chinese Taipei import) win the remaining titles. Li Yujia is the biggest winner, with 2 titles.

The first match of the day was the all-Singaporean Final in the mixed doubles. The experienced pairing of Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia beat their compatriot Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu Fan 21-11, 21-12. The next match was the longest match of the final (72 mins). Incredibly, the Chinese-Taipei import Huang Chia-Chi again prevailed after 3 sets, beating yet another Singaporean (Xing Aiying) 21-18, 22-24, 21-15. Huang definitely deserved this title which is probably her best career victory so far.

The men's singles final turned out to be anti-climax. Lee Tsuen Tseng beat Ronald Susilo 21-11, 21-12. I don't know whether it's a typo or not..but it's the same scoreline (with same duration) as the mixed doubles final...spooky eh? The women's doubles match was pretty tight and also lasted for 3 sets. The Singaporean pairing of Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia beat the experienced Malaysian pair of Lim Pek Siah/Joanne Quay Swee Ling 21-11, 19-21, 21-15.

The last final was not completed as the Singapore pair Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Hendra Wijaya retired in the second set. The score was 13-21, 9-11 in favor of Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian. So, the Djarum-based Indonesian pair wins their first grand-prix title. This win also probably means that their World Ranking is now probably in the 30s. The same goes for Purwati/Meiliana Jauhari. Not bad for non-Pelatnas pairs!

I certainly hope Djarum continues to send these two pairs to more grand-prix events.

[tehsham]

phaarix...wat was the score and any WD result???

[tehsham]

thanks badmania for the update....suprisingly a easy scoreline for Lee

[phaarix]

The men's singles final turned out to be anti-climax. Lee Tsuen Tseng beat Ronald Susilo 21-11, 21-12. I don't know whether it's a typo or not..
I'm pretty sure the first set was actually 21-18, Susilo made a pretty good comeback but it was just too late. I think that second set is wrong as well, I'm sure he got more like 15 or 16.


phaarix...wat was the score and any WD result???

The first set was pretty quick and looked as if the Malaysians were going to be beaten fairly easily. The Singapore team were overpowering them completely and were always on the offensive. But the second set was a completely different story. Very close the whole way through with them eventually taking out the set at 24-22. The third set was very much the same, with some very long rallies, the score was pretty much tied up until they got to around 15 each but unfortunately they made a few very frustrating errors one after another which cost them the match.

[badMania]

Thanks for the clarification. I know it's not right as the score is exactly the same as the first!

[Simp84]

oo.. maybe after LTS quits BAM he felt less pressure while playing..
thus able to exploit full potential to win the game! congrats!!!!:):)

[Loh]

I'm glad for Tsung Seng for winning the title. He's been down for a very long time and even not 'recognized' by BAM as someone has said (?). Wonder who sponsored his trip to NZ.

It was a great disappointment for Ronald, who even beat Tsung Seng's former and higher ranked teammate, Kuan Beng Hong, during the Aviva Open. I guess Ronald will need more time to rediscover his former glory. And the young Aiying will also need more time to hone her skills and experience.

Well there will be three more matches for the Singapore team to 'test' their NZ counterparts in various parts of NZ. This will help cement the good relationship between the two countries and hopefully bring more exposure for the game in NZ. All in the name of Badminton!

[badMania]

oo.. maybe after LTS quits BAM he felt less pressure while playing..
thus able to exploit full potential to win the game! congrats!!!!:):)

First, some correction. The score between Lee Tsuen Tseng and Ronald Susilio was 21-18, 21-13 to Lee of course.


The same goes for Huang Chia-Chi and Rian Sukmawan/Eng Hian. All of them are players who have officially left the main national team. Eng Hian was the bronze-medallist (with Flandy Limpele) at the Athens Olympics 2004.

I have just checked some background information of Huang Chia-Chi (dob: 26 January 1979) and it turned out that she qualified for the Quarter-Final of the Sydney Olympics 2000! She beat Nely Boteva (of Bulgaria 11-1, 11-5) and Lee Kyung Won (now playing doubles 11-9, 11-6) before losing to the bronze-medallist Ye Zhaoying 3-11, 4-11 in the quarter-final. Huang was also in the Atlanta Olympics 1996, losing in two tight sets to the eventual silver-medallist Camilla Martin (when she was just 17!) in the round of 16 11-12, 9-11.

Only Rian Sukmawan is considered a rookie among these ex-national team players. He is only 21 this year (born in 1985) but chooses to leave the Pelatnas early this year to rejoin his club. Djarum decides to pair him with a veteran Eng Hian who also decide to leave the Pelatnas.

They have been competing in 7 grand-prix events from late May onwards, starting from the Philippines Open. So far, their results have been pretty good. One title and 3 quarter-final appearances with commendable wins over Hoon Thien How/Tan Boon Heong (ranked 12) and Sudket Prapakamol/Patapol Ngernsrisuk (ranked 15). They lost 5 matches, mostly to the top 10 pairs (coincidentally, they are the 4 pairs ranked 3 to 6 currently and the other one was Flandy/Sigit).

[adelina76]

I won't repeat everything since the score's all posted but just want to share a few interesting observations and also interviews with Susilo, Lee and Li Li.

Didn't see the XD but the WS was really a good match. CC Huang was definitely the better player of the day. Although Xing showed a few glimpses of brilliance with her sharp around the head cross court smashes that often sent Huang sprawling, in the end, it was the more consistent Huang that prevailed in tight 3 sets.

While I am so glad that Lee Sun Tseng won his first title over at least 4 years, his match however with Susilo definitely did not live up to the anticipated 'big match-up!' Lee was perhaps more troubled by his hyper ventilating problems than by Susilo's game. The two players are similar in that they both love attacking, often leaping up 3 to 4 feet up in the air for their jumping smashes, the appreciative crowd rewarding the players with the many 'oohs' and 'ahhhs'. Susilo however may be physically fit once more but as many of you who has recovered from a badminton injury would relate, the problem is in the mind..Often, Susilo seemed to be holding back, almost afraid to exert too much or jump too high, just in case. Lee's extremely tight net shots, causing Susilo to lift half court often and Lee's punishing steep jumping smashes was what proved the winning formula constantly applied by Lee effectively in winning the title.

Interviewing the overjoyed Lee later, I found the southpaw to be quite a real nice guy. Very friendly and entertaining with his answers. He said he found the tournament very enjoyable, especially after winning the title! He thought he played really well today, more relaxed and not as nervous as he was in the semis against Andrew Smith of England. He was very satisfied with his game but said he needed to work more on his fitness as he prepared for his next tournaments, the Korean, HK Open and the World Champs. Like Ayob, Lee has recently left the national squad and joined the KLRC club, a private club based in KL. He now trains under Indra Gunawan. Lee said he wanted to win the title to prove that at the age of 27, he still has what it takes to compete at the top level. Proved the point he certainly did today with his NZ Open title and walking a way with a cool US4,000.

Susilo was graceful in his defeat, crediting Lee with his fine performance. Susilo admitted that he's not fully back yet, at least not mentally. He said his fitness also need work as he's not back to full training yet. He was quite satisfied he managed to get to the final. Unlike Lee who enjoys playing in colder weather (14C today in Auckland), Susilo said he found it quite cold and hard going, having to take longer time to warm up. I asked him whether he would be competing in the World Champs, he said he would be, perhaps as a wild card. He has not set a real target for himself, but would liek to make the last 16 if possible. He admitted it was going to be tough being unseeded for the WC as he would run into top players early on. I reminded him, this shouldn't be a problem for him, after all, if he comes up against Lin Dan, it wouldn't go amiss for him to casually remind Lin Dan that he'd beaten him at the Olympics :D He laughed really loud when I said that! Gave me a fright! Overall, a really nice guy to interview, certainly very popular with the young girls here!

Anyway, great tournament, really enjoyed it! Really glad that badminton's getting great profile now among the kiwis. Thanks too to the contingent of Singaporeans, Indonesians and Malaysians who featured in this year's tournament. Sure liven things up for us at the 'down under' of the world!

Oh yeah, also got to tease Li Li to death about her and Andrew Smith. Saw them walking together to the badminton hall when I was finding a park and then they were sitting together most of the time. She kept blushing when I teased her, just saying he's just a friend...but I KNOW BETTER, HAH! Someone need to warn her though, having carrot top and slitty eyes babies may be rather interesting....! :D



I was quite expecting for the Singaporean WD's pair to whitewash the Malaysian pair of Quay and Lim given that the latter was more of a scratch pair. Lim's usual partner being Choi Hor Yee. The Singaporeans didn't disappoint their small but voicerous supporters when they romped home in the first set but due to prone errors in the 2nd, they let the Malaysian girls a small window of opportunity but tightened their game considerably in the 3rd to win quite convincingly.

MD's match was rather an anti-climax affair after Saputra of Singapore fell and injured his right foot right through the start of the 2nd set, causing them to concede a walkover and the title to the Indonesian pair of Rian and Eng Hian.

I didn't stay for the prize giving, I do wonder whether the organizers announced that next year's tournament will be a 3 star one!!

[noluckjim]

I didn't stay for the prize giving, I do wonder whether the organizers announced that next year's tournament will be a 3 star one!!
Unfortunately, no mention :(

We can hope though... :rolleyes:

[chris-ccc]

And win he did :). He played extremely well in that match. Ronald perhaps made a few too many errors, and only really made any sort of comeback towards the end of both sets. I'm glad Lee won, I'll admit I really wasn't expecting it! He looked really confident the whole match and you could tell during the interview after the match that he was really pleased!

I did have a good laugh though when he went for a towel break, the umpire warned him or something so he sort of looked around for a way out and pointed to a spot on the floor he wanted to have wiped. I couldn't tell whether he really meant it or not, but in the circumstances it just looked like he needed an excuse for a rest :).

That's why I call him "An Experienced Player, Lee Tsuen Seng".

I am glad he has won.

Well done, Lee Tsuen Seng.

Cheers... chris@ccc

[ants]

Great to hear that he won. :)

[elwin81]

LTS..............u da man.
Not often I see him play though.

[noluckjim]

On a sad note, CC Huang didn't stay for the prize giving :mad: :(. I think there would have been a standing ovation for her if she was there :).

[adelina76]

On a sad note, CC Huang didn't stay for the prize giving :mad: :(. I think there would have been a standing ovation for her if she was there :).


Did they say why she didn't stay? Have to get to the hospital to attend to all her injuries??? Or too busy making out with the coach? :P :P

A

[noluckjim]

Did they say why she didn't stay? Have to get to the hospital to attend to all her injuries???
Here's what she said in the TV interview (not ad verbatim, but close enough - if you guys want the full transcript it'll have to wait till i get home).

"...Just finished the Australia Open and then flew here on Monday... tired all week... now for a one week break..."

Slacker :p

Or maybe she's getting some personal time...:rolleyes:

Or too busy making out with the coach? :P :P

[phaarix]

I was surprised she didn't fall apart halfway through the game :S. She was taped from head to foot (almost)!

[noluckjim]

I was surprised she didn't fall apart halfway through the game :S. She was taped from head to foot (almost)!
Just goes to show the power of modern mummification techniques :p

[Loh]

.

Oh yeah, also got to tease Li Li to death about her and Andrew Smith. Saw them walking together to the badminton hall when I was finding a park and then they were sitting together most of the time. She kept blushing when I teased her, just saying he's just a friend...but I KNOW BETTER, HAH! Someone need to warn her though, having carrot top and slitty eyes babies may be rather interesting....! :D



Don't let her Singaporean boy friend know this naughty episode of yours. :D They have been together for sometime now (years?) and I think Li Li still prefers the "slitty eyes babies". ;)

[Inky2000]

Why the US 2-star Open can't attract good players like the NZ Open?

Maybe the national badminton associations of the countries in the two sides of the oceans feel that it's too costly to send players to the US, especially at this very moment when Middle East is at war (you know the implications!). This year's NZ Open is dominated by players from Southeast Asia - does that say something?

So Singapore players featured in all 5 finals (even though the overall standard of the Open is even lower than the badminton events at Southeast Asian Games). Can't recall if Malaysia has achieved the same at any Grand Prix tournament in the past.


============

Today Online, Singapore (Aug 7)


S'pore shuttlers grab two out of five

SINGAPORE missed out on a rare clean sweep of events in a single tournament when they won two out of five finals at the two-star New Zealand Open badminton championships yesterday.
.
At the Auckland Badminton Hall, world No 27 Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia beat Malaysia's Lim Pek Siah and Joanne Quay 21-11, 19-21, 21-15 to win the women's doubles, while Li teamed up with Hendri Saputra Kurniawan to edge compatriots Hendra Wijaya and Liu Fan 21-11, 21-12 in an all-Singaporean mixed doubles final.
.
But the men's and women's singles, and men's doubles titles eluded the Singaporeans. In the men's doubles final, Hendri and Hendra were forced to retire after the former sustained a foot injury to hand the men's doubles final to Indonesia's Eng Hian and Rian Sukmawan 21-13, 11-9.
.
In the men's singles final, former world No 6 Ronald Susilo lost 21-18, 21-13 to Malaysia's Lee Tsuen Seng, while world No 50 Xing Aiying lost 21-18, 22-24, 21-15 to Australian Huang Chia-Chi in the women's singles final.
.
Despite his defeat, Susilo was satisfied with his progress since returning to action in March this year.
.
The world no 117 was sidelined for seven months after rupturing an Achilles tendon at last year's World Championships in Anaheim. "My form and fitness are getting better, but I have to work on my attacking play in and around the net," said Susilo yesterday.
.
It was the first time since the professional Grand Prix circuit started in the 1980s that Singapore has reached the final in all five events at a single tournament. Despite losing three of the five finals, Singapore Badminton Association acting chief executive officer Jacqueline Lim sees plenty of positives.
.
"It's still work in progress. The players have been working very hard to correct their weaknesses as we are working towards the Asian Games (in Doha, Dec 1-15)," said Lim.
.
"But we are happy to win the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles."
.
A cautious Susilo added: "They were lots of good players here, but the Chinese didn't take part, so the level of competitiveness is not as intense as a five-star event. There is still a lot of work to do."

[badMania]

I believe Team Indonesia managed to grab all golds in one of the Indonesia Open? Perhaps Sandy can remember better...

[Inky2000]

I believe Team Indonesia managed to grab all golds in one of the Indonesia Open? Perhaps Sandy can remember better...

I'm 100% sure that China managed to sweep all golds in one of the earlier editions of China Open (during 1990s?). I just can't recall if Malaysia, Denmark and S. Korea have achieved a smiliar feat.

[ants]

Adelina.. haha.. ur very controversial. Teasing the players..

[Sandy]

I believe Team Indonesia managed to grab all golds in one of the Indonesia Open? Perhaps Sandy can remember better...

more than once, but I didn't remember the year.

[bamta]

I did hear that CC Huang had to leave for her flight !! Very bad management.. or maybe she didnt know what country tracksuit to wear. Im surprised that coach didnt stay to get her money. He must be happy that one 'australian' is doing ok.

[X Ball]

Adelina, so you have come out from your slumber!

I must say that Lee Tsung Seng has done well to eliminate a higher ranked Andrew Smith but against a rejuvenated Ronald in the final, it will be a different story. Even your beloved reigning champion, Ayob, failed to take a game off Ronald, who has proven that he deserves the crown more than anyone else. I'm happy that his skills, mental strength and fitness have returned close to 100 per cent.

I am confident that we will win.


Tsk Tsk Wrong again.:rolleyes: For Lee Suen Tseng to beat Ronald, I think Singapore better save the money instead of sending Ronald to the WC.:D

[Loh]

Tsk Tsk Wrong again.:rolleyes: For Lee Suen Tseng to beat Ronald, I think Singapore better save the money instead of sending Ronald to the WC.:D

If only we're right all the time...(sigh) ;) Tell me how many times you're right? :rolleyes: But even then, as a true fan, you'll still support your player no matter and try to urge him on. I'm sure Ronald is more disappointed than supportive badminton fans like us.

As you know, no Tom, Dick or Harry can "suka, suka" compete in the WC. Ronald wants to go but can he? He will have to depend on a wildcard - courtesy of the IBF. And if Ronald is given the green light, so will the SBA, I'm sure. Ronald is now on his way to full recovery and more international competitions will toughen him up further. Saving the money would mean "penny wise, pound foolish".

Wonder will BAM send Tsung Seng? But I don't think he will qualify as there are so many ahead of him!

[badMania]

Wonder will BAM send Tsung Seng? But I don't think he will qualify as there are so many ahead of him!

Lee Tsuen Tseng is not even a BAM player anymore. So, he WILL NOT be competing in the WC. BAM will only send Lee Chong Wei, Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Kuan Beng Hong (as Wong Choong Hann's replacement).

As for Ronald, he'll be competing in the WC from the latest list that IBF provides in its website. He will be joined by Kendrick Lee Yen Hui in Madrid. With some luck in the draw, Ronald should at least reach R32.

[chris-ccc]

Wonder will BAM send Tsung Seng? But I don't think he will qualify as there are so many ahead of him!
Greetings Loh,

Did you know that I have replied your question about our CCC Handicapped Competition?

Post#457 of Link http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32267&page=23

Cheers... chris@ccc

[Loh]

Greetings Loh,

Did you know that I have replied your question about our CCC Handicapped Competition?

Post#457 of Link http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32267&page=23

Cheers... chris@ccc

Hi Chris, many thanks. I was looking forward to reading it and somehow missed your reply. Will revert if I have further questions after I've gone through it.

Happy Badminton! :o

[Budakkiwi]

Well....singapore prevailed over the kiwis with a 3-2 scoreline. Sorry guys but i did not record down the scores. (sorry this may not belong in this thread).

1. XD - Daniel Shirley & Renee Flavell - Hendra Wijaya & Frances Liu Fan
the singaporeans won in 3 games with the kiwis taking the first. In my opinion, Daniel was doing all the work and Renee was not playing too well. They lost easily with scores below 15 probably with Daniel shorting out, well he was attacking alot in the first game and the singaporeans were just adjusting to the conditions.

2. MS - Derek Wong Zi Liang - John Moody
Got into a talk at the end of the match with Derek and he told me that Ronald and Kendrick were no longer in NZ. John won with ease in two games but the singaporean did put up a fight even leading in both sets at the interval only to see his lead cut short by john and eventually the game itself slipping away from his fingers.

3. WS - Racheal Hindley - Fu Ming Tian
Racheal did well to win the first game with Fu trying to adjust to the court conditions with her pushes all going out at the end of the court. But eventually she prevailed and pulled the mat from under Racheal in the next two games with well placed shots to the corners of the court.

4. WD - Renee Flavell & Donna Cranstons - Shinta Mulia Sari & Vanessa Neo

This was a rather one sided match with the indonesians imports(?) of singapore overpowering the kiwis with their hard smashes. However in the first game, despite being down 12-19, the kiwis somehow prevailed at 22-20 with some well placed shots and the singaporeans making unforced errors on various occasions. Again, it appeared that Donna was holding the game up for the pair with Renee having trouble keeping up with the fast and powerful singaporeans throughout.

5. MD - Hendra Wijaya & ERwin Djohan - Daniel Shirley & Craig Cooper
The much taller kiwis won easily in two games giving the singaporeans no chance in both games winning 21-12 and 21-10. Probably because singapore had already won the tie by then, hendra was seen trying out some cheeky shots. Erwin also appeared out of place at times especially when defending against the kiwi's attacks

[Loh]

Well....singapore prevailed over the kiwis with a 3-2 scoreline. Sorry guys but i did not record down the scores. (sorry this may not belong in this thread).

2. MS - Derek Wong Zi Liang - John Moody
Got into a talk at the end of the match with Derek and he told me that Ronald and Kendrick were no longer in NZ. John won with ease in two games but the singaporean did put up a fight even leading in both sets at the interval only to see his lead cut short by john and eventually the game itself slipping away from his fingers.

4. WD - Renee Flavell & Donna Cranstons - Shinta Mulia Sari & Vanessa Neo

This was a rather one sided match with the indonesians imports(?) of singapore overpowering the kiwis with their hard smashes. However in the first game, despite being down 12-19, the kiwis somehow prevailed at 22-20 with some well placed shots and the singaporeans making unforced errors on various occasions. Again, it appeared that Donna was holding the game up for the pair with Renee having trouble keeping up with the fast and powerful singaporeans throughout.

5. MD - Hendra Wijaya & ERwin Djohan - Daniel Shirley & Craig Cooper
The much taller kiwis won easily in two games giving the singaporeans no chance in both games winning 21-12 and 21-10. Probably because singapore had already won the tie by then, hendra was seen trying out some cheeky shots. Erwin also appeared out of place at times especially when defending against the kiwi's attacks

Hi Budakkiwi, Many thanks for the great reporting.

Only two of the Singaporean players, Derek and Vanessa are local born, the rest are imports from China and Indonesia. Fu came here when she was about 13 about 3 years ago, I think, together with Gu Juan, Yao Lei and Zhang. They are our second stringers and will hopefully help Singapore to
do well in the Uber Cup further down the road.

As you probably know, Hendra and Erwin, both Indoesians, are a scratch doubles pair as Erwin is mainly trained for Singles.

Wonder whether you'll be watching the other matches? :)

[ants]

Lee TS will be playing in Korea Open and Hong Kong Open.. i hope he wil do well there. He is much happier and less stressful playing under the new club. So he is really enjoying it.

[Budakkiwi]

Wonder whether you'll be watching the other matches? :)[/quote]

Probably not...the next ones are in wellington and Auckland. I would have gone to the wellington one if it was in the weekends but unfortunately its tomorrow (thursday) and i have lectures early in the morning on friday.