tats sad...well...I would've prefered if he win this for his dad...no offense

i agree with u...

boonsak may worry about his family in thailand...

Sorry but i dont agree with you too, (no not becos i m a fu/cai fan)
but family comes first, he couldve continued to play this tournament but his mind would not be on the match and theres no point

Ya..i think he can't concentrate even if he play today...He is definitely forgiveable....So,hope him all the best...

so KKK should concentrate on MX....he and WPT can definitely bt Nova/Lilyana when they are on form

so KKK should concentrate on MX....he and WPT can definitely bt Nova/Lilyana when they are on form

what if both are on form... :D nova/lilyana have good record

it's KKK/WPT against Wijaya/Liu of Singapore.....i really hope KKK wins this match

sato will win the match

Now KKK is start playing...really hope he can win

I hope he will do well. Chatted with him an hr ago.

wow.. sato wins.....

first upset... sato bt boonsak

What happened to boonsak...Really a huge dissapointed...He lost to Sato in two straight set...21-15 and 21-18...i strongly thought he will win...

cmon... markis/hendra.... beat the thai pair !!!!!!!!!!!

sin XD takes 1st set

The thai pair is doing well.. hope they will win

ha..ha

good... markis/hendra take 1st set 22:20

Phew...Kido/Hendra take the first set 22-20, despite trailing 16-20!

markis/hendra... leading 8:4

they are doing well :D , ants.

Go Kido/Hendra!!!!
They lead 5-2 now

Md : Ina 6 - 3 Tha

Md : Ina 9 - 4 Tha
Wd : Chn 20 - 10 Ina
Xd : Mas 19 - 17 Sin

hope KKK/WPT win 3rd set

Gao/Huang took the1st set 21-11 against Jo/Greysia. Hard task for the INDO pair..meanwhile Malaysian pair KKK/WPT took 2nd set, so it is going to the 3rd set.
Kido/Hendra leads 11-6

Kido/Hendra lead 11-6 at the interval of the second set.

Meanwhile, it's all square between Koo/Wong and Wijaya/Liu as theMalaysian pair takes the second set.

The Indonesian gals just lost the first set 11-21 to Gao/Huang

Kido/Hendra seems controlling the game now 13-7

Kido/Hendra go go go 14-10

It's seems the Indobabes can't do anything with the Chinese. I hope they will make something in game 2 or else... cha cha, see ya next WC.

2nd set WD : CHN 3-0 INA
2rd set XD : MAS 3-1 SIN

Indo WD still needs improvements. But not bad at all since they lost to the 1st world pair.

MD :Ina 16-11 THA
WD : CHN 4-1 INA
XD : MAS 6-1 SIN

3 points more.. markis/hendra will win

What happened to boonsak...Really a huge dissapointed...He lost to Sato in two straight set...21-15 and 21-18...i strongly thought he will win...

I think he was thinking of the military coup back in his country.

still, they have to do more than just jump smashes specially with their unforced errors. Too many.

oops...

markis/hendra have just won 21:13

they will likely meet CTF/LWW :)

Yeah, Kido/Hendra just won 22-20, 21-13...well done....

gee.. astro is slow... I better stop reading here

Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan have won 22-20, 21-13. The real test awaits tomorrow...with an expected rendevous with CHoong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah.

In the WD, the Indo pair is level at 5-5. Come on...at least push the Chinese gals to deuce!

Gao/Huang 5 - 5 Jo/Greysia

Gao/Huang 5 - 6 Jo/Greysia
Koo/Wong 12 - 8 Hendra/Liu

Gao/Huang 6 - 6 Jo/Greysia
Koo/Wong 13 - 9 Hendra/Liu

Meanwhile, Chen Hong seems to get a tough fight with the French player

Gao/Huang 8 - 6 Jo/Greysia

Koo/Wong 16-10 Hendra/Liu
Gao/Huang 9-6 Jo/Greysia

Gao/Huang 9-7 Jo/Greysia
Koo/Wong 16-11 Hendra/Liu

MAS XD seems to win....17-12 now

Jo/Greysia, once again level Gao/Huang at 9-9

Jo/Greysia 10-10 Gao/Huang

It appears that Jo & Gresie are avoiding unforced to minimal. Good thing they DID something about it.

Koo/Wong just won 3rd set 21-15

KKK&WPT win the match ...21-15

Gao/Huang leads 11-10 at the interval of 2nd set

Chen Hong 15 - 8 Simon Maunoury

Gao/Huang 11-12 Jo/Greysia

Yippy...KKK/WPT win over the sin pair...Can go to sleep now but i still wanted to wait for LWW/CTF results...Really hope KKK can go on with his good results..Lose MD but win XD...So wonderful...

Gao/Huang 12-12 Jo/greysia

i hope CTF/LWW will win :) i want to see markis/hendra vs ctf/lww

Gao/HUang is taking a lead 14-12

Gao/Huang 14-14 Jo/Greysia

Jo/Greysia trials 15-18 now///wonder if they can level Gao/Huang again

Gao/Huang 18-16 Jo/Greysia

Gao/Huang 19-16 Jo/Greysia

Gao/Huang at the match point 20-16

still, Indo WD hasn't given up 17-20 now

oh dear, 1 more point and it's history for the Indons.

Gao/HUang wins 21-11, 21-17
good fight by Jo/Greysia..come on..you can be better and better....

Can someone tell me the result of the match between Sudket Prapakamol/Patapol Ngernsrisuk and aMarkis Kido/Hendra Setiawan?

malaysian mixed doubles koo kien keat -wong pei ty has made it to the third round after defeating liu-wijaya of singapore.

They havent played yet

Meanwhile ,if i am not mistaken i heard from the news that koo kien keat and chan chong ming has withdrawn from the md tournament .

.i just watched it.they are going to the third round.

They havent played yet
u mean Sudket Prapakamol and Patapol Ngernsrisuk haven't played their game yet?

now is emms/donna vs wei/zhang...hope the 4th seed can beat them and meet chin/wong in quarter final!!!

Meanwhile ,if i am not mistaken i heard from the news that koo kien keat and chan chong ming has withdrawn from the md tournament .

by now...i still dont know what happen to chong meng???why he and koo walkover de???any news about him?can any1 tell me???:crying:

Well...CCM father has passed away so he is already fly back to Mas...

so sad to heard that ccm/kkk retired

ChongMing's dad passed away.
by now...i still dont know what happen to chong meng???why he and koo walkover de???any news about him?can any1 tell me???:crying:

can anyone tell me where's the website where i can watch every live matches via internet?? plz plz..do tell me.. i dunno where to ask..unde which thread..hope anyone out there would help me..thanks..

yeah i also wanna know where to watch live matches if available?

can anyone tell me where's the website where i can watch every live matches via internet?? plz plz..do tell me.. i dunno where to ask..unde which thread..hope anyone out there would help me..thanks..

i guess some of them are actually watching tv not from the internet!

Well, it's the security setting on your IE (bloody annoying if you ask me). I turned off all my settings. Not sure if you can do so on yours.

Dont use IE its very annoying and slow. Use FireFox instead.

CTF/LWW are thru' to the next round. Beat Vietnamese pair 21-17, 21-15.

ccm father got cancer...........so

Zhang/Wei 20-19 Emms/Kellog

Yup..as predict,they go through to the next round...Actually there aremany good news today for the Mas players except for CCM...Mas players are still outstanding compared to many countries players...Gonna sleep now..

Zhang/Wei won 1set 21-19.

what?!very very sad about this bad news....i feel pity for chong ming...if he still stay here,i think he also no mood to play anymore...but nvm,wait for next year and dont 4get about the Asian Games in December!!!win the gold medal for Malaysia!!!!!!

go emms/donna....beat them!!!!!!

Zhang/Wei 3-0 Emms/Kellogg

KKK/WPT are playing the indo no1 XD tomorrow...Really hope they can win...As i remembered,their points are quite near with them in a recent competition...I hope KKK can do his best...

Zhang Wei 5-0 Emms/Kellog

Zhang Wei 8-1 Emms/Kellog

When is Lin Dan playing???I think is midnight...

hoping lcw win ........2molo

Zhang Wei 9-6 Emms/Kellog

but tomorrow wong also has women doubles match wor....can she effort or not???

It is Malaysia's turn to have coup d'etat tomorrow:

WMC beat World No.1 Zhang Ning
KKK/WPT beat World No.1 Natsir/Wiranto

I must be dreaming ....

Zhang Wei 16-9 Emms/Kellog

Chinese pair cruising to victory .......

how .............wmc vs zhang ning

It is Malaysia's turn to have coup d'etat tomorrow:

WMC beat World No.1 Zhang Ning
KKK/WPT beat World No.1 Natsir/Wiranto

I must be dreaming ....
:D :D :D all the best then...

It is Malaysia's turn to have coup d'etat tomorrow:

WMC beat World No.1 Zhang Ning
KKK/WPT beat World No.1 Natsir/Wiranto

I must be dreaming ....

nothing is impossible...:)

bad news....emms/donna lose....so chin/wong have to meet wei/zhang tomorrow...

Zhang Wei 21-12 Emms/Kellog

Disappointing 2nd set for the English pair ......

It is Malaysia's turn to have coup d'etat tomorrow:

WMC beat World No.1 Zhang Ning
KKK/WPT beat World No.1 Natsir/Wiranto

I must be dreaming ....

WPT is said to suffer a minor back injury. I hope its nothing serious enough to affect her performance tomorrow.

As for WMC to beat ZN its a bit tall order for her even if she can produce more than 100%. :D

Well, WMC beated Wang Chen just last month or something, right? So beating Zhang Ning is not impossible, although definitely harder.

WPT is said to suffer a minor back injury. I hope its nothing serious enough to affect her performance tomorrow.

As for WMC to beat ZN its a bit tall order for her even if she can produce more than 100%. :D

Disappointed too

can i know y korean pairs w.o malaysian pairs koo kien keat n chan chong ming?? wat happened...? who can tell me.....???????? sob..sob..

Mouth watering matches tomorrow involving Malaysian players:
KBH v Chen Jin
LCW v J.Persson
Hafiz v D.Palyama
CTF/LWW v Kido/Setiawan
WMC v Zhang Ning
CEH/WPT v 3rd rank Chinese Pair (most probably)

Would you be disappointed if we win 3 out of 6 (50% success)?

Hmmm.....which 3 of the 6 ties wud you be willing to sacrifice? if u can hv your wish.

can i know y korean pairs w.o malaysian pairs koo kien keat n chan chong ming?? wat happened...? who can tell me.....???????? sob..sob..

CCM's father passed away and he's on his way back to Malaysia

Well, WMC beated Wang Chen just last month or something, right? So beating Zhang Ning is not impossible, although definitely harder.

Yeah....impossible is nothing! hehe what we need is for wmc to play 110% and that ZN have an off day!! :D :D

Well, WMC beated Wang Chen just last month or something, right? So beating Zhang Ning is not impossible, although definitely harder.

Im not saying its impossible but based on her performance in these few days WMC really need to surprise herself to be able to beat ZN

seriously. i don't think KKK/CCM is such a big loss, LWW/CTF is the more lethal pair.

Not completely agree, KKK/CCM might be less experienced comparing to LWW/CTF but their styles are different, they are more explosive and aggressive. This pair has a good record against Fu/Cai and Erikson despite their bad records against Korean pairs. In short, they can beat those pairs that LWW/CTF are having troubles with.

by now...i still dont know what happen to chong meng???why he and koo walkover de???any news about him?can any1 tell me???:crying:

Fyi... CCM's dad passed away yesterday night. He has to rush back to Malaysia for the funeral etc. Thats why he didnt play.

Mouth watering matches tomorrow involving Malaysian players:
KBH v Chen Jin
LCW v J.Persson
Hafiz v D.Palyama
CTF/LWW v Kido/Setiawan
WMC v Zhang Ning
CEH/WPT v 3rd rank Chinese Pair (most probably)

Would you be disappointed if we win 3 out of 6 (50% success)?

It will be nice to win all but realistically MAS should have
LCW, Hafiz and CTF/LWW (and also may be CEH/WPT) standing after tomorrow

Fyi... CCM's dad passed away yesterday night. He has to rush back to Malaysia for the funeral etc. Thats why he didnt play.

I'm really sorry to hear this news ....... my condolence to him

Do you think Zhou Mi could have told her some of ZN's weakness? :cool: Like what Yang Yang did in 1992 (telling Rashid how to beat ZJH).
Yeah....impossible is nothing! hehe what we need is for wmc to play 110% and that ZN have an off day!! :D :D

Exactly. I think CCM/KKK is the only pair that really makes LYB worry... KKK is faster than both Cai and Fu, and speed is the main weapon of Cai/Fu.

Not completely agree, KKK/CCM might be less experienced comparing to LWW/CTF but their styles are different, they are more explosive and aggressive. This pair has a good record against Fu/Cai and Erikson despite their bad records against Korean pairs. In short, they can beat those pairs that LWW/CTF are having troubles with.

Come on, do you really think CEH/WPT could beat any of the Chinese WD pairs? :eek: I think the chance is smaller than WMC beating ZN, or even smaller than KBH beating CJ.

It will be nice to win all but realistically MAS should have
LCW, Hafiz and CTF/LWW (and also may be CEH/WPT) standing after tomorrow

Do you think Zhou Mi could have told her some of ZN's weakness? :cool: Like what Yang Yang did in 1992 (telling Rashid how to beat ZJH).

At this level of playing field, each know the weakness and strength of his/her opponent, the key is not that much of the trategy rather execution and determination. We have no doubt about WMC determination, the execution is the one that we worry and if Miew Choo play 100% while Zhang Ning play at 80% then MC shall win. :D

seriously. i don't think KKK/CCM is such a big loss, LWW/CTF is the more lethal pair.

Well, it is a big loss indeed. Less one formidable pair and this may add burden on LWW/CTF, just like the injury of WCH during the thomas cup which added the pressure on LCW.

Exactly. I think CCM/KKK is the only pair that really makes LYB worry... KKK is faster than both Cai and Fu, and speed is the main weapon of Cai/Fu.

I quite agree with ye333....against the chinese pairs u need the speed and explosive power to match them ...and KKK/CCM has it. But , now we have to wiat till WC2007.

Hmmm.....which 3 of the 6 ties wud you be willing to sacrifice? if u can hv your wish.

I'm not giving up hope on KBH but I think it is a tall order to expect him to beat Chen Jin .... Chen Jin is just too strong .....

Skillwise Zhang Ning is many notches above WMC ..... I'm rooting for WMC to win but have to be realistic here ..... I'm more than happy if WMC can give us another gutsy performance ....

CEH/WPT have never beaten any Chinese pairs before ..... will this be first time for them? Quite possible in my opinion but must play above themselves and don't commit many unforced errors.....

LCW, HH and CTF/LWW should prevail .....:D :D :D

I disagree. Yes, everyone "knows" the weakness of other players at this level, BUT only superficially. You don't really "know" till you have played that guy/gal several times. Just look at LCW, he grabbed every chance of playing LD in the past year, and now he REALLY KNOWS LD. It's not like "LD's backhand is not as good as his forehand" or "LD's overhead smashes are lethal", but really "what kind of shots would force LD to use backhand" or "what kind of clear would make LD hesitate to smash". Of course I believe PG KNOWS LD too, but he is too old to execute a winning strategy. However if Peter Rasmussen is still 22 now, and PG coaches him, I believe LD will have real trouble.

Zhou Mi has many years' experience playing with ZN. So she must know many tricks to make ZN uncomfortable. She herself may not be able to carry them out anymore due to age or injury, but if she told these to WMC, WMC's ability to play ZN (but not anyone else) should increase much.

At this level of playing field, each know the weakness and strength of his/her opponent, the key is not that much of the trategy rather execution and determination. We have no doubt about WMC determination, the execution is the one that we worry and if Miew Choo play 100% while Zhang Ning play at 80% then MC shall win. :D

is mas 2nd double played well just now?

Do you think Zhou Mi could have told her some of ZN's weakness? :cool: Like what Yang Yang did in 1992 (telling Rashid how to beat ZJH).

Does anybody know where is Zhou Mi now?

Come on, do you really think CEH/WPT could beat any of the Chinese WD pairs? :eek: I think the chance is smaller than WMC beating ZN, or even smaller than KBH beating CJ.

Just wishful thinking

No CHN casualties so far, they are getting stronger and stronger while others are lagging further and further behind. It is worrying guys......

Li Li is battling hard to earn the right to a top 16 placing against the seeded Petya Nedeltcheva. She is currently leading 18-17 in the second set, despite trailing 14-16.

Shoji Sato vs Boonsak Ponsana (MATCH OF THE DAY) -- the Thai to win!

hmmm...not so fast...i feel shoji could take this one...3 sets...

well well...whadyaknow...guess i was right...didn't think though that boonsak would go down in 2 sets...:p

The Bulgarian edges ahead 20-18....tense moments for Li Li.

Ouch...the Bulgarian takes the second set 21-19 :cool:
So, it goes to a rubber...

Ouch...the Bulgarian takes the second set 21-19 :cool:
So, it goes to a rubber...
Trouble... I'm always worried about Li Li's stamina.

Cheers... chris@ccc

Li Li is losing it....currently trailing 13-19. Once again, she wasted a good opportunity to progress to the later rounds of the WC :cool:

Yeah....impossible is nothing! hehe what we need is for wmc to play 110% and that ZN have an off day!! :D :D


But i really hope WMC can stun ZN tomorrow! Then, Coach Lee will sweat!

All over for Li Li. She lost to Petya Nedeltcheva in rubber-sets 21-13, 19-21, 15-21....she's 2 points from victory when she was leading 19-18 in the second set. Too bad....

Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms also waste no time in winning their first match 21-12, 21-10.

It's over for Li Li

Fyi... CCM's dad passed away yesterday night. He has to rush back to Malaysia for the funeral etc. Thats why he didnt play.
..aih, just got online now, and just read this...I'm sorry to hear that; my condolences to CCM and his family...His heart must be all over the place now but hope he'll be able to deal with this sorrow and be strong..:p :(

It's over for Li Li

sad sad sad...:eek:

sad sad sad...:eek:

Somehow all these imported Chinese players never seem to live up to expectation, life is too good in Singapore :confused:

Late evening match involving LD–he's won the 1st game 21-16 v Milroy of Canada. LD 4-3 up in 2nd game.

I think it is because they dont have people at the same level to practise with. When Zhao TT practised with Ge/Gu, Gao/Huang, Yang/Zhang, Li Yujia practised with players of much lower level.
Somehow all these imported Chinese players never seem to live up to expectation, life is too good in Singapore :confused:

LD 8:7 now in 2nd.

Bobby can talk about how it is like to play LD in his next badminton trash talk. :)
Late evening match involving LD–he's won the 1st game 21-16 v Milroy of Canada. LD 4-3 up in 2nd game.

LD up 12-10. Interesting that there's only been 1 unforced error (by LD) in the match so far

LD should be playing comfortably. 17:10 now.

LD up 12-10. Interesting that there's only been 1 unforced error (by LD) in the match so far

Vitaly Durkin was one of the finalist in the US Open 2006 XD Finals together with his partner Valerya Sorokina. They really gave the Chinese a tough fight. Unfortunate for them, they lost.
Russia is becoming a formidable country in badminton. I hope that they will improve more and be on a level with Denmark and England.
I don't know if they are RUS' top XD pair or not but from what i saw during and @ the XD Finals, where they played against another RUS' pair(Ivlev & Vislova, who eventually won), all 4 of them looked quite solid. Durkin is actually a Men's Doubles specialist also.
Here's the link to the 2006 U.S. Open if anyone is interested:
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34946

Bobby can talk about how it is like to play LD in his next badminton trash talk. :)

Haha, yes he can.:p He seems to have a high regard for LD.
Match over 21-16, 21-17. Comfortable win for LD in the end.

according to stats..taufik hasn't smashed a lot.....is he trying to save energy?
yeah... i think that so.... yesterday taufik''s smash stats was 21, it's 50 % of all points, incredeble. he wants to save his energy for chen hong :rolleyes:
Finally,Taufik won 19-21,21-15,21-10. Duh!
..?!? a 3-setter against an unknown player??..hehe, this could be the start of his "real" battle...;) for whatever he said recently that "he's fit and all", we shall see in the next few opponents whether he has enough gas in the tank to go all the way..his lack of training prior could be his undoing for this WC.. :p ;)

..?!? a 3-setter against an unknown player??..hehe, this could be the start of his "real" battle...;) for whatever he said recently that "he's fit and all", we shall see in the next few opponents whether he has enough gas in the tank to go all the way..his lack of training prior could be his undoing for this WC.. :p ;)
Watching the match against Ng Wei...I can see that he is not a perfect shape but his skill is still very sharp (maybe with tougher opponent when tiredness set in, he will start making mistakes) and his backhand smash...wow

I don't know why they made it so difficult even to get into the live scores! I've been trying for so long without success. "User Friendly" should be the keyword for badminton fans outside Europe.

And this is supposed to be the World Championships! We can get better service for even minor events in Singapore!

Shame! Shame! Shame! to the organizers in Madrid! A disgrace indeed! I'm fedup! :(
hehe, i know how you feel, Loh(i know i do with the limited # of pics from this WC, in comparison to last yr's:p)..Now we all wonder, why did IBF arranged to have a WC this yr(they said the reason is that there is no more Grand Prix Final event at end of the yr, yet next yr they will have BOTH WC *and* a Grand Prix Final at end of 2007)?!?!..:confused: :p :rolleyes:

..?!? a 3-setter against an unknown player??..hehe, this could be the start of his "real" battle...;) for whatever he said recently that "he's fit and all", we shall see in the next few opponents whether he has enough gas in the tank to go all the way..his lack of training prior could be his undoing for this WC.. :p ;)

beware though, even LD says Taufik is a smart player. perhaps Taufik is using the opportunity to warm up his muscles, he can probably beat this guy without much sweat anyway. if he drags it on (ppl did say he didn't smash much, right?), that will let him get accustomed to the arena, and then keep the Chinese guessing whether he is really in form or not.

the message he has been sending out is that he doesn't care about the WC. but who wouldn't want to win it?

Exactly. I think Taufik is just fooling around today. Watched part of his game against Ng Wei, I think his is about 80% or something now. His defence is not as good as before, maybe because he is not as fast as before.

From now on, his opponents would be stronger and stronger. CH, PG, LD. So it's actually not a bad draw. CH is powerful with great skill but kind of dumb on court, PG is extremely smart on court but is old and slow and sometimes too nervous when outperformed. These two matches could be serve as perfect perparation for the real fight against LD.

beware though, even LD says Taufik is a smart player. perhaps Taufik is using the opportunity to warm up his muscles, he can probably beat this guy without much sweat anyway. if he drags it on (ppl did say he didn't smash much, right?), that will let him get accustomed to the arena, and then keep the Chinese guessing whether he is really in form or not.

the message he has been sending out is that he doesn't care about the WC. but who wouldn't want to win it?

Thursday September 21, 2:17 AM
Badminton: World champion Hidayat suffers second round scare
MADRID : World champion Taufik Hidayat suffered a second round scare in defence of his world badminton title after admitting he had not warmed up properly.
The titleholder from Indonesia underestimated his little known opponent, Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania, and was made to endure some anxious moments before he escaped to a 19-21, 21-15, 21-10 win.

Hidayat, who is still making his way back after long-term injury problems, was completely in control at the finish but started at the difficult end and was surprised by his tall opponent's ability to combine steep attacks, often with spectacular jump smashes, with remarkably good court coverage.

"I didn't warm up properly because I was over-confident," acknowledged Hidayat. "There was a problem with the drift (slight wind) and I hoped I would be able to adjust, and eventually I did."

A turning point came when Navickas served out at 11-15 in the second game when a run of two of three points at that stage might have put the champion in real trouble.

The third game saw Taufik take an early lead, and although he was still not out of difficulty at 13-8 he made a surge of high-paced rallies, often with flat attacks mixed with sudden fast flicks to the back, all of which which had Navickas scrambling.

"I turned the match round on the second game," said Hidayat, smiling relaxedly. "And I improved from yesterday (when he beat Ng Wei of Hong Kong in two close games).

"But I will warm up for longer tomorrow (Thursday). Tomorrow there is a chance of the quarter-finals. And my opponent will be very different, so I will have to be prepared."

That opponent should be Chen Hong, the former All-England champion from China, against whom Hidayat said he had never lost, though he had forgotten his defeat in the Japan Open 17 months ago. But even though Hidayat has an excellent 7-1 record against Chen, there are also reasons for caution.

If Chen reaches the third round he will be particularly motivated to improve this dismal head-to-head, and Hidayat admits that while his troublesome back is "okay", it is also "not one hundred percent." It may need to be.

Another leading Chinese contender for Hidayat's title, Chen Jing, the number three seed, also reached the last 16, overcoming Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam in straight games.

And another seed went out - following Hidayat's conquest of Ng Wei in the first round - when Andrew Smith, the much improved England number one, was beaten.

The defeat of the number 15 rated player was not such a surprise however, for Smith was confronted by Sony Dwi Kuncoro, the Indonesian who won an Olympic bronze medal and who would almost certainly have been seeded himself but for injuries.

The score was 21-19, 21-13 and it earned Kuncoro a potentially very difficult meeting with Bao Chunlai, the third Chinese player in the world's top ten, who earned his place in the third round with a 21-12, 21-14 win over Jurgen Koch of Austria. - AFP/de

Men's singles, second round:

Muhammad Hafiz Hashim (MAS) bt Michal Matejka (SVK) 21-8, 21-10

Joachim Persson (DEN) bt Luka Petric (SLO) 21-11, 21-8

Bao Chunlai (CHN) bt Jurgen Koch (AUT) 21-13, 21-14

Dicky Palyama (NED) bt Roman Spitko (GER) 21-19, 21-11

Beng Hong Kuan (MAS) bt Przemyslaw Wacha (POL) 21-16, 9-21, 21-19

Lee Chong Wei (MAS) bt Bjorn Joppien (GER) 21-18, 21-14

Shoji Sato (JPN) bt Boonsak Ponsana (THA) 21-15, 21-18

Eric Pang (NED) bt Yousouke Nakanishi (JPN) 21-15, 21-17

Sony Dwi Kuncoro (INA) bt Andrew Smith (ENG x15) 21-19, 21-13

Lee Hyun-Il (KOR) bt Jan Frohlich (CZE) 21-10, 21-4

Taufik Hidayat (INA) bt Kestutis Navickas (LTU) 19-21, 21-15, 21-10

Women's singles, second round:

Yip Pui-Yin (HK) bt Maja Tvrdy (SLO) 21-7, 21-13

Tine Rasmussen (DEN) bt Kamilla Augustyn (POL) 21-18, 21-13

Tracey Hallam (ENG) bt Ella Karachkova (RUS) 21-9, 21-8

Jiang Yanjiao (CHN) bt Elin Bergblom (SWE) 21-13, 21-11

Zhang Ning (CHN) bt Xing Aiying (SIN) 21-8, 21-8

Xu Huaiwan (GER) bt Yoana Martinez (ESP) 21-19, 21-8

Chen Wang (HK) bt Anna Rice (CAN) 21-17, 21-13

Petra Overzier (GER) bt Linda Zechiri (BUL) 17-21, 21-15, 21-14

Chen Jin (CHN) bt Tien Monh Nguyen (VIE) 21-16, 21-13

Eriko Hirose (JPN) bt Trupti Murgunde (IND) 6-21, 21-16, 21-12

Kaori Mori (JPN) bt Xing Xu Bing (SPA) 6-21, 21-16, 21-12

Wong Mew Choo (MAS) bt Fransisca Ratnasari (INA) 21-19, 21-8

beware though, even LD says Taufik is a smart player. perhaps Taufik is using the opportunity to warm up his muscles, he can probably beat this guy without much sweat anyway. if he drags it on (ppl did say he didn't smash much, right?), that will let him get accustomed to the arena, and then keep the Chinese guessing whether he is really in form or not.

the message he has been sending out is that he doesn't care about the WC. but who wouldn't want to win it?
hmm, Taufik could be playing "mind games" with his last 2 opponents..but remember, if he is going to win the title this yr, he *could* play against 3 of CHN's top MS player. Something which he didn't have to encounter last yr(only faced LD in Final) or the yr before in the Olympics...Also, last yr, if i'm not mistaken, he only had to play a 3-setter in one of his matches(vs. KJ)..
On that note, i'm not trying to sound i'm supporting for Taufik to lose, but if i was Chen Hong in tomorrow's match, or whoever his opponents will be later, i will push Taufik to play 3 sets(lots of rallies). Force him to prove he has enough gas left in the tank...:rolleyes: ;)

Exactly. I think Taufik is just fooling around today. Watched part of his game against Ng Wei, I think his is about 80% or something now. His defence is not as good as before, maybe because he is not as fast as before.

From now on, his opponents would be stronger and stronger. CH, PG, LD. So it's actually not a bad draw. CH is powerful with great skill but kind of dumb on court, PG is extremely smart on court but is old and slow and sometimes too nervous when outperformed. These two matches could be serve as perfect perparation for the real fight against LD.
..i'll say this..if Taufik can reach the Semifinal unscathed, IMO, that's already a huge accomplishment for him..Esp. if the rest of his matches go the distance(3 setters), cos just winning the stamina battle itself is already a big achievement..;)
Because when i look at Taufik's WC draw and esp. his later opponents, this WC basically is a battlefield for him to "prove" on his weakness : stamina..;)

it's good that IBF allowed TH to play this year's WC...He adds color and excitement to the tourney...every match is something to talk about...the boos, the oohhs and aahhs...point is, it's not bad to have a TH in this sport after all huh :)
It's gonna be very very very tough but I hope he wins this tourney...

I'm really sad. No more Singapore players in the running by Round 2. Either the standard has gone up or Singapore's standard has gone down or could it be both? But, there were also some other surprises too.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to watching the Round of 16 tonight on TV

when is astro to start broadcast the matches today?
i want see mew choo`s match...

Women's singles, second round:
Chen Jin (CHN) bt Tien Monh Nguyen (VIE) 21-16, 21-13

:D :D :D :D :D :D
CJ and TMN in women's singles????:D :D :D :D
:p :p :p :p

Women's singles, second round:
Chen Jin (CHN) bt Tien Monh Nguyen (VIE) 21-16, 21-13
:D :D :D :D :D :D
CJ and TMN in women's singles????:D :D :D :D
:p :p :p :p
:) ..cooler is starting to get my bad habit(typos)..:p ;):D

:) ..cooler is starting to get my bad habit(typos)..:p ;):D

hahaha, i just cut and paste them.
yes, i should read it first before posting it.:o

I'm really sad. No more Singapore players in the running by Round 2. Either the standard has gone up or Singapore's standard has gone down or could it be both? But, there were also some other surprises too.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to watching the Round of 16 tonight on TV

SIN WD made it to Round 3 isn't it? ;)

SIN WD made it to Round 3 isn't it? ;)

Thank you Kaylee. I have looked at the results again and now feel that actually our girls did quite well despite their Round 3 loss to my favourites to win this WC, China's Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen, seeded 2, 10-21, 14-21. :)

Our Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia beat:

R1 - Emelie Lennartsson/Sophia Hansson (Sweden) 21-12, 21-13 and
R2 - Lene Frier Krisitansen/ Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Denmark) seeded 9/16, 23-21, 21-15. (This is a good achievement for our girls to beat the seeded Danes.)

During the QF, Yang & Zhang beat Thailand's Saralee & Sathinee 21-12, 21-14. So our girl's loss to Yang & Zhang is not too bad.

Perhaps this is the best achievement by Jiang and Li instead and this makes me happy for a change. ;)

Perhaps this is the best achievement by Jiang and Li instead and this makes me happy for a change. ;)

Jiang/Li and Jo/Gresya were unlucky to be drawn with the top 2 seeds in Round of 16. Defeats to these 2 pairs were expected :cool:

I am actually half hoping for Li Li to enter the quarter-final, but, she lost to Petya Nedeltcheva instead, despite leading 19-18 in the second set :cool:

Jiang/Li and Jo/Gresya were unlucky to be drawn with the top 2 seeds in Round of 16. Defeats to these 2 pairs were expected :cool:

I am actually half hoping for Li Li to enter the quarter-final, but, she lost to Petya Nedeltcheva instead, despite leading 19-18 in the second set :cool:

Yes, Yuanto, you're right. The luck of the draw was not with our girls. With a little luck they could have reached the QF.

On Li Li, actually she did quite admirably, losing out to the much improved, heavier but never-say-die Bulgarian, Petya, in 3 hard-fought games. Remember Petya is seeded 5/8 while Li Li is not.

Li Li beat the 'charming' Charmaine Reid (Canada) 21-10, 21-14 in Round 1. You can now listen to Charmaine as one of the co-commentators, apart from Kevin Han (US).

But Petya has so far justified her seeding by defeating Susan Hughes (Scotland), a medal winner in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, 21-14, 13-21, 21-11 in Round 3 and will meet Xu Huaiwen (Germany), seeded 2 in tonight's QF. It will be a gigantic achievement for Petya if she manages to beat Xu, which is not impossible.

The luck of the draw is important for unseeded players. If one is unlucky, one could face a high seed during R1 or R2. In this sense, Li Li was a little unlucky as her passage to R3 was stopped by a seeded Petya. So too was Xing Aiying who succumbed badly to top seed Zhang Ning in R2, 21-8, 21-8.

Singapore Players' performance

Of all our players in this WC, ironically it was Ronald Susilo who performed the worst, being knocked out in R1 by seeded 9/16 Korean, Park Sung Hwan. 21-10, 21-11 in just 26m.

Also out in R1 were Kendrick Lee, beaten by Germany's top singles, Bjoern Joppien, also unseeded, 17-21, 21-18, 20-22 in 53m. and in XD, Hendry Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia who lost 22-20, 13-21, 15-21 to 9/16 seed, Zheng Bo/Zhao Tingting.

On the other hand Li Li and Xing Aiying lost to seeded players in R2, Li Li having done better in three games.

Our other XD pair of Hendra Wijaya/ Frances Liu did not disgrace as they lost to Malaysians, Koo Kien Keat/Wong Pei Tty in three games, 21-16, 18-21, 15-21 in R2. KKK/WPT went on to shock no. 1 seed, Indonesians Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir 21-14, 18-21, 22-20 in 41m in R3 yesterday to set up a QF match with Danes, Jonas Rasmussen/Britta Andersen who beat the seeded English pair of Robert Blair /Natalie Munt, 18-21, 21-18, 24-22 in R3 in 51m.

So when Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia lost to no.2 seed, China's Yang We/Zhang Jiewen in R3 in straight games, 10-21, 14-21 in 27m, in fact they have done well relatively speaking.

So contrary to some views that our China lady imports have become too soft because of a good life in Singapore, their performance in this WC as enumerated above does not confirm their opinions. Of course, it does not mean that our girls should rest on their laurels for they could continue to improve. Except for Ronald, who is still disturbed mentally by his Achilles tendon injury, I thought the rest of the team had done as best as they could under the circumstances. More top class tournaments and sparring with better players will certainly help to uplift their performance.

If I have to rank Singapore's players according to their performance at this Madrid WC, my verdict is as follows:

1. Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia (Best)
2. Hendra Wijaya/Frances Liu
3. Li Li
4. Xing Aiying
5. Hendry Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia
6. Kendrick Lee
7. Ronald Susilo (Worst)

I certainly hope all of them can do better next year in KL. :)

Thanks Loh, on the summary of Singapore players progress (or lack of it).

Today in Straits Time, there is also an article on the same topic, which I think is also very interesting.

Personally, I' more dissapointed with Kendrick's result. I can still accept the reason behind Ronald's defeat on the hands of the seeded Korean, but Kendrick should progress.