What can Peter Gade do in this World Championship?

[Simoneolivelli]

This year for Gade has been strange. Performances very good like in Malaysia Open, and bad "stop" like in China Masters.
In his interviews he has recently said that he feels himself ready for the world competition.
What do you think about?

Gade, with Taufik, is my favourite player but recently (last year) he gave me the idea of a player not be sure of himself.
Is this his bigger weakness?

[Dreamzz]

recently his form has seriously dipped, i wonder if it's just his age catching up with him a little. i was surprised he did so well by winning the MO, even though he was sick on the plane. it's been a strange year for him to be sure.

[drifit]

ups and downs...:o
hopefully every players can perform at their best to success. this will make the WC more interesting.......:D:D
Gade will have the chances.....:cool:

[LazyBuddy]

Personally, I think Gade's performance (overall) is slipping, probably due to his age and injuries. However, NSS requires more mental toughness and experience, which gives PG an edge over many young guns. However, I have to say, seems his peak is passed. :cool:

[staples]

This year for Gade has been strange. Performances very good like in Malaysia Open, and bad "stop" like in China Masters.
In his interviews he has recently said that he feels himself ready for the world competition.
What do you think about?

Gade, with Taufik, is my favourite player but recently (last year) he gave me the idea of a player not be sure of himself.
Is this his bigger weakness?

I don't think PG will win it. It seems like every time he declares himself ready/fit for a tournament, he would then have disappointing results. Perhaps a curse? :rolleyes:

Anything less than the QF's at the WC will be disappointing but he will go only as far as the SF.

[yuqiu]

I think iv helped him won the MO. May be he should get more this time again. :D

[Han]

The hardest thing for veteran player is to keep his/her consistency, the same can be said about Wong Choon Hann too. However, veteran player still very capable to rise on the occasion and we certainly hope Peter can deliver. Glancing thru his route in WC, his challenge begins on QF either against Santoso or Tien Minh.
All the best Peter and I am sure Malaysian fan will be supporting you!

[samuel882]

The hardest thing for veteran player is to keep his/her consistency, the same can be said about Wong Choon Hann too. However, veteran player still very capable to rise on the occasion and we certainly hope Peter can deliver. Glancing thru his route in WC, his challenge begins on QF either against Santoso or Tien Minh.
All the best Peter and I am sure Malaysian fan will be supporting you!

I believe on-form Simon will stunned PG in R16:rolleyes:

[ctjcad]

This year for Gade has been strange. Performances very good like in Malaysia Open, and bad "stop" like in China Masters.
In his interviews he has recently said that he feels himself ready for the world competition.
What do you think about?

Gade, with Taufik, is my favourite player but recently (last year) he gave me the idea of a player not be sure of himself.
Is this his bigger weakness?
..well, at least this time, i'm thinking a bit more realistic:p...But, hmm, he did win the M'sian Open early this yr, correct??..So, with the familiarity of the surrounding and playing condition, the possibility is certainly there for him to go deep in this WC..:p;)

[CLELY]

I guess PG peak era is over. He reach good result sometimes but it's not consistent. Very rare to see him in final recently. In this KL WC, on paper PG will face home fave LCW at QF and seems he will stop in this round. Maybe PG inspired by his senior Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen who grabbed Atlanta Gold 1996 so PG still compete in effort to hunt Beijing Gold next year.

[xymaerts]

ya agreed. His hey year had passed... I don't think he will pass through LCW


I guess PG peak era is over. He reach good result sometimes but it's not consistent. Very rare to see him in final recently. In this KL WC, on paper PG will face home fave LCW at QF and seems he will stop in this round. Maybe PG inspired by his senior Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen who grabbed Atlanta Gold 1996 so PG still compete in effort to hunt Beijing Gold next year.

[ants]

He might have to get sick first like earlier this year in MO. Then he can win.

[samuel882]

He might have to get sick first like earlier this year in MO. Then he can win.
Dont Curse on him... Otherwise u might be stabbed here:D:D

[Morten]

Have to agree with people here, Peter Gade is not at his best anymore. A week ago I watched some old videos from 1998-2000 tournaments and you could see the difference in his pace. I would say that he by that time was as fast as LCW and Lin Dan is now, but after his knee injury he lost some of that speed. He then played less offensive and concentrated more on the tactical which also got him back into top 5 for 3 years now. But the dominance he had in tourneys bach then together with Sun Jun for almost 3 years will not occur anymore. He might be able to contain a top 8ranking until his retirement and might be considered a dark horse in WC, Olympics etc due to his unique technical skills only equalised by Taufik. By that said he aint slow, still got a high pace, but as MS is today being able to maintain a high pace throughout a match is the most important a shuttler can do to win the game, one of the reason an excellent shuttler like Hafiz cant cope of with LCW, LD etc.

[abedeng]

Hi Morten, haven't seen your posts for quite a while now.

Surely it is not just speed that is needed to win tournaments. Can't a player as experienced as Gade use variations of his technique to compensate? Besides, not all players (even young ones) have LD's speed.

I saw Gade in action in S'pore recently, didn't see him lose too much in terms of speed, but he did look easily flustered and lacking composure, weird for an experienced guy.

[samuel882]

Have to agree with people here, Peter Gade is not at his best anymore. A week ago I watched some old videos from 1998-2000 tournaments and you could see the difference in his pace. I would say that he by that time was as fast as LCW and Lin Dan is now, but after his knee injury he lost some of that speed. He then played less offensive and concentrated more on the tactical which also got him back into top 5 for 3 years now. But the dominance he had in tourneys bach then together with Sun Jun for almost 3 years will not occur anymore. He might be able to contain a top 8ranking until his retirement and might be considered a dark horse in WC, Olympics etc due to his unique technical skills only equalised by Taufik. By that said he aint slow, still got a high pace, but as MS is today being able to maintain a high pace throughout a match is the most important a shuttler can do to win the game, one of the reason an excellent shuttler like Hafiz cant cope of with LCW, LD etc.
Agreed with you.. Skills itself doesn't win the match this days.. The Skillful players like PG/HH more suit the old 15 points format.. While in the new 21-points format. The winning combo always come from Fast/Pace/Skills...:rolleyes:

[Simoneolivelli]

Pardon... what is Pace? Footwork?

[Han]

Hi Morten, haven't seen your posts for quite a while now.

Surely it is not just speed that is needed to win tournaments. Can't a player as experienced as Gade use variations of his technique to compensate? Besides, not all players (even young ones) have LD's speed.

I saw Gade in action in S'pore recently, didn't see him lose too much in terms of speed, but he did look easily flustered and lacking composure, weird for an experienced guy.

Experience and tactical play can only take you that far, to win all you need speed too. Peter rely a lot on his speed during his prime to win titles and when that area is degrading, it's hard to compensate as speed is one big part of his successful game. The same can be said about Wong Choon Hann, once his attacking weapon is no longer as threatening as before, it's hard for him to win facing top notch player. Simply, win as many titles as you can while you're in your prime like Lin Dan, doesn't matter what people want to say about his overall skill, he seize the opportunity whenever available.

[winnie]

well, i think PG might be able to create some dissapointment..
cos mas seems to be a lucky place for him ;)
who knows, rite?

[Han]

Anything is possible in World Championship as only 2 players ranked #1 from previous WC won the title, Yang Yang and Ardy Winarata.

[robin7]

I thought the best chance for Peter to win was back in 2001 when he was in the final while Taufik retired against Hendrawan in another SF. He was then beaten by Hendrawan in the final & he was so disappointed. That's the only time he was in the WC final. His prime was over, no doubt about it. Anyway, wish him all the best!

[taufik-ist]

I thought the best chance for Peter to win was back in 2001 when he was in the final while Taufik retired against Hendrawan in another SF. He was then beaten by Hendrawan in the final & he was so disappointed. That's the only time he was in the WC final. His prime was over, no doubt about it. Anyway, wish him all the best!

TH should have won hist first WC title in 2001 :D
he won 1st set and leading in 2nd set againts Hendrawan,
too bad he got injured and then he couldn't continue the match.

[ye333]

I don't think Ardy ever won WC.


Anything is possible in World Championship as only 2 players ranked #1 from previous WC won the title, Yang Yang and Ardy Winarata.

[ye333]

To be frank, back then TH has <50% chance beating PG. :cool:


TH should have won hist first WC title in 2001 :D
he won 1st set and leading in 2nd set againts Hendrawan,
too bad he got injured and then he couldn't continue the match.

[JasonMichael]

I don't think Ardy ever won WC.


Yes, u r right...

[JasonMichael]

Anything is possible in World Championship as only 2 players ranked #1 from previous WC won the title, Yang Yang and Ardy Winarata.

not Ardy Wiranata.... I think you meant Hariyanto Arbi, whereby he won the world championships in 1995 beating Park Sung-Woo.

[Han]

not Ardy Wiranata.... I think you meant Hariyanto Arbi, whereby he won the world championships in 1995 beating Park Sung-Woo.

Yes, my mistake, should be Arbi, not Ardi.

[ctjcad]

Hi Morten, haven't seen your posts for quite a while now.

Surely it is not just speed that is needed to win tournaments. Can't a player as experienced as Gade use variations of his technique to compensate? Besides, not all players (even young ones) have LD's speed.

I saw Gade in action in S'pore recently, didn't see him lose too much in terms of speed, but he did look easily flustered and lacking composure, weird for an experienced guy.
..factor in any MS match is endurance/stamina/fitness (however one wants to tie those together)..Not to undermine speed, power and technical & mental ability, but no matter how skillful or fast or powerful a player is, if he doesn't have the endurance/stamina/fitness, he "ain't gonna cut it"...Simple as that..:p;)..But the surprising thing is/was, Peter Gade was able to win the M'sian Open earlier this yr after suffering a near scare of a sickness (even spent some time in a hospital), just after arriving in M'sia..:confused:;):cool:

[samuel882]

..factor in any MS match is endurance/stamina/fitness (however one wants to tie those together)..Not to undermine speed, power and technical & mental ability, but no matter how skillful or fast or powerful a player is, if he doesn't have the endurance/stamina/fitness, he "ain't gonna cut it"...Simple as that..:p;)..But the surprising thing is/was, Peter Gade was able to win the M'sian Open earlier this yr after suffering a near scare of a sickness (even spent some time in a hospital), just after arriving in M'sia..:confused:;):cool:
I fink PG benefited by the earlier round loss of LD/TH/LCW to win the MO07:rolleyes:

[ctjcad]

I fink PG benefited by the earlier round loss of LD/TH/LCW to win the MO07:rolleyes:
..perhaps, but i think that's partly the reason, as he had to go through several pretty stiff competition along the way to win it: Pang->Susilo->Chen Yu->Jonassen->BCL..And the fact that he was sick, hospitalized but yet still able to give all out efforts to win it all, playing as if there was no tomorrow, showed that perhaps he was the "fittest" and most ready/determined out of all the competitors out there (esp. LD, Taufik & LCW) ;):cool:

[pjswift]

I fink PG benefited by the earlier round loss of LD/TH/LCW to win the MO07:rolleyes:
If you question PG's MO 07 title in this way, then you will question LD's WC06 title more. LD 's biggest non-CHN opponent in WC06, Hafiz, is essentially a non-competitor and for SF and Final, he played compatriots, again non-competition but more exhibition.
PG played really well, partly buoyed by the MAS crowd who instantly treated him as their adopted son after LCW crashed out ( losing to the cute JPN WD kos rather than BCL, actually)

[robin7]

TH should have won hist first WC title in 2001 :D
he won 1st set and leading in 2nd set againts Hendrawan,
too bad he got injured and then he couldn't continue the match.
Yup, too bad 4 Taufik!

[samuel882]

If you question PG's MO 07 title in this way, then you will question LD's WC06 title more. LD 's biggest non-CHN opponent in WC06, Hafiz, is essentially a non-competitor and for SF and Final, he played compatriots, again non-competition but more exhibition.
PG played really well, partly buoyed by the MAS crowd who instantly treated him as their adopted son after LCW crashed out ( losing to the cute JPN WD kos rather than BCL, actually)
Agree that LD crown in WC06 is not the best World Champion after being pass through all his compatriots there.. Anyway World Champions is always a champions. Although many will question his crown due to the luck of his draw etc...

[TKG2609]

Peter Gade still can beat Lee Chong Wei, Chen Yu or Chen Jin ... but 2 win this time i think still difficult 4 him

[GunBlade008]

Peter Gade knows his time is nearly up, and with the Olympics next year, this is the last chance for him to win one of the sports most prestigious titles while relatively on form. His hunger to win will be there, hopefully his body can keep up. If he clears the first hurdle of LCW in the quarters, he should be able to take Chen Yu or Chen Jin and advance to the finals, but that part's a little tricky.

[tjl_vanguard]

seems like he has been very relaxed bout badminton recently.. but as far as i know, he has been working very hard to build up another team for den in the future... :D

still, he is a very wonderful player to me... :D win or lose is ok.. i think he has a mindset which to enjoy the game, just like chen hong said he will.. :D

[tjl_vanguard]

Peter Gade still can beat Lee Chong Wei, Chen Yu or Chen Jin ... but 2 win this time i think still difficult 4 him
peter can beat anyone... :D

but LCW can beat him tooo....

so its a wide open competition.. :D

[george@chongwei]

peter gade had lost badly to TH in d china master.... based on his current form it is hard for Peter to win in tis WC.. but as i say anything can happen...

[tjl_vanguard]

yea.. from wad we saw in Chn Masters, probably it was his worst show ever since many years back... :D

[TKG2609]

if he can beat lee cw, maybe he can meet lindan/taufik in the final, hihihihi

[abedeng]

Excellent field, this MS. You really cannot write off anybody. Well, anybody but Hafiz.

Not that I'm being unkind, but if Hafiz shows half the commitment of Gade and WCH, I would still support him.

By the way, Danish MS need new blood real quick ..... else the Poles will take over ascendancy of European MS.

[ChompChomp]

since WC had change to a yearly event i think anyone got a chance to win remember how gopi chand from india won the all england???

it is now just like any other SS event thats all nothing special to keep us looking forward

[ctjcad]

since WC had change to a yearly event i think anyone got a chance to win remember how gopi chand from india won the all england???

it is now just like any other SS event thats all nothing special to keep us looking forward
..this yr's winners will hold some significance, as the next World Championships will be in 2 yrs (2009 in India)..Remember next yr there won't be a WC because of the Olympics..Thus, whoever wins this yr's titles, will enjoy it for 2 yrs (just like pre-2005)..;):cool:

[Morten]

Ye havent been posting here in a long time since i stopped playing badminton and moved onto playing soccer, keeping lot of focus on that instead of badminton.

Maybe i explained myself wrong, but let me try once more and give you my wiev on what a mens single player needs of skills to win big championships and why a player like Peter aint as succesfull as before, simply what has changed in the last 10-15 years. To be a great single player you nowadays need to master all aspects including being fast (good footwork, fast recovery), have a great technique which means both defensive and offensive skills, mental strengh and at last a desire to be the best.

If you go 10-15 years back in history specially mens single was played differently from how its now. Players like Höyer Larsen and Hendrawan who relied on trickshots and using their cleverness and great understanding of the game to keep up with the lack of speed/power which counterparts like Gade, Sun Jun and Arbi had. The game itself were played differently too, not that many short services were used as now and clears were used a lot more back then, instead of today were fast drives and a game biased upon getting control of the first 3rd part of the court is in charge. Watching Ji Xinpeng versus Hendrawan in Olympics 2000 really makes you see how the game has changed from players using almost every shot they could hit (multiple clears in a row, cross drops at net, cuts etc) whereas we today see players keeping the shuttle very low almost like in doubles and trying to take charge of the net immeadeatly and furthermore when in a defensive position diving down for at the next second standing on their feet again:eek:.

However players like Sun Jun and Gade had already back then started to change mens single players wiev on what could bring succes, so players like WCH, Xia Chen Hong etc and upcoming players like Lin Dan Lee Chong Wei and Bao Chunlai somehow copied the offensive style, just adding the one thing that players like Gade back then lacked, defensive skills.

So when Peter got back from his 1 year injury he couldnt just jumpsmash and then rush to the net and kill the shuttle due to 2 reasons, 1. lost bit of stamina/physical strengh since he from now on wouldnt be able to train as hard as before and 2. Better overall defense skills, combined with speed. You can say that in players like Lin Dan and Lee Chong way (specially LD) you combined old defensive players like Morten Frost and Ardi Wiranata, who had been using their great defense and outstanding stamina to win matches and combined them with pure offensive weapons like Gade and Heryanto Arbi and by that got a more complet single player.

Due to training more and harder which is natural in almost every sport nowadays we have seen an increasement in most shuttlers with an increasement in speed and stamina giving them the opportunity to be able to play a faster game and maintaining a high speed and offensive/explosive playstyle throughout the whole match.

Im not saying that players like Yang Yang, Zhao, Morten Frost and other people at that time didnt have same the same abilities and physical conditions, its just that it seems that today the mens single is played in a faster pace and has been more driven towards keeping the shuttle low and then trying quickly to finish of the point, whereas you before sometimes easily saw like 4-5 clears incoming before an attack.

When it comes to Peter who this thread is actually about ;) I think he as someone mentioned earlier has seen his best time and in 99-01 he could with some better mental strengh have won at least WC or the Olympics, but thats how sport is, without being mentally prepared youll face defeats. Today he still stands a chance and with the 21 point system being a shorter match and more of a tactical/mental fight on court than with the 15 point system he should stand as a dark horse due to his experience and still being fast/explosive taken in mind his age. However loosing the head in matches has always been where he chokes in big tournaments or actually in general. So I wouldnt be surprised if he either looses convincingly to LCW in quarters or on the other hand beat LCW and then when everybody expects him to go all the way looses due to nerves being to much of a pressure. However if not counting LD in he stands as good a chance as TH, LCW and Bao for making it to the final.

[wilfredlgf]

For a start he could play without expectations - which could suit him just well. But badminton is a game of youth, today and the yesteryears - younger, fitter players will triumph.

[samuel882]

the 21 point system being a shorter match and more of a tactical/mental fight on court than with the 15 point system
Totally agree with u on this point !

[ixory]

i dun want to underestimate this guy,on a good day he can defeat anyone..

[samuel882]

i dun want to underestimate this guy,on a good day he can defeat anyone..
Yes.. He will always be DarkHorse in any major tournaments..

[abedeng]

Yup, besides, in CM, every player had problems with the draft, could partially explain his heavy defeat to Taufik.

[ixory]

Gade-Christensen can spring a surprise, says Misbun
By RAJES PAUL
star online (http://www.thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2007/8/9/sports/18528881&sec=sports)

KUALA LUMPUR: One foreign player in the men's singles competition of the World Championships has done exceptionally well in tournaments in Malaysia.
And national singles coach Misbun Sidek sees the danger posed by Dane Peter Gade-Christensen, who is in the same quarter of the draw as Malaysian number one and second seed Lee Chong Wei.
Gade-Christensen has not been prominent in recent international tournaments but Misbun still remains cautious.
“From his past performances here, I cannot help but think that Malaysia is like second home to Peter. He has done well and his challenge to win the world title in Bukit Jalil cannot be taken lightly,” said Misbun.
“But on recent form, Chong Wei is more stable than Peter. But Chong Wei can be his own enemy by taking things lightly during a game. I hope he will remain as focused as he is right now throughout the tournament.”
Before a projected quarter-final encounter, Chong Wei and world number six Gade-Christensen have in their path Indonesians opponents – Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso respectively.
The 30-year-old Dane arrived in Kuala Lumpur early this year for the Malaysian Open suffering a severe migraine attack but he went home with the title. And it was the second time he won the title at the KL Badminton Stadium in Chera after 998.
Seven years ago at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, which is the venue for the world championships, he sparked a great hope for Denmark to become the first European country to lift the Thomas Cup after he defeated Indonesian Hendrawan in the first match of the final tie. Denmark eventually went down 2-3.
The lanky Dane also won his first world junior title, the boys' doubles partnering Peder Nissen, in 1995 in KL.
The 25-year-old Chong Wei is wary of the major threat posed by Gade-Christensen.
“I still remember the defeat in a match against him at the Thomas Cup Finals (in Japan in 2006). It was the first match of the tie and we went on to lose to Denmark. I have always treated him as one of my very strong opponent,” he said.
In their previous two meetings in Open tournaments, Chong Wei was the winner in Malaysia and Singapore in 2004.
But Gade-Christensen has the better record than Chong Wei in the world championships. The Dane was the runner-up to Hendrawan in Seville in 2001 while Chong Wei's best effort was a semi-final appearance in the 2005 edition in Anaheim.

[Jessica]

I think Misbun is doing the right thing by taking all the player as a threat.This can remind Chong Wei to take every opponent seriously and play all out his heart.Sometimes the player always need some reminder and motivation to sucess and the coach play an important role in it.

[tjl_vanguard]

misbun is just taking it cautious.. it is because now everyone ASSUMES that LCW is ahead of PGC. WHat if suddenly Peter beats LCW? saving his own ass i think like he usually do...

wadever it is, i still believe LCW has wad it takes to beat PG... and i will also ASSUME that it will be one dang explosive match...

the veteran vs the new generation

[george@chongwei]

i juz see PG train at tv3 sports news juz now... PG was training very hard.. and he says he wants to bt LCW in the QF... LOL....

[samuel882]

PG may have a chance to do well here.. Looks at the veterans of his age : WCH.. No 1 ever expected him to reach CM master's Finals before it was begin rite.. The moral of the story tell us : Ginger will be more spicy iF it is older:D:D

[pjswift]

i juz see PG train at tv3 sports news juz now... PG was training very hard.. and he says he wants to bt LCW in the QF... LOL....
Possible if LCW forgot to use his speed weapon.

[samuel882]

Interesting to see who will win between the old horse (Gade) & the sensational LCW...

[george@chongwei]

LCW will have more advantage compare to PG.. LCW smash powerful and faster at court but PG has more experience.. hard to say .. i fink LCW will have 60-40% advantage....

[Wong8Egg]

Even so I liked PG very much, but I think LCW has at least 70%-30% compare with Today's Gade. PG is still fast around the court but he is lacking of that killer smash to finish off the rally.

Good luck to the both of them.

[Morten]

LCW has one big disadvantage and that is the deep corner in his forehand. If you watch the QF in WC between Bao and LCW you can see bao hitting some hard clears to LCW forehand pushing him to hit the shuttle behind himself. Seems he aint able to clear back from that position and the shuttle ends in a position where the opponent has the opportunity to finish of the point.

However that said I dont see any other weaknesses in LCW's game, he has a great defense, best speed together with Lin Dan and some nice cross cuts from his forehand. Might lack a bit experience in big tournaments, however playing at home might boost him so much that he wont have those nerves, on the other hand might make his legs shaky, we have to wait and see that. If both in topform I would say its a 50/50 since both players have a similar playstyle with chong wei being a bit more explosive whereas Gade has a better technique. As on performance lately I would call out LCW as a favorite with 65-35. But lets see if they even get that far, Indonesians are known to be unpredictable.

[samuel882]

Agree.. LCW backhand is clearly more powerful in defense compare with his forehand.. He sometimes seems struggle to retrieve a Strong Smash with his forehands..

[chibe_K]

He can play and enjoy outings with friends and teammates around the beautiful country of Malaysia.

[ixory]

New name, old drive for Christensen

By LIM TEIK HUAT
star online (http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2007/8/11/sports/18565509&sec=sports)

KUALA LUMPUR: He has changed his name but the desire remains the same - to snap the Asian dominance in badminton.
And if there's anyone who can beat the likes of Lin Dan and Taufik Hidayat or deny Lee Chong Wei’s hopes of becoming Malaysia’s first badminton world champion at the Putra Stadium next week, it is Denmark’s Peter-Gade Christensen.
The lanky Dane, who dropped Christensen for Hoeg early this year after his marriage, said he believed in his chances of winning the world title despite a tough draw, which puts him in the same half with Chong Wei and Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
Given his current form, Christensen will have to play the second seeded Chong Wei for a place in the semi-finals and he is looking forward to it.
Incidentally, Denmark is the only country outside Asia to produce a world champion.
Fleming Delfs won the inaugural title in 1977 and Peter Rasmussen achieved the feat again in Glasgow 20 years later.
Asian players have since won the men’s singles crown since then but Christensen’s miraculous success in the Malaysian Open in January this year has instilled in him the belief that there is never such thing as impossible.
Then, he arrived in Malaysia suffering from a severe migraine attack but went on to win the tournament. And he is also the only European winner after eight legs of the Super Series tournaments so far.
“The favourite to win the world title is Lin Dan and the second group comprises Taufik, Chong Wei, Bao Chunlai (of China) and myself. We are those who can come from behind to win the title and I believe in my chances.
“I take this as a good challenge,” said the 30-year-old after his first training session with the Danish team at the Michael Badminton Academy in Puchong yesterday.
However, the fifth seeded Christensen, who lost to Hendrawan in the final in Seville in 2001, is also wary of the spoilers in his half of the draw. Indonesian Simon Santoso is the Dane’s biggest threat.
“I have to be careful in the early rounds and surprises tend to happen in the World Championships.
“But I am feeling good about my own game going into a major meet. In the past, I wanted to play in a lot of events and tried to do well in all of them. But now I just pick the tournaments to focus on and progress from there,” said Christensen.
One cannot discount the affable Christensen as one of the contenders whenever a badminton event is held here.
“Malaysia is a big home for badminton and the atmosphere is certainly there. It’s wonderful playing here,” said Christensen, who tends to raise his form here.
The Malaysian Open title this year was his second after winning his first at the KL Badminton Stadium in Cheras in 1998. Seven years ago at the Putra Stadium, he sparked a great hope for Denmark to become the first European country to lift the Thomas Cup after he defeated Indonesian Hendrawan in the first match in the final. But Denmark went down 2-3. He also won his first world junior title, the boys’ doubles partnering Peder Nissen, in 1995 in KL.

[pjswift]

LCW has one big disadvantage and that is the deep corner in his forehand. If you watch the QF in WC between Bao and LCW you can see bao hitting some hard clears to LCW forehand pushing him to hit the shuttle behind himself. Seems he aint able to clear back from that position and the shuttle ends in a position where the opponent has the opportunity to finish of the point.

However that said I dont see any other weaknesses in LCW's game, he has a great defense, best speed together with Lin Dan and some nice cross cuts from his forehand. Might lack a bit experience in big tournaments, however playing at home might boost him so much that he wont have those nerves, on the other hand might make his legs shaky, we have to wait and see that. If both in topform I would say its a 50/50 since both players have a similar playstyle with chong wei being a bit more explosive whereas Gade has a better technique. As on performance lately I would call out LCW as a favorite with 65-35. But lets see if they even get that far, Indonesians are known to be unpredictable.
Just watched the CH/LCW MSF this week (delayed telecast of PO07).Is that why CH kept on clearing to LCW's FH? Gillian Clark was questioning why CH was repeatedly attacking LCW's forehand because it was to no avail.Maybe LCW has since fixed that problem.
Am impressed with LCW's win over CH. Not because it was convincing; rather he won with a strong section of the crowd backing CH. Seems like he has developed a crowd switch off mechanism and get into his own zone.
WC06 is history now.Winning IO07 has transformed LCW. He realised he can win on his own,with or without crowd support,anywhere.What's most telling is he has won the respect of the MAS press which in the past had always been critical of him, even when he won.Now NST and The Star write about him in favourable tones.To have changed the media's attitude towards him means he has arrived.He's quite a different player today.
LCW has left his darkest days behind. He looks to forge ahead;nothing is going to stop him.
(BTW, those in Spore who wish to catch the PO07, try tomorrow,Sun am, 7 to 10am ch 22 showing MDF, MSF and WSF.)

[samuel882]

LCW tactics improve significantly . We can see his skills is level on par with TH/LD/PG in overall. The main factors to drive him into success recently is his mentality power.. He doesn't fear any 1. On this point, we should give credits to BAM. The players on this generations clearly have more strong mentally compare with the oldies players on their playdays. The other fine example of those results were came from TBH..He ain't fear any Top MD pair in the world while playing against them.

[ants]

LCW can adapt and change his gameplan better now compare to before.

[malbar]

Zhao was more attacking than any player of today. His deception was unreal as well. Its not how the game has changed!! Arbi attacked more than Lei Chong Wei, by far. Its hard to compare era's because all of those talented individuals ( Sun Jun, Hoyer, Frost, Joko, Arbi, Zhao, Yany Yang etc ) would be successful in todays game because they are champions and would adapt to however the game was played. And if Gade is still top 5 and nowhere near the speed he was in 1998 - 2001 the game can't have moved on that much!!! Bring the confident,fresh Gade of 1998 - 2001 and he would whip everyone!!! As for Hendrawan relying on skills ( which were amazing, don't get me wrong ) he was way to fast for Xia Xuanze in the Olympic semi it was untrue - Who for raw speed is quicker than Lin Dan!! ( Xia that is )

[malbar]

My reply was to Morten a page back. If it does not make sense!!

[zqloy]

LCW has one big disadvantage and that is the deep corner in his forehand. If you watch the QF in WC between Bao and LCW you can see bao hitting some hard clears to LCW forehand pushing him to hit the shuttle behind himself. Seems he aint able to clear back from that position and the shuttle ends in a position where the opponent has the opportunity to finish of the point.



Good analysis. Kinda agree with that, hv noticed that LCW's forehand corner clearing is actually a lil weak. During SF in China Masters, TH kept feeding some fast shots to LCW's forehand corner, and rush to the net to kill it off.

[Simoneolivelli]

What do you think about Gade's performances until now?

[Dimplex]

Let's not count out Simon and Sony just yet. It is possible for them to beat either LCW or Gade. Just look at what happened to Taufik.

[samuel882]

surprisingly SIMON & SONY play so bad here! they both will have no match for PETER & LCW respectively today

[huangkwokhau]

I think Simon will give Gade a hard time....Simon came back from a brink of defeat to beat Nguyen, proving that he has good mental to face Gade...

[zqloy]

surprisingly SIMON & SONY play so bad here! they both will have no match for PETER & LCW respectively today

PG is not playing too well either.

[Timbuctoo]

KJ is doing well and PG just average!! I think he'll beat Simon and take LCW to 3 games.

[hollywood_t]

LCW has one big disadvantage and that is the deep corner in his forehand. If you watch the QF in WC between Bao and LCW you can see bao hitting some hard clears to LCW forehand pushing him to hit the shuttle behind himself. Seems he aint able to clear back from that position and the shuttle ends in a position where the opponent has the opportunity to finish of the point.

However that said I dont see any other weaknesses in LCW's game, he has a great defense, best speed together with Lin Dan and some nice cross cuts from his forehand. Might lack a bit experience in big tournaments, however playing at home might boost him so much that he wont have those nerves, on the other hand might make his legs shaky, we have to wait and see that. If both in topform I would say its a 50/50 since both players have a similar playstyle with chong wei being a bit more explosive whereas Gade has a better technique. As on performance lately I would call out LCW as a favorite with 65-35. But lets see if they even get that far, Indonesians are known to be unpredictable.

Technically you may be right, but I remain unconvinced about LCW's ability to recover when his rhythm or game is broken. I didn't see it when he played Lin Dan last. His recovery was better than in the past, but still way too many errors in the front court during the recovery period to restablish himslef after a bad call or change in momentum. I don't believe he is aware of what strategy he should use to settle himself and stay in the point.

Luckily there aren't too many players who have the capability to force him out his natural game.

[Timbuctoo]

Peter Gade may be one of them though because technically he's the best in the game!

[X Ball]

Peter Gade may be one of them though because technically he's the best in the game!

I would like to see PG at his best. His form when he won the MO was very good. If he can repeat that, LCW will have a fight. Unfortunately PG had not show much in the last couple of tournaments. I don't know what is wrong but it is not going to stand him in good grounds against LCW, an awesome player who has combined speed with techniques successfully to win the IO and PO.

[Simoneolivelli]

How did he play against Santoso?

[smartie1980]

Hey people, look this media press:
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2007/8/11/sports/18565509&sec=sports

Hugs and kisses!
Daniel

(http://filipalamy.no.sapo.pt)

[avataar]

PG had to fight against santoso, but did well having lost the first game to take the next two. think this game was a good prelude to tougher games coming up for PG

would like to see him play LCW and AS at some point in the c'ship

[THEbaschti]

As a European, I would like to see PG in the finals, of course...but I don't think that he can beat LCW atm if he is playing well.
But you never know, a lot happened like Chen Jin and Taufik falling, and PG is a tough opponent even if he's not in his best form, so anything's possible.
Go Go Peter!!

[Persson]

LCW is history....what a fluke. Now Gade will win this WC easily :D

[smartie1980]

LCW is history....what a fluke. Now Gade will win this WC easily :D

Hummm I think will be LD! For sure! 100% sure!

[OneToughBirdie]

LCW is history....what a fluke. Now Gade will win this WC easily :D
Another fella counting the chicks before the eggs are even laid...wnat about LD or Arup....PG, I like him, may have to face CY (no walkover), dude!!!:rolleyes:

[Timbuctoo]

Well he doesn't have to face LCW now so his chances of making the Semis and the final increased drasically. This is his best chace to win a World Championship Singles event since he was beaten by Hedrawan.

[vtdl88]

With LCW out of the way, it should be a clear road ahead to meet LD or BCL in the Final. PG vs LD should be a great match! Go PG!

[Han]

With LCW out of the way, it should be a clear road ahead to meet LD or BCL in the Final. PG vs LD should be a great match! Go PG!

You assume Chen Yu is OK with that, the last time Chen Yu played against Peter, Chen Yu was the victor. You may see 3 Chinese players in the Semi.

[Timbuctoo]

Maybe but gauging by the amount of upsets so far in the tounament you can gaurantee there'll be 1 or 2 more. I think LD is a certainty but from the other half of the draw it a bit harder. PG is the best chance to meet LD but who knows. Maybe it'll be an all Dane final now that would upset the locals, lol.

[dunker]

Hah, with LCW gone, I will as usual start to root for PG. Some say the crowd in Malaysia tend to see him as an adopted son of Malaysia. Go PG!

[THEbaschti]

Ssshhh...Peter lost...too bad, but Sony is on fire, taking out LCW and now PG, that's pretty amazing

[xlasher]

next he gonna beat LD in the Final.. for sure...
:confused::confused::confused:

[staples]

Lin Dan is probably celebrating now already. :)