The Indian Open Diary - Pics and TitBits

[avataar]

hey all

will be posting updates, someinfo and pic's during this tournament week.

warning: my photography is bound to be pasted but guess you all have to put up with it... ;)

[avataar]

most of the teams have arrived.

the french, chinese, indonesian squad was spotted lounging at the official team hotel. pi hongyan & taufik were most hounded for interviews.

did not notice any HK players though.

the japanese had an afternoon training session and were joined by the malaysian singles players. MAS split their training sessions for the singles players and later in the day for the dbls players - infact they were still practising when i left the stadium

the indian squad had a long training session at the gopichand academy which just a couple of km's from the venue.

[avataar]

just a sneak preview, more tomorrow, trying to find when the chinese have scheduled thire training

[francothegreat]

oooo WMC is coming back! ;)

thanx for the pics, it makes my day~ wohoo mew choo!:cool:

plz post more! thankies!

[abedeng]

Cool, single seat venue instead of long benches. Pretty good.

Too bad there are only about 10 rows of seats, no wonder total capacity is so low .....

[Oldhand]

Cool, single seat venue instead of long benches. Pretty good.

Too bad there are only about 10 rows of seats, no wonder total capacity is so low .....

It has around 4,000 seats :)

[chris-ccc]

most of the teams have arrived.



.
avataar ... Thank you for the photos. It looks like WMC has recovered from her injuries.

Any news why ZJJ has withdrawn?
.

[kwun]

hey all

will be posting updates, someinfo and pic's during this tournament week.

warning: my photography is bound to be pasted but guess you all have to put up with it... ;)

avataar, you have been nominated the official BC Indian Open 2009 correspondent! :D please continue update us with more info. :)

[jutawin]

Waiting for Taufik Hidayat & Maria Kristin..

[george@chongwei]

thanks for sharing!:)
keep it coming!:D

[X Ball]

oooo WMC is coming back! ;)

thanx for the pics, it makes my day~ wohoo mew choo!:cool:

plz post more! thankies!

Settle down. WMC is taken and by my favorite player.

[george@chongwei]

any muruku tidbits for me?:D

[avataar]

avataar, you have been nominated the official BC Indian Open 2009 correspondent! :D please continue update us with more info. :)


thanx kwun,

actually am at the stadium right now watching the malaysians sweat it out, they have been here for the last hour and half as most of them are in action tomorrow.

the japanese male players are practising with them.

the chinese squad finished their session mid afternoon after the qualifying matches...

[abedeng]

It has around 4,000 seats :)

Which is ok for India Open but kinda low for a BWF World Championships.

BTW, Avataar, how are tickets selling at the India Open? Good reception?

[avataar]

its free entry from what i can gather. max crowd is expected when the home favorites c.anand and saina are in action.

[V Reddy]

Hi avataar,

I am thinking of coming to watch the matches after work at around 5 PM. When are the matches ending? It would be great if you could give me this info. Thanks!

[avataar]

Which is ok for India Open but kinda low for a BWF World Championships.

BTW, Avataar, how are tickets selling at the India Open? Good reception?

just got it confirmed from the organisers

1st 2 days - free entry
QF's / SF's & Finals - tickets will be sold
Tkt Price: 100 INR for a day's play, season passes may also be sold, still unsure

[avataar]

these two were the last to leave for the day and stayed even after the malaysian team left. photographed when they were cooling down and sharing a laugh b/w them.

[avataar]

this match had a lot of interested spectator's:

when lcw and wmc decided to play a 11 point match there more than a few malaysian players who decided to become interested spectators.

amid jeering and teasing lcw when wmc got the better of him, to just watching the two have fun on court certainly made it the match of the day..

[ye333]

It would be great if there is video footage... :D:D:D


this match had a lot of interested spectator's:

when lcw and wmc decided to play a 11 point match there more than a few malaysian players who decided to become interested spectators.

amid jeering and teasing lcw when wmc got the better of him, to just watching the two have fun on court certainly made it the match of the day..

[chris-ccc]

this match had a lot of interested spectator's:
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52643&stc=1&d=1237911664
when lcw and wmc decided to play a 11 point match there more than a few malaysian players who decided to become interested spectators.

amid jeering and teasing lcw when wmc got the better of him, to just watching the two have fun on court certainly made it the match of the day..



.
avataar ... Good that you can get into the warming-up courts section.
There should be lots of titbits from there. ;););)
.

[abedeng]

Ha, that's a great one, LCW vs WMC .... the queen rules.

Ticket price is kinda cheap, hope it won't run out by q-finals day.

I hope wifi and charging pts are available at the stadium.

[limsy]

haha...so...wmc beat lcw????so as chen long...haha

[avataar]

my apologies to all for not being able to post any updates today. my laptop has been giving me trouble and ive just got it sorted.

today was spent observing the chinese squad and also spending a little time with them. getting a media pass organised coz the only charging points are in the press lounge, figuring out the best location for catching wifi and just enjoying the young indian players give a fairly decent account of themselves against more fancied opponents.

some pics will follow, as said before parson my photo skills......

[avataar]

team china decided that instead of the players lounge area they would rather prefer the birds eye view from the spectator seating area right above the two main show courts.

the team set up no less than 4 cameras and continued to record non stop matches featuring their own players and some of their competition.

[jamesd20]

The more in person updates the better for me............keep it coming..

Any comment on the LCW match?

[avataar]

The more in person updates the better for me............keep it coming..

Any comment on the LCW match?

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67625&page=13

post # 212

[avataar]

Ma Jin was very sharp in both her dbls matches!!!

[avataar]

the french team in action.

weny rahmawati was quite a busy bee. she spent a fair amount of time catching up with the indonesian team players.

[avataar]

some pic's of mens dbls on day 1

[avataar]

chen zhiben & tao jiaming were giving a serious dressing down by the chinese coach after being down 11 - 5 in the first game

[justme_manda]

do you mind taking more pics of the game between the malaysia md seeded 1 pair and the singapore pair. please.

[george@chongwei]

thanks for sharing those pics and side news here:D
really enjoyed it:p
maybe if can, you can record some interesting match and share with us all:)!

[mcdreamy]

yaayy!!
TH won!!!

[jamesd20]

Ma Jin was very sharp in both her dbls matches!!!
But still lost?:confused::confused:

[avataar]

this match had some drama. AS was sailing up 21-9, 14-10 in the second when momentum swung. horrendous choice of shots, inability to close key points couple with CST's antics all swung the match in his favor.

CST questioned atleast 3 line calls an at 19-17 in the 3rd game really got upset when a call was ruled against him, even the MAS coaches were upset and waived to the cheif ref's desk.

CST tough in his favor quickly apologised for his outburst first to the line judge, next to the chair umpire, then to AS and then waived to the crowd to sayhe was sorry

he lived up to his nickname - "monkey" as huague mentioned in an earlier thread.

[avataar]

PI Hongyan expressed her concern over the drift factor which seems to a huge factor coming into play at the venue. The positing of the AC ducts in the ceiling is in such a way that the show courts Ct 2 and Ct 3 are most
affected.

PH had a long 15 minute chat with Swamy from BWF and was indicating to him her viewpoints on what is potentially going to be a sore point come this Aug at the World Championships.

[avataar]

TH even before the match got started had a heated discussion with the Singaporean cheif ref over the pace of the shuttles. Many players have commented that the shuttles are "fast" and the drift in the venue is not
helping.

Proceddings were held up for a good 5-7 minutes when TH vehemently argued his case. If Bhat thought that this was going to get TH distracted boy was he suprised.
It was vintage Taufik on display as he whitewashed AB who was clueless and misreably helpless.

[avataar]

do you mind taking more pics of the game between the malaysia md seeded 1 pair and the singapore pair. please.

Good win for SG pair of Saputra/Wijaya

[avataar]

The Intl Challenger will now become a GP event this Dec.... read this link below

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1242701

[badwally]

.
avataar ... Good that you can get into the warming-up courts section.
There should be lots of titbits from there. ;););)
.

Hey Chris when do you thing Australia is going to get its own Grand Prix event:confused::crying:

[pjswift]

avataar, pls tell us about the KBH vs QYB match.It was such a rollercoaster ride.What happened to QYB to lose 10 points in a row to KBH?

[ctjcad]

PI Hongyan expressed her concern over the drift factor which seems to a huge factor coming into play at the venue. The positing of the AC ducts in the ceiling is in such a way that the show courts Ct 2 and Ct 3 are most
affected.

PH had a long 15 minute chat with Swamy from BWF and was indicating to him her viewpoints on what is potentially going to be a sore point come this Aug at the World Championships.
..it's a good thing they are encountering this problem, now. It wasn't long ago, when the same kind of issue surfaced at the 2005 WC, here in the U.S. Unfortunately, the organizer didn't have time or chance to correct the problem.
At least for the upcoming WC, the problem has been identified & the organizer should have plenty of time, around 3+ months, to rectify and provide a better solution. Hope they'll fix the problem and it won't affect the players; it'll be a downer if it doesn't get somewhat resolved.

Good to see Tan Chung Seang making some hay in this India Open; yannie should be giving him some support; btw, where is that gal???..:confused::cool:

*Thanks, avataar, for sharing the pics and the reports w/us all .:cool:

[avataar]

even TSL's coaching could not help sairul beat tommy sugiarto

[leonardklh]

any picture sommore? about any ladies single? or malaysian?

[avataar]

MCW was very scrappy in her match yesterday. too many unforced errors's. the HK girl was very pleased with the way she played.....

[avataar]

very blurry pic's - my apologies!!

[abedeng]

Some pix I took on q-finals day, not that many. And sorry about the quality.

1. View of Gachibowli Stadium
2. Stadium Complex Entrance
3. Chen Xingdong giving hell to his XD pair (notice the blur)
4. View from where I was sitting, during WS match
5. The victorious Chen Long

BTW, didn't manage to hook up with avataar yesterday, will try again today.

[abedeng]

The 1st game between ZBW and Lydia Cheah showed how 2 relatively not-so-experienced girls cannot manage the drift. Because both of them are relatively hard hitters, a lot of pts were picked up from the backcourt baseline.

If you were to look sideways, the drift is really bad, shuttles land around 6 inches beyond the baseline or more. In a WS match.

[abedeng]

Yu Hirayama was bowing and panting midway thru the 2nd game. So was Julia in the 3rd but they both managed to turn the tables on their more illustrious opponents.

Indian crowd was very supportive of their players, Saina Nehwal must be very disappointed. Well at least they got two doubles pair in.

Taufik is the ultimate trickmaster, at 19-19 in the 3rd game, all it took was a great placement drive on the return of serve to get his matchpt. All over for KBH when his reply was forced wide. But hats off for a gamely performance. Not so good for TCS, blowing his control when in the lead and could not recover against a hapless Tommy Sugiarto.

[pjswift]

I must say I'm rather impressed with KBH's performance although he lost.Some of the rallies were extraordinary and it was good that TH rose up to the occasion; a good indication of his improving motivation and fitness.
KBH showed what a difference much improved stamina makes.You can even see some muscles.All he has to do is work more on the physical conditioning and the results will follow.
But I'm always surprised about MAS coaches' and fans' expectations.They expect their players to win consistently during the 'struggling and learning' stage.Except for LCW and WCH, most MAS players have such haphazard tournament opportunities.This makes it difficult for them to learn from previous tournament experience.They should be sent regularly to tournaments, no less than 12 a year.The objective should be to create upsets, rather than QF, or SF Final.Don't expect consistency in less than 3 years.
But looking at KBH, BAM should fix the no 1 problem of MAS players:physical fitness and stamina.Fix that and MAS will be winning more titles.

[SibugiChai]

I must say I'm rather impressed with KBH's performance although he lost.Some of the rallies were extraordinary and it was good that TH rose up to the occasion; a good indication of his improving motivation and fitness.
KBH showed what a difference much improved stamina makes.You can even see some muscles.All he has to do is work more on the physical conditioning and the results will follow.
But I'm always surprised about MAS coaches' and fans' expectations.They expect their players to win consistently during the 'struggling and learning' stage.Except for LCW and WCH, most MAS players have such haphazard tournament opportunities.This makes it difficult for them to learn from previous tournament experience.They should be sent regularly to tournaments, no less than 12 a year.The objective should be to create upsets, rather than QF, or SF Final.Don't expect consistency in less than 3 years.
But looking at KBH, BAM should fix the no 1 problem of MAS players:physical fitness and stamina.Fix that and MAS will be winning more titles.

KBH & HH has been send to tournaments as often as Datuk Lee CW... LOL! Just that you dont notice them much because they usually lose in the early rounds.

The last 2 tournaments they were grounded because BAM want them to train like a donkey. HEHEHE!!!

KBH problem is mental, He has no confidence at all after losing Joachim!

HH is stamina...

[pjswift]

KBH & HH has been send to tournaments as often as Datuk Lee CW... LOL! Just that you dont notice them much because they usually lose in the early rounds.

The last 2 tournaments they were grounded because BAM want them to train like a donkey. HEHEHE!!!

KBH problem is mental, He has no confidence at all after losing Joachim!

HH is stamina...
At the start, every player has many problems. Then you analyse and find out what's the biggest problem and fix that.If not they don't progress as fast as they should.
Any player who wants to go far or win a tournament has to have the stamina to last 5+1 matches.What is the biggest difference between LCW and the rest of MAS MS? It's fitness and stamina.Because of that ,LCW can maintain his speed and concentration.If his fitness was down as happened in JO08, his speed suffered quite plainly for all to see.
In many cases, when you solve the key problem, all the other little problems also disappear.You see KBH and HH fitter, they move better and play with more confidence and win more.(Now I know how KBH and HH can have point streaks of 10+.It's like LCW style. Pretty damaging and scary to the opponents.Makes them nervous even if they were leading by 10 points.)
If KBH 's problem were mental, then he should let himself grow fat but train with the sports psychologist every day and that should help him to win matches.Did the psychologist help him to defeat QYB, one of CHN 's highly rated young guns? After all, didn't QYB give LCW a hard time in their first match and here you have KBH finishing the same player in 30 mins?
When are MAS coaches and fans going to get over that TC mental fixation problem? And realise that when the physical problem is solved, the mental aspect will be shored up with confidence?There's such a approach called the clear thinking way to solving problems.

[jasonmarc]

I must say I'm rather impressed with KBH's performance although he lost.Some of the rallies were extraordinary and it was good that TH rose up to the occasion; a good indication of his improving motivation and fitness.
KBH showed what a difference much improved stamina makes.You can even see some muscles.All he has to do is work more on the physical conditioning and the results will follow.
But I'm always surprised about MAS coaches' and fans' expectations.They expect their players to win consistently during the 'struggling and learning' stage.Except for LCW and WCH, most MAS players have such haphazard tournament opportunities.This makes it difficult for them to learn from previous tournament experience.They should be sent regularly to tournaments, no less than 12 a year.The objective should be to create upsets, rather than QF, or SF Final.Don't expect consistency in less than 3 years.
But looking at KBH, BAM should fix the no 1 problem of MAS players:physical fitness and stamina.Fix that and MAS will be winning more titles.

Like misbun complained some time ago, most of the national players cant take high intensity training like LCW, that's why non of these players have sound stamina and fitness when competing in International high level tourney .Besides, their skills and technique level also not up to mark yet.

[SibugiChai]

MAS fans are quite annoyed with HH & KBH because they have been given years of opputurnities but still they have not improve.

Only when The Final warning is given out, Do they improve themselves...

Love them? we do... for too long they dissapointmented us.. KBH is with BAM for 10years, HH last GOOD outing was 2003 AE. 6years ago!

Well.... In 6years... a 12years old prodigy might have been the next TH at 18!

I know coaches has been working on HH & KBH problesm for years but do the players themselves take the initiaves? That's the Q!

[limsy]

MAS fans are quite annoyed with HH & KBH because they have been given years of opputurnities but still they have not improve.

Only when The Final warning is given out, Do they improve themselves...


do u think they can have SO MUCH IMPROVE after the warning is out????how much can they imporve in 4 monthes(not sure how long)????;)

[Loh]

I just returned from watching on big screen HH's masterful win over CL. :p

HH could have done it in 2 straight games had he not relaxed in the second when he was way up in front during the break and CL took advantage to smash at every opportunity and won it to force a rubber.

However HH was experienced enough in the final game not to allow his young opponent to continue his attacks and returned the compliments once in a while to stop him in his tracks.

So HH has taken revenge for LCW and will meet TH in tomorrow's final. It will be a real test for HH and we shall see how well he could handle TH.

But a big applause to HH for a masterful display. :D

[koo_fan]

It's good to see him win again, i couldn't remember the last match he won when we least expected it
So, I am happy.
Perform in final, that's your only job tommorow.

[pjswift]

So, MAS fans, what's wrong with LCW losing?
Isn't it good fortune so HH can get past his SF target and into the final?

[Loh]

It's good to see him win again, i couldn't remember the last match he won when we least expected it
So, I am happy.
Perform in final, that's your only job tommorow.

Wah, relax lah lady. :p
HH can't take so much pressure you know! :D

Just wish him well as I did. :)

[pjswift]

Like misbun complained some time ago, most of the national players cant take high intensity training like LCW, that's why non of these players have sound stamina and fitness when competing in International high level tourney .Besides, their skills and technique level also not up to mark yet.
MAS skills have always been pretty good. It's the fitness that's preventing them from delivering their skills.Any kind of tough training will involve great pain.But once you get past the pain barrier,there will be no pain because the body gets used to it.
But if BAM sets the standard that if they don't pass the high intensity test, they are out of the national team, do you think they will work for it or just quit?

[koo_fan]

Wah, relax lah lady. :p
HH can't take so much pressure you know! :D

Just wish him well as I did. :)
I am cool. Try hard.
Hafiz in final is pretty rare, so, i'll be watching. Together with friends and all his long-lost supporter. Who knows this will be his last time?

[abedeng]

Hmm, how come all these comments in the India Open Diary thread, don't you guys and gals have anything better to do? :p Why not go to the semifinals thread instead .....

Anyway, just finished a 3 hour long distance walk cum dinner session with Avataar and Davey, both of whom are in the forum, though not so actively. Being locals, both of them had a good view of the Indian Badminton scene.

Quite a number of Indian new talents are coming up, problem is more on strategic focus and centralized development plan. This is because there are many training centres, some of which are not in good terms with Indian Badminton Federation. If India gets its act right, it could easily become another powerhouse like China.

[koo_fan]

Hmm, how come all these comments in the India Open Diary thread, don't you guys and gals have anything better to do? :p Why not go to the semifinals thread instead .....



The posts were originated from another thread. If they are not belong here too, where could it be? :crying:

[ctjcad]

...with Indian Badminton Federation.
...
..you meant BAI (Badminton Association of India)..;)

About the problem being "more strategic focus and centralized development plan", is it simply a funding issue? Or also a mixture of bureaucracy and what-not??..

Anyway, thanks for sharing the pics and side stories, Abang Din. At the very least, the next time you go to the WC, you'll be prepared..:cool:

[avataar]

Anyway, just finished a 3 hour long distance walk cum dinner session with Avataar and Davey, both of whom are in the forum, though not so actively. Being locals, both of them had a good view of the Indian Badminton scene.



After much "i will meet you there & i will meet you then" abedeng and self were finally able to catch up today. The company of abedeng were a sheer delight and to listen to his expertise on the game was indeed special for me.

[avataar]

some pictures from the QF's day coming up i didnt post any yesterday....

[avataar]

A poofed Hirayama after her win

MCW did not have much to say after her loss

Jingyun Xia impressed in her match against Pi

Pi talking to the Press

Pi shared her views on the Chinese girls after her match, she and MCW are both very sweet girls

[avataar]

She went through a range of emotions but was too quick for my slow shutter to capture.

[avataar]

Though she lost i saw her smiling and waving to fans after the match. This is much in contrast to her habit of going into a shell particularly at home when she loses as as she did when she lost of Kanako of Japan in Dec'07 at a Challenger in Guwahati.

[avataar]

Sugiarto's Win:

An all Chinese WD's QF:

[avataar]

FLandy had a lot time on his hands and it has been very nice to see him taking interest in the INA doubles pairs

He also was an interested spectator in TH's match against KBH and talked to him at the mid game break

He was encouraging Riyadi who was nervous and clearly struggling in the match against the Chinese

[avataar]

These two share an excellent rapport from the looks of it. TH and VM shared jokes and had a chat with Weny while warming up waiting for their matches to be called.

[avataar]

The gentleman was the lone Chinese fan apart from the Chinese team themselves. He was around the galleries watching and cheering for the CHN players through their matches.

He was sitting just in front of self and abedeng today was pretty miffed when CL lost to HH..

[avataar]

the rift between jwala gutta & shruti kurian was very noticable throughout this week and highlighted during their horrendous show in the semi's.

they were observed warming up in different corners and didnt even shake hands after their wins in earlier rounds. the media gave more attention to JG as she is the home girl and many Hyderabad locals are "unfairly biased" in their critisism of SK.

seen below giving seperate interviews:

[avataar]

“I have a tendency to get stuck” admitted Md Hafiz Hashim - this he said to the media guys when he asked him why he loses a string of points in both his pvs matches

all we can hope for - HH brings his best for TH

[abedeng]

Did one round of, ahem, public transportation "sampling review" in the morning.

Didn't expect to be caught in General Election Fever, as mass rallies are staged on the roads and blocked up traffic for miles.

Luckily, reached the stadium in time for the semifinals.

A few pics of the public transportation system in Hyderabad.

1. Secundarabad Railway Station - the main bus station is just outside the railway station
2. MMTS Trains (commuter trains for the city), very cheap fare.
3. The kingly Autos (tuk-tuk, Indian style), operates more or less 24 hours

Buses are also quite frequent to bring you to practically any major point in the city, after which you can transfer to the Auto taxis to get to the final destination. But generally the buses are quite old and in need of renewal.

[abedeng]

Some pics on my MMTS train journey to Lingampalli.

1. Coming out of Secundarabad Station
2. Old Begumpet International Airport
3. View of the typical countryside

[abedeng]

The gentleman was the lone Chinese fan apart from the Chinese team themselves. He was around the galleries watching and cheering for the CHN players through their matches.

He was sitting just in front of self and abedeng today was pretty miffed when CL lost to HH..

Yup, this guy had the makings of a typical Malaysian or Indonesian supporter all right. Too bad he was alone and could get the crowd worked up to his "choreography". :p

The Indonesian supporters are well armed, a number of families and children making the trip, and made a lot of noise as and when their players are in battle.

[badMania]

Nice reports and pics :D The tuk-tuk obviously look like the Bajaj that's still roaming the streets in Jakarta.

[Oldhand]

Nice reports and pics :D The tuk-tuk obviously look like the Bajaj that's still roaming the streets in Jakarta.
It's more than just 'look like'.
This is the real thing :D

These are indeed made by Bajaj of India!

[Loh]

It's more than just 'look like'.
This is the real thing :D

These are indeed made by Bajaj of India!

Well India has made headline news by introducing the US$2,000 Tata motor car.
Wonder when will it be used in public? ;)

Good to see you enjoying yourself, bro. :)
I hope our BC friend avataar has been treating you well and taught you a number of "Hyderabad" phrases, especially those that can make a lady happy. :p

[Loh]

Quite a number of Indian new talents are coming up, problem is more on strategic focus and centralized development plan. This is because there are many training centres, some of which are not in good terms with Indian Badminton Federation. If India gets its act right, it could easily become another powerhouse like China.

Long overdue for India! :rolleyes:
So you guys are really having a mini-mini BC gathering there! Enjoy just one more day but please do the fact-finding as more from our part of the
world may be descending on Hyderabad during the WC! :D

BTW care to post a pic of the three of you?

[Loh]

Hey Chris when do you thing Australia is going to get its own Grand Prix event:confused::crying:

Unfortunately Australia is big country but small population and even smaller number of badminton enthusiasts. :( Chris and his badminton gang, including those in BC, is a very rare exception! :D

How to generate interest and obtain sponsorships from the big companies? :rolleyes:

[abedeng]

Good to see you enjoying yourself, bro. :)
I hope our BC friend avataar has been treating you well and taught you a number of "Hyderabad" phrases, especially those that can make a lady happy. :p

Err, we didn't go so far as learning phrases to attract girls, you know ..... :p But I did get to meet a few Indian juniors and talked to the parents of one of the "more photogenic" girls in the junior squad. Apparently that girl still cannot neglect her studies and exams, while training and competing in India Open ...... she is in the midst of her exams as we speak. :eek:

Still a bit of a half measure, I know, now that sports disciplines require an almost full time training approach.

There are lots of grand plans for Indian badminton, but proper execution is lacking and needs a more authoritative approach managed by Badminton Association of India and pushed thru to all the training centres. But being a wholesale democracy, this is hard to do in India.

[abedeng]

It's more than just 'look like'.
This is the real thing :D

These are indeed made by Bajaj of India!

Yup, the real deal which makes traffic in Jakarta look angelic in comparison. Real stunt drivers battling each other and bullying the traffic cops into submission, wakakakaka ....

Haven't eaten rice since the day I flew into India, so today I'm treating myself to buffet lunch in one of the hotel restaurants.

[abedeng]

The dust has settled and now awaiting for my flight back home in 2 hours' time.

The SIN, CHN and INA squads are already here, CHN and INA most probably flying back via Singapore.

Many thanks to avataar and davey for their assistance, we had a good many conversations that lasted for hours the past two days.

Avataar especially has been very helpful in showing me the ropes, such that now I can call myself a veteran on Hyderabad public transportation system.

[abedeng]

Oh, and for the record, I ate out most of the time and didn't get any food poisoning whatsoever.

Maybe will post a few more pix tomorrow, taken on finals day.

[jamesd20]

Many thanks to avataar and davey for their assistance, we had a good many conversations that lasted for hours the past two days.
Many thanks to you for the recce to the WC venue & the commentary from the stadium itself.

Safe flight!

[avataar]

Ma Jin has a very nice smile....

[avataar]

Pi was frustrated with the drift in the 1st game.

Pi obliged audience's in the galleries posing for them with the medal.

Julia had a mere shrug and said that the match was a learning in her post match interview.

[cooler]

that indian guy with the beard, glasses, shirt and tie, and a cowboy hat.. what a sight:D

[abedeng]

Just arrived at KLIA. The whole squad of INA and MAS players shared the same flight, with a great majority of them sitting around my section.

Most of the players (CTF and Julia Wong especially) looked dead tired upon arrival, only Hafiz Hashim and one of the new Malay girls (Zakry's sister, I think) was fresh.

[limsy]

Just arrived at KLIA. The whole squad of INA and MAS players shared the same flight, with a great majority of them sitting around my section.

Most of the players (CTF and Julia Wong especially) looked dead tired upon arrival, only Hafiz Hashim and one of the new Malay girls (Zakry's sister, I think) was fresh.

ya....nairul is there....:)...good to know u have a save journey...abedeng...

[hcyong]

The prize money isn't bad.

[Pemuda]

Pi Hongyan is hot looking indeed.
:p

[abedeng]

Pi Hongyan is hot looking indeed.
:p

Indeed she is ......

Only last night, avataar and I talked about whether badminton should promote, ahem, "enhanced" playing attire for women. But the thought of potentially losing Yu Yang, Du Jing and Lilyana Natsir brought us back to reality.

BWF should do a study on sports which are more popular than badminton, as to how they actually became popular.

[avataar]

Pi has just come into the airport and is in the Q checking in for her flight, im also waiting to check in for my flight

[avataar]

she seems sleepy, leaning on her luggage trolley and yawning carefree. damn my camera is packed in my luggage!!

[badwally]

Unfortunately Australia is big country but small population and even smaller number of badminton enthusiasts. :( Chris and his badminton gang, including those in BC, is a very rare exception! :D

How to generate interest and obtain sponsorships from the big companies? :rolleyes:

Its is indeed a sad fact of life..being so close to so many badminton loving countries and yet being so far from the action.:(

Hey Loh do you and your fellow Singaporeans want to migrate here and increase badminton our population so we can get to the good life one of these days.:D
All others are welcome as well....:o

[Loh]

Its is indeed a sad fact of life..being so close to so many badminton loving countries and yet being so far from the action.:(

Hey Loh do you and your fellow Singaporeans want to migrate here and increase badminton our population so we can get to the good life one of these days.:D
All others are welcome as well....:o

Oh no, I wouldn't be able to qualify with your tough immigration rules. :p

And I still get nightmares of being confronted by white teenagers on a quiet beach in the Gold Coast who threatened to lynch me and used abusive words such as "You Asians get out!" despite the fact that I was only a tourist.

But I find security and comfort in the presence of my BC friends in Melbourne when I last visited during the Commonwealth Games. :D

[george@chongwei]

After much "i will meet you there & i will meet you then" abedeng and self were finally able to catch up today. The company of abedeng were a sheer delight and to listen to his expertise on the game was indeed special for me.
did you guys manage to take group pics?:)

[george@chongwei]

that indian guy with the beard, glasses, shirt and tie, and a cowboy hat.. what a sight:D
yea, he;s funny indeed, especially the interview part:D

[george@chongwei]

yeap, saw abedeng sitting just behind those ina fans in a section.
abedeng was too busy with his PDA/i phone giving live commentary i think:p

[eaglehelang]

Thanks a lot Avataar for the pictures & reports. Thanks Abedeng for the scenic pictures, live commentary & reports (hope you had a safe flight back to KL).

[CLELY]

Many thx for avaatar and abedeng to share pix and infos here...

[eaglehelang]

Indeed she is ......

Only last night, avataar and I talked about whether badminton should promote, ahem, "enhanced" playing attire for women. But the thought of potentially losing Yu Yang, Du Jing and Lilyana Natsir brought us back to reality.

BWF should do a study on sports which are more popular than badminton, as to how they actually became popular.

Not to mention losing some female fans who oppose skimpy attire just to for attraction purposes.;) How to move around comfortably if have to wear tight clothing or short skirts? More time will be spent worrying if the skirts will fly up & show too much rather than concentrating on the game.
Our WPT also oppose the idea.

[avataar]

Pi was flying via Dubai on Emirates. She seemed to enjoy the architecture of the new international airport (which is very impressive im must add) and kept pointing out her observations of the ceiling style to her coach.

As if Pi wasnt a treat, Taufik aslo showed up at the airport. He was with the ppl from Yonex and they had coffee at the Coffee Bean booth. He was more interested with is phone and taling to the Yonex fellow. Taufik also browsed at the "Landmark Kids" stall before they dissappeared to their boarding gates.

[Pemuda]

Indeed she is ......

Only last night, avataar and I talked about whether badminton should promote, ahem, "enhanced" playing attire for women. But the thought of potentially losing Yu Yang, Du Jing and Lilyana Natsir brought us back to reality.

BWF should do a study on sports which are more popular than badminton, as to how they actually became popular.

A natural looker like Pi dont need any enhanced attire, know what I mean?

To me BWF dont need to conduct studies to make badminton more popular, BWF just need to modify/alter the regulations/scoring system or maybe playing surface to provide the Europeans/Westerners an advantage and the game will take off just like field hockey. In the 70s, field hockey was played on grass but once IHF tweaked the rules and reverted to artificial turf it gave the western nations an advantage, thus the emergence of Holland, Australia, Germany etc as major hockey nations. When they changed the playing surface, suddenly the game is about power rather than skills. Same thing can happen with badminton.

[abedeng]

For those wannabe travellers, here's a peek into the new airport .....

1 and 2, views of the airport
3. The plane that brought me from Chennai
4 to 6, views from the airport bus.

[abedeng]

Want to know the effects of a red-eye flight to even the fittest athlete? Well, here it is ....... :p

[abedeng]

1. Loyal INA supporters, very singleminded, they took stations 75 minutes before the battle.
2. IND supporters, on top if INA supporters as crunch time arrives (XD final)
3. Preparations before the Finals
4 to 5. CHN squad antics
6 to 7. A very happy Ma Jin, has very good rapport with her coach Chen Xingdong
8. BC Team after the Finals "Venue Inspection". :p

[abedeng]

To me BWF dont need to conduct studies to make badminton more popular, BWF just need to modify/alter the regulations/scoring system or maybe playing surface to provide the Europeans/Westerners an advantage and the game will take off just like field hockey.

Yes, avataar and I discussed that too, everything from revealing female attire to F1-style "technological bans" such as reducing the string tension back to the 20s, min/max weight of racquets, using standardized (tournament supplied) equipment etc. Even the banning of coaches from giving advice at every rally.

And no, badminton cannot be tailored the same way as field hockey. I did mention to avataar that tennis popularity took off long before revealing outfits came into being. Revealing outfits only came about from personal endorsements to the particular athlete.

One major decision is to whether BWF would consider reducing the involvement of each country's Badminton Governing Bodies. This can result is players having more say in what tournaments they can play in. Also, multi-country partnerships such as Flandy-Ruskikh and Haw CH-Li Yujia would be a lot more commonplace.

Expanding badminton with international club competitions (instead of country vs country) internationally would add more variety. Imagine top Indonesian clubs like Djarum squaring off with top European ones, this could catch on and best of all, any club can employ any player from different nationalities ala European Champions League Soccer.

[avataar]

His stiffest challenge on the day was to understand the questions that the TV presenter was asking...

[abedeng]

Yup, Taufik was scratching on his head trying to understand Indian dialect ...... wakakakaka.

Good job Taufik! He really knows how to please and react to the crowd.

[avataar]

blew away their Singaporean opposition.

they were in pretty high spirits and were all laughs and jokes when speaking to the guys from Bernama.

[avataar]

FL & VM were a league above the Indians. JG & DV did show some sparks of the quality which has seen their performance reach a good standard but to lose 8 points in a row and blow it all away....

Gopi and Atik had an immediate post mortem with the two after the match finished, while Chetan had words of consolation for his wife- Jwala

[avataar]

hoping to see alot more of the BCers in Aug!!!

[avataar]

from my dismal phone camera!!!

[avataar]

Yes, avataar and I discussed that too, everything from revealing female attire to F1-style "technological bans" such as reducing the string tension back to the 20s, min/max weight of racquets, using standardized (tournament supplied) equipment etc. Even the banning of coaches from giving advice at every rally.

And no, badminton cannot be tailored the same way as field hockey. I did mention to avataar that tennis popularity took off long before revealing outfits came into being. Revealing outfits only came about from personal endorsements to the particular athlete.

One major decision is to whether BWF would consider reducing the involvement of each country's Badminton Governing Bodies. This can result is players having more say in what tournaments they can play in. Also, multi-country partnerships such as Flandy-Ruskikh and Haw CH-Li Yujia would be a lot more commonplace.

Expanding badminton with international club competitions (instead of country vs country) internationally would add more variety. Imagine top Indonesian clubs like Djarum squaring off with top European ones, this could catch on and best of all, any club can employ any player from different nationalities ala European Champions League Soccer.


picked up this topic with "davey" as well & discussed former great players getting involved in badminton administration.

also media/PR consultants can be hired to market the game quite like the coup pulled off by the "Indian Premier League" in cricket

[avataar]

The BAI annouced in a press conference during the IO that the intl challenger held in December every year is now being upgraded to a GP event....

This means two strong international caliber tournaments for India in a year.

Also the BAI president said that hosting the WorldChamp's, the CommonWealth will put up an infrastructure(which is already failrly decent for badminton) in place to see India get a SuperSeries event by 2011....

[avataar]

Err, we didn't go so far as learning phrases to attract girls, you know ..... :p But I did get to meet a few Indian juniors and talked to the parents of one of the "more photogenic" girls in the junior squad. Apparently that girl still cannot neglect her studies and exams, while training and competing in India Open ...... she is in the midst of her exams as we speak. :eek:

Still a bit of a half measure, I know, now that sports disciplines require an almost full time training approach.

There are lots of grand plans for Indian badminton, but proper execution is lacking and needs a more authoritative approach managed by Badminton Association of India and pushed thru to all the training centres. But being a wholesale democracy, this is hard to do in India.


abedeng: ashwini ponappa(the photogenic girl) whom we met is now going to partner Jwala G. a little note on her at this link : http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68064

Jwala & Shruti have decided to split up as a pair(which is actually sad) but have been asked by the BAI to continuecompeting together till Sudirman Cup. How sensible this is, is quite questionable after their semifinal performance.

Shruti may be partnering Aparna Balan in the near future...

[huangkwokhau]

abedeng: ashwini ponappa(the photogenic girl) whom we met is now going to partner Jwala G. a little note on her at this link : http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68064

Jwala & Shruti have decided to split up as a pair(which is actually sad) but have been asked by the BAI to continuecompeting together till Sudirman Cup. How sensible this is, is quite questionable after their semifinal performance.

Shruti may be partnering Aparna Balan in the near future...
Whats the reason behind the split? I hope it is not about fighting for one guy...:D

[huangkwokhau]

The BAI annouced in a press conference during the IO that the intl challenger held in December every year is now being upgraded to a GP event....

This means two strong international caliber tournaments for India in a year.

Also the BAI president said that hosting the WorldChamp's, the CommonWealth will put up an infrastructure(which is already failrly decent for badminton) in place to see India get a SuperSeries event by 2011....
Thats good...I think INA is asking another GP also...in this way..we hope more independent players will be...

[avataar]

guess as the international calendar starts to incooperate more tournaments as more locations want to host events, moreplaying options are presented to players.

moreover a larger pool of players from all nations can be encompassed. sending them across events will give them the xposure of the rigours of being on the circuit.

the dbl whammy though is the quality and caliber at tournaments as all events will obviously not attract top talents and commercial interests may also effect the longevity ans sustainance of certains tournaments.

[abedeng]

abedeng: ashwini ponappa(the photogenic girl) whom we met is now going to partner Jwala G. a little note on her at this link : http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68064

Jwala & Shruti have decided to split up as a pair(which is actually sad) but have been asked by the BAI to continuecompeting together till Sudirman Cup. How sensible this is, is quite questionable after their semifinal performance.

Shruti may be partnering Aparna Balan in the near future...

Erk, I thought Ashwini has potential in singles? What about that? She did beat Fu Mingtian ......:eek: By this time she must decide on her specialization, doubles or singles and not both.

As for Shruti/Jwala partnership, why not do the split now instead of waiting for Sudirman Cup? There is no advantage to be gained by India.

[avataar]

Whats the reason behind the split? I hope it is not about fighting for one guy...:D

ha ha, no its not a guy fight

jwala is with chetan anand & shruti is with former indian international nikhil kanetkar and all 4 are very strong as couples.

the rift is more an issue b/w the girls.its suprising that the partnership of 8+ years does not want to sit down and resolve it. its a loss for indian badminton as they are clearly miles ahead for any WD pair currently playing & representing India.

[avataar]

Erk, I thought Ashwini has potential in singles? What about that? She did beat Fu Mingtian ......:eek: By this time she must decide on her specialization, doubles or singles and not both.

As for Shruti/Jwala partnership, why not do the split now instead of waiting for Sudirman Cup? There is no advantage to be gained by India.

absolutely abedeng, ashwini has the potential and spark to make it in the singles version and as her mom told us the girl has a passion for singles

but i think the move has been triggered bcoz of her shift of base to HYD from bangalore. her mental strenght in matches is what her coaches at Prakash's academy have always been commenting on and moreover the commitment of her current dbls partner "nitya sosale" to keep playing competitively is still an open issue.....

[huangkwokhau]

ha ha, no its not a guy fight

jwala is with chetan anand & shruti is with former indian international nikhil kanetkar and all 4 are very strong as couples.

the rift is more an issue b/w the girls.its suprising that the partnership of 8+ years does not want to sit down and resolve it. its a loss for indian badminton as they are clearly miles ahead for any WD pair currently playing & representing India.

Same with INA WD pair....Vita Marissa/Greysia...they did very well..beating Chinese WD, etc then they call it quit also....:(

[huangkwokhau]

absolutely abedeng, ashwini has the potential and spark to make it in the singles version and as her mom told us the girl has a passion for singles

but i think the move has been triggered bcoz of her shift of base to HYD from bangalore. her mental strenght in matches is what her coaches at Prakash's academy have always been commenting on and moreover the commitment of her current dbls partner "nitya sosale" to keep playing competitively is still an open issue.....
I think she is one the girls that I saw in Tangkas...India Federation sent those girls twice to Tangkas to practice....

[abedeng]

guess as the international calendar starts to incooperate more tournaments as more locations want to host events, moreplaying options are presented to players.

moreover a larger pool of players from all nations can be encompassed. sending them across events will give them the xposure of the rigours of being on the circuit.

the dbl whammy though is the quality and caliber at tournaments as all events will obviously not attract top talents and commercial interests may also effect the longevity ans sustainance of certains tournaments.

If the approach is eventually to liberalize badminton tournament registrations, ie. players get to select, choose and register to play, this could still work. Practically all the strong nations can break their squads into 2, and each team going to selected tournaments and thus strength of representation is balanced. Independent players who wish to join should be able to without going thru their BA.

Also, this gives less reason for Badminton Associations (eg. BAM) not to invest in sending juniors to more tournaments. As exposure is gained, the net effect should be more high quality players in the long run.

However, I do believe that BWF should reduce and rationalize tournament grades. We have too many, Super Series, GP Gold, GP, International Series, Satellite etc. This way, each tournament hosted can have an reasonably good standard.

[avataar]

i know that she(ashwini) has attended a camp in Malaysia earlier...

[huangkwokhau]

i know that she(ashwini) has attended a camp in Malaysia earlier...
But she might have attended Tangkas last year...it was about over 12 players from India...

[huangkwokhau]

If the approach is eventually to liberalize badminton tournament registrations, ie. players get to select, choose and register to play, this could still work. Practically all the strong nations can break their squads into 2, and each team going to selected tournaments and thus strength of representation is balanced. Independent players who wish to join should be able to without going thru their BA.

Also, this gives less reason for Badminton Associations (eg. BAM) not to invest in sending juniors to more tournaments. As exposure is gained, the net effect should be more high quality players in the long run.

However, I do believe that BWF should reduce and rationalize tournament grades. We have too many, Super Series, GP Gold, GP, International Series, Satellite etc. This way, each tournament hosted can have an reasonably good standard.
Hopefully in 2011, we may see 4 Super Grand series, equivalent to Grand Slam..and there is a talk also about Badminton league in Asia then the best one against Europe..but with so many tournaments plus China League as well...it is going to be tough to organize it...only BIG $$$ will attract best players...

[avataar]

after the sham of one tournament in the entire year for the domestic circuit, the BAI has planned 8 junior ranking and 5 senior ranking events for this calendar year.

centres like cochin, bangalore, nellore, indore will definetly put up good tournaments but the commitments of the north indian state associations will be worth a watch

also a few of the indian players have commented that they have had to enter too many tournaments to make ranking points giving them notime to train. Arvind Bhat for example is not playing ABC and is going in for a much due 6 week training programme as he preps for Sudirman

[ctjcad]

that indian guy with the beard, glasses, shirt and tie, and a cowboy hat.. what a sight:D
..hmm, could he be hiding something underneath that hat??..:confused:

Thanks again for sharing the pics, Abang Din & avataar! Esp. seeing a pic of avataar!..Should be a very good rendezvouz, again, come August and hopefully we'll see those tasty Indian food pics!:cool:

[eaglehelang]

after the sham of one tournament in the entire year for the domestic circuit, the BAI has planned 8 junior ranking and 5 senior ranking events for this calendar year.

centres like cochin, bangalore, nellore, indore will definetly put up good tournaments but the commitments of the north indian state associations will be worth a watch

also a few of the indian players have commented that they have had to enter too many tournaments to make ranking points giving them notime to train. Arvind Bhat for example is not playing ABC and is going in for a much due 6 week training programme as he preps for Sudirman

Thanks for all the latest info. Perhaps you'll might want to start a thread on "India's Badminton". ;)

[Loh]

Pi Hongyan is hot looking indeed.
:p

Furthermore, she spoke English fluently during the interview. :)

[Pemuda]

Yes, avataar and I discussed that too, everything from revealing female attire to F1-style "technological bans" such as reducing the string tension back to the 20s, min/max weight of racquets, using standardized (tournament supplied) equipment etc. Even the banning of coaches from giving advice at every rally.

And no, badminton cannot be tailored the same way as field hockey. I did mention to avataar that tennis popularity took off long before revealing outfits came into being. Revealing outfits only came about from personal endorsements to the particular athlete.

One major decision is to whether BWF would consider reducing the involvement of each country's Badminton Governing Bodies. This can result is players having more say in what tournaments they can play in. Also, multi-country partnerships such as Flandy-Ruskikh and Haw CH-Li Yujia would be a lot more commonplace.

Expanding badminton with international club competitions (instead of country vs country) internationally would add more variety. Imagine top Indonesian clubs like Djarum squaring off with top European ones, this could catch on and best of all, any club can employ any player from different nationalities ala European Champions League Soccer.

Expanding badminton into club competition format rather than country vs country can only be feasible when big sponsors like Nike/Adidas/Reebok/Puma are willing to invest in badminton like they do in tennis/football/basketball/track n field/rugby. And the reality is that these big sponsors will only come in when the sport has some semblance of shuttlers from the western nations being successful. As of now, badminton is being too dominated by Asians namely China followed by Indonesia, Korea, Japan and the great boleh nation, Malaysia bringing up the rear. Like it or not, this is a real world we live in. It is all about marketing at the end of the day.

I personally feel BWF need to tweak the regulations/format/gameplay a little more to give the western nations some form of an advantage because when their shuttlers are successful and the game being less dominated by the Asians, the big sponsors like Nike & co will come in. If BWF have to adjust the size of the court, I say so be it! And when this happen, prize money will no longer be USD$13,000 for the MS, it may go up ten times or more. This effect will benefit the game and all in the long run, shuttlers will be able to earn more as true professionals and fans will witness a more dynamic sport rather than the usual China being the big daddy.

In the long run, I am for badminton being organised along the lines like tennis. No more country v country thingy unless it is the Thomas/Uber Cup (and both T/U cup should be held every 4 years). Shuttlers are 100% pro, their livelihoods depends on how they perform in the badminton circuit. They more they win, the more they earn. No more subsidies or etc etc etc. Again, this can only happen if BWF allow the western nations to make some inroads into the game. Nothing wrong in tweaking the game for the benefit of the sport in the long run. Fifa did it with the back pass rule - to encourage attacking football. :D

[ctjcad]

..as brought up & echoed many times in these threads, below. Check out the first thread:
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22188
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27352
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53155
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59842
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20904
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39016
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33760

[robin7]

Photos from Sina Sports (http://sports.sina.com.cn/z/newphoto/photo/74744/index.shtml).

[ctjcad]

..courtesy of gettyimages.com

Julia Wong (MAS)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw2-INDIAOPEN.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw3-INDIAOPEN.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw4-INDIAOPEN.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw5-INDIAOPEN.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw6-INDIAOPEN.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/juliaw7-INDIAOPEN.jpg

Mong Kwan Yi (HK)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/mongkwanyi-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Hung Yung Chan (HK)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/hyc-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Yu Hirayama (JPN)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/YH-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/YH2-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/YH3-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/YH4-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/yh5-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Wang Shixian (CHN)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/wsx-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/wsx2-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/wsx3-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Zhang Beiwen (SIN)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/ZBW-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/ZBW2-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/ZBW3-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Chen Long (CHN)
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/CL-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/CL2-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/CL3-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Vita Marissa & Nadya Melati
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/vita-nadia-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Arvind Bhat
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/ab-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Hafiz Hashim
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/hh-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Sairul A. Ayob
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/saa-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Saina Nehwal
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/sn-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Tommy Sugiarto
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/ts-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

Wong Mew Choo
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r310/ctjcad/Misc/wmc-INDIAOPEN09.jpg

[robin7]

From Badminton Times (http://www.badmintontimes.com/article2/articleRead.jsp?menunum=103&no=3266).

http://www.badmintontimes.com/pds/article/103/world_2009033001.jpg
http://www.badmintontimes.com/pds/article/103/world_2009033002.jpg
http://www.badmintontimes.com/pds/article/103/world_2009033003.jpg
http://www.badmintontimes.com/pds/article/103/world_2009033004.jpg
http://www.badmintontimes.com/pds/article/103/world_2009033005.jpg