with the last GP event before the World Championships about to conclude, we have a good idea what the forms of each player are. let's see what everybody think will win the 2006 WC Mixed Double title....

Go Thomas & Kamilla!!!

i want nathan and gail to win....

I want Nathan and Gail to win also, but with their performance at the Korean Open and Hong Kong Open, I don't know what to expect. But the pair also have something to prove, especially Robertson, who was injured last time round.

Though I'd love to see Xie/Zhang win it, I still think the defending World Champs'll get it again, they're on a roll this year! :D

i want ZJ and GL !! Even they are older, i think they can do it !!

wooohooo, come on Nova and Lilyana ....
i hope nova can stay focused ...

Zheng Bo / Zhao Tingting are the best at HK open, but it's a pity they cannot go. I vote them!

I voted for Nova/Lilyana this time. Actually, my favourite is Xie/Zhang but I think Nova/Lilyana have better chance this time due to experience.

Widianto / Natsir for her cuteness :D

My bet's on Widianto/Natsir due 2 their consistency this yr, the CHN pairings r inconsistent...

This should be the most open of the categories, with pairs from KOR, DEN, INA, ENG, THA and CHN all capable of winning.

I too go for Widianto/Natsir, as THA pair difficult to string together enough performances. Young CHN paors too inconsistent. You can't rule out Zhang Jun/Gao Ling or any of the other top pairs though.

I don't know why but I would like to see a match between Sudket Prapakamol / Saralee Thoungthongkam and Nathan Robertson / Gail Emms.
so, either pair will be fine for me!
Since I can only vote once! Therefore my vote's on Robertson/Emms.

The one and only Nova/Lilyana! Repeat the victory in Madrid.

i'm rooting for Nova/Lilyana.. :) hope Nova will be more consistent..

If I am to choose a single pair (as in here :) ) I would pick Widianto / Natsir , as they have been the most consistant pair throughout and richly deserve to win WC for second time.

My 2nd choice is Laybourn / Rytter Juhl. They have been steadily improving this year and I think have reached their peak just in time. If they can overcome INA pair I think the title is theirs.

Despite their lack of recent success I think ENG pair of Emms / Robertson is still a favourite. I have very high regard for Gail Emms for her consistancy and if Nathan Robertson gets his act together I think we'll be in for a INA vs ENG final.

As for other pairs I think Zhengbo / Yawen will fancy their chances. Both Eriksen / Schjoldager and Zhang Jun / Gao Ling seems well past their peak, and THA pair has a habit of running into INA pair pretty early.

My vote (& hope) goes to Laybourn / Rytter Juhl
But I think INA will grab the title.

My vote goes to Zhang Jun/Gao Ling!!! Hope Zhang Jun can recover from his injury!!! :) :D Jia You!

i vote for nova/natsir; most consistent pair until HK open ;)

i vote for nova/natsir; most consistent pair until HK open ;)

Ya..ya...ya...Nova/Butet...atuh.....jawara (champion)

I vote for Nova/Butet too..good luck..:D

I would like to see the Indonesian pair win the title! Widianto and Natsir juara Indonesia!

I would like to see Emms and Robertson win, but they are just not consistent enough at the moment and Robertson still seems to be having problems with his fitness and concentration.

I think this years mixed doubles is the most open event, and will be really close and should have loads of great games.

I don't think they are strong enough to win the event but Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg have had some very good results recently, I think they may be this years dark horses and may surprise a few people!

Anyone got news on the injury that kept affected ZJ/GL in HK Open?

Is it serious enough to affect their bid for WC?

I voting for kennie and kennevic assuncion to win the mixed double championship. I know it would be hard for them to beat the top teams. But i still belief that anyone could win this mixed double champship even kennie and kennevic. any upsets could happen. it's on hardwork, patience and strong guts, and proper discipline. Im also vying for Zhang Jun/ Gao Ling..hehe

I voting for kennie and kennevic assuncion to win the mixed double championship.

It will take a huge miracle considering the fact that the Asuncion siblings lost to a club pair in the JPGG Surabaya Satelitte yesterday :cool:

I think the most favorite should doubtlessly be Nova/Natsir. My impression of the HK open is that Natsir has improved her power and speed. She seemed well-prepared for the coming WC. Nova's performance is not that satisfactory. But I think he will be more concentrated in the WC. The only thing that may prevent them from getting the title, it seems to me, is that every time when Nova is not performing well, Natsir loses confidence in him and prefers to do everything by herself. It is almost impossible for a XD pair to win when the girl tries to do too much. Look at Zhang/Gao, no matter how many errors Zhang Jun made when smashing, Gao Ling would not lose confidence in him.

That's actually one reason why I put Zhang/Gao as the second favorite. They have so much understanding of each other and each one of them concentrate on his/her own role.

3rd favorite for me is Xie/Zhang. They suffer similar problems as Nova/Natsir though. Xie always tries to be a man and cover Zhang, while Zhang is such a mind-strong girl that she always gets impatient and wants to take over when Xie is not playing well. The result: confusion and losing the game. Furthermore they are technically inferior to the above two pairs.

After these 3 are Sudket/Saralee and Laybourn/Juhl. The former is not desciplined enough, while the latter makes too many errors. But they are the ones that have the ability to beat the top 3.

Really misses Kim/Ra... Both are very strong, can play all kinds of shots, and each knows when to do more and when to leave things to the partner.

I think the most favorite should doubtlessly be Nova/Natsir. My impression of the HK open is that Natsir has improved her power and speed. She seemed well-prepared for the coming WC. Nova's performance is not that satisfactory. But I think he will be more concentrated in the WC. The only thing that may prevent them from getting the title, it seems to me, is that every time when Nova is not performing well, Natsir loses confidence in him and prefers to do everything by herself. It is almost impossible for a XD pair to win when the girl tries to do too much. Look at Zhang/Gao, no matter how many errors Zhang Jun made when smashing, Gao Ling would not lose confidence in him.

That's actually one reason why I put Zhang/Gao as the second favorite. They have so much understanding of each other and each one of them concentrate on his/her own role.

3rd favorite for me is Xie/Zhang. They suffer similar problems as Nova/Natsir though. Xie always tries to be a man and cover Zhang, while Zhang is such a mind-strong girl that she always gets impatient and wants to take over when Xie is not playing well. The result: confusion and losing the game. Furthermore they are technically inferior to the above two pairs.

After these 3 are Sudket/Saralee and Laybourn/Juhl. The former is not desciplined enough, while the latter makes too many errors. But they are the ones that have the ability to beat the top 3.

Really misses Kim/Ra... Both are very strong, can play all kinds of shots, and each knows when to do more and when to leave things to the partner.

that's why they got married! :D

but seriously though, you're not even going to consider emms/robertson?

Oops. Forgot Robertson/Emms. :eek: Robertson severely lacks descipline and is not fit enough for consequtive hard games. I would put them together with Sudket/Saralee and Laybourn/Juhl.

that's why they got married! :D

but seriously though, you're not even going to consider emms/robertson?

Oops. Forgot Robertson/Emms. :eek: Robertson severely lacks descipline and is not fit enough for consequtive hard games. I would put them together with Sudket/Saralee and Laybourn/Juhl.

haha, fair enough, i have always questioned nathan's commitment.
it's a real pity for gail in that sense, but when that guy decides to play properly, they are an amazing team.
kinda reminds you of a certain INA MS player, no? :rolleyes:

haha, fair enough, i have always questioned nathan's commitment.
it's a real pity for gail in that sense, but when that guy decides to play properly, they are an amazing team.
kinda reminds you of a certain INA MS player, no? :rolleyes:

yeah. of the pair, Nathan is the talented one while Gail is the hardworking one. at their prime a couple of years ago they were one of the most feared. now for whatever reason most people just write them off.

it depends on the draw..cant wait to see the draw

3rd favorite for me is Xie/Zhang. They suffer similar problems as Nova/Natsir though. Xie always tries to be a man and cover Zhang, while Zhang is such a mind-strong girl that she always gets impatient and wants to take over when Xie is not playing well. The result: confusion and losing the game. Furthermore they are technically inferior to the above two pairs.


Totally agree with your in-dept analysis! What strikes me is that the women in ALL of these pairings seem to be more stable than the men!

Indeed, Zhang Yawen is a strong-minded girl and you can see her frustration showing up whenever Xie is making errors. That will undermine the confidence of the players functioning as a pair. However, I would put them as the main threat to Nova/Butet in their bid to retain the title. They have improved so much over the past one year!

Nova...as always is very inconsistent! He can be brilliant in one day (when they beat Xie/Zhang in the semi-finals) and then becomes very bad the next day (when the pair lost to Zheng/Zhao). He also has the habit of showing his frustration whenever things go wrong (eg: throwing racket).

yeah. of the pair, Nathan is the talented one while Gail is the hardworking one. at their prime a couple of years ago they were one of the most feared. now for whatever reason most people just write them off.

probably because they haven't really performed very well at all this year.
sure they won the CG, but i don't think they have won any 4* tournaments or above, have they?
i think that's the problem with british sports in general, once they are decent at something, they get so much praise and support because the country is starved of talented sportspeople (for its size).
so they tend become complacent and not reach their full potential, just look at their football and athletics ...
it's a shamble!

Zheng Bo / Zhao Tingting are the best at HK open, but it's a pity they cannot go. I vote them!

I saw Zheng/Zhao listed as the seed at WC, why they are not in the survey options. :confused:

I want ZJ/GL to win.. :D Good luck to them..

I predict that Korean pairs will rise..dangerous for any Chinese and Indonesians...Chinese pairs always find hard time to play Koreans

I predict that Korean pairs will rise..dangerous for any Chinese and Indonesians...Chinese pairs always find hard time to play Koreans

Unfortunately, Zhang Jun/Gao Ling are yet again drawn with Lee Yong Dae/Hwang Yu Mi, a pair that they find it hard to beat for the past 3 occassions. In fact, they lost twice to Lee/Hwang.

If Zhang/Gao lose to Lee/Hwang, it will make life even easier for Nova/Butet since they have a good record against Lee/Hwang. We could well see a repeat of last year's Final where Nova/Butet avoided Zhang/Gao and Lee/Lee.

I picked Nova/Lilyana will retain their title. But do not forget Korean pairs. They are still young and talented. ZJ/GL has not in top form anymore, but they experience make them tough.

I pick nova/lilyana, but i think you should look out for lee/lee. Those two are my favorite teams in mixed. i see alot of ZJ/GL picks, but i find that they lack the fire they use to have when they play.

ill go 4 d asuncions.. even they are the underdogs on the tourney..

nova/natsir will be my favourite .... go go indonesia

RI mixed badminton doubles cautious on chances
Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian mixed doubles specialist Nova Widianto is cautious about his chances of retaining his crown with partner Lilyana Natsir at the upcoming World Badminton Championships, although the pair have a relatively easy draw for the event.

The top seeds enjoy a bye in the first round at the Sept. 18-24 event in Madrid, and will meet little known Neven Rihtar/Maja Savor of Croatia in the second round.

But they will have to be more focused in the third round, where they are likely to face Thailand's Songpol Anukritayawan/Kunchala Vorawichitchaikul.

"Being the defending champion and the top seed will not make our journey easier," Nova said Monday after a training session. "In fact, we have to work harder because the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) expects us to retain the title."

Indonesia has largely struggled in the mixed doubles since the departure of 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medalists Tri Kusheryanto/Minarti Timur. However, Nova and Lilyana won the Korean Open on Aug. 27 and were runners-up at the Hong Kong Open on Sept. 3.

"We are upbeat about our chances. The results at recent tournaments speak for themselves. It will boost our confidence.

"What is important is that we maintain our peak condition," Nova said.

Coach Richard Mainaky likes the chances of his shuttlers for defending the world title.

"I hope they can use their recent victories as a morale boost for the championships," he said.

Richard pointed to the Danish pair of Jens Eriksen/Mette Schjoldager as a big hurdle on the way to the title. The Indonesians could meet the Danish pair in the quarterfinals.

Nova/Lilyana have won four titles this year: the Korean Open, Chinese Taipei Open, Singapore Open and Asian Badminton Championships. They finished second in Hong Kong and at the Indonesia Open, and reached the semifinals at the All England.

"So far, they have been the most consistent players and are our biggest hope to win at the championships," said the PBSI official in charge of the national training camp, Lius Pongoh.

However, Nova is upset about the PBSI's decision to send only one mixed doubles pair to Spain.

"When the International Badminton Federation announced the championships qualifiers, Indonesia could have sent more than just one pair. I don't know why PBSI didn't take the slot," he said.

"If Indonesia sent more than one doubles pairs, they would help us block other tough rivals so we could concentrate better on our matches.

"Besides, by having more than just one pair, we could have practice partners during our preparations there," Nova said.

At last year's world championships in Anaheim, California, Indonesia also sent only Nova/Lilyana to compete in the mixed doubles.

"Perhaps the PBSI officials think that by sending just one pair we can win the event. Why should they send more?" Nova joked.

The 11-strong Indonesian squad -- comprising the men's doubles pairs of Alvent Yulianto/Luluk Hadiyanto and Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan, mixed doubles Nova/Lilyana, women's doubles Jo Novita/Greysia Polii, women's singles Francisca Ratnasari, and men's singles Sony Dwi Kuncoro and defending champion Taufik Hidayat -- will leave for Madrid on Wednesday.

first off, thanks for sharing the article, cooler-wow, you must've gone great lengths to find the article and post for us...;)rest of article snipped for brevity..i'm just going to comment on the statements below..
However, Nova is upset about the PBSI's decision to send only one mixed doubles pair to Spain.

"When the International Badminton Federation announced the championships qualifiers, Indonesia could have sent more than just one pair. I don't know why PBSI didn't take the slot," he said.

"If Indonesia sent more than one doubles pairs, they would help us block other tough rivals so we could concentrate better on our matches.

"Besides, by having more than just one pair, we could have practice partners during our preparations there," Nova said.
hmm, true there are no other INA (XD)pairs which can make significant showing, but what else is new-as it all comes down to the finance..;)
The 11-strong Indonesian squad -- comprising the men's doubles pairs of Alvent Yulianto/Luluk Hadiyanto and Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan, mixed doubles Nova/Lilyana, women's doubles Jo Novita/Greysia Polii, women's singles Francisca Ratnasari, and men's singles Sony Dwi Kuncoro and defending champion Taufik Hidayat -- will leave for Madrid on Wednesday.
looking at this pic, http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24072&page=12 (see post #209), it seems that the INAn contingent has abt the same no. of players to last yr's one(only exceptions are Francisca R and Kido/Setiawan in place of Candra/Sigit & Eng Hian/Flandy)...Let's hope they don't cut those players at the last minute again like last yr..:rolleyes: :p

"Besides, by having more than just one pair, we could have practice partners during our preparations there," Nova said.

I don't think there is a problem. They can practise against Luluk/Alven, who are not as fast as many young MDs these days. Let Alven stay in front so that they become a strong XD pair, I think even stronger than Zhang/Gao and Xie/Zhang! On the other hand, Nova/Natsir often play almost MD. So overall, I think these two pairs can practise happily together. :D

I don't think there is a problem. They can practise against Luluk/Alven, who are not as fast as many young MDs these days. Let Alven stay in front so that they become a strong XD pair, I think even stronger than Zhang/Gao and Xie/Zhang! On the other hand, Nova/Natsir often play almost MD. So overall, I think these two pairs can practise happily together. Okay, but while Nova/Lilyana are practising with Luluk/Alven, who do Markis/Hendra practise against? Polii/Novita?

Okay, but while Nova/Lilyana are practising with Luluk/Alven, who do Markis/Hendra practise against? Polii/Novita?
Sure, Hendra and Markis can spar against Taufik and Sony..And the 2 WD gals can spar against their guys counterpart...how's that for sparring doubles??:eek:;)
Actually in last yr's WC, the INA squad practiced doubles/together a lot against any of their teammates even coaches. Even Sony, Lilyana & Taufik joined in the fun playing 3 vs. 3..I have some pics of them in actions, during the 2005 WC, hang on a sec...
Ok, here they are:
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25978 (post #1 toward the end & beginning of post #2)

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25957
;) :cool: :)

Of course, where there's a will, there's a way and you do what you can. On the other hand, the guy who actually needs the practice thinks a different scenario would be better and he gives 2 reasons for wanting another mixed pair there. That is on top of the obvious reason of allowing younger players to improve with more experience. I think I'll defer to Nova on this one. Although I know how often money trumps all other reasons.

Zheng Bo/Zhao TT
and
Lee Yong Dae/Hwang YuMi

are very good. I think one of them will win the world champion, even though no body here mentioned them at all.

go lliyana/nova

The second seed Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung have withdrawn. This opens up a smooth route to the quarter-final for Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen. They are likely to play Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthongkam in the quarter-final.

Likewise, the 5/8 seed Jens Eriksen/Mette Schjoldager have also withdrawn, making it an ever easier route to the semi-final for the no 1 seed Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir. They are likely to play Koo Kien Keat/Wong Pei Tty in the round of 16 and either Jonas Rasmussen/Britta Andersen or Robert Blair/Natalie Munt in the quarter-final. They SHOULD win these matches and face either Zhang Jun/Gao Ling or Lee Yong Dae/Hwang Yu Mi in the semi-final.

KKK/WPT are dangerous pair....well....i really hope they are on top form can can beat nova/lilyana

KKK/WPT are dangerous pair....well....i really hope they are on top form can can beat nova/lilyana


he..he ...... :D :D , you said that becos KKK is a good md player