Predicted winners in Bold Men's Singles Sony Dwi Kuncoro vs Kuan Beng Hong Men's Doubles Jung Jae Sung/Lee Jae Jin vs Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan Women's Singles Wang Chen vs Kaori Mori Women's Doubles Lee Kyung Won/Lee Hyo Jung vs Kumiko Ogura/Reiko Shiota Mixed Doubles Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung vs Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thuongthongkam
Live from Hyd: Kuan stands in Sony's way to ABC title Dev S Sukumar/ badmintonmania.com Hyderabad, 10 September 2005: It's going to be Sony Dwi Kuncoro against Kuan Beng Hong and Wang Chen versus Kaori Mori for the ABC singles throne. On a day when three of the four singles matches were one-sided affairs, the most excitement was provided by the men's doubles semifinal between Hendra Gunawan/ Joko Riyadi and Lee Jae Jin and Jung Jae Sung. The match went into three games, with the winners being... no, we'll save that for later. After Sony beat Ng Wei in straight games, young Malaysian Kuan Beng Hong took on Lee Hyun Il. It was a tight affair to begin with, but once the Malaysian stitched up the first game, he cruised through the second. Kuan started off attacking furiously, notching up a 6-2 lead before Lee made his presence felt. The Korean tried to slow down the pace, forcing three successive errors from the Malaysian, and came close at 8-9. Hong retaliated with another fierce barrage; Lee could barely hang on as the Malaysian went up 11-8. Although he narrowed the gape to 11-12, his challenge was killed when Hong dived to retrieve an impossible shot at the net, and then rushed back to the baseline and fired a down-the-line winner. From then on the Korean was a passenger as Hong drilled point after point, and emerged a 15-11, 15-4 winner. The all-Japanese women's semifinal between Mori and Hirose was expected to go the distance; they were familiar with each other's game and it was always going to be a couple of points that made the difference. Mori had a rather easy first game, winning 11-5, but then Hirose got going and won the second game just as easily. She continued in the same vein, going up 4-0 and 7-4 up with those wonderful crosscourt drops and hard smashes. It seemed a matter of time before she closed the match; her game was flowing beautifully and Mori was shaking her head in desperation. But the shift in momentum came again, just as mysteriously. Mori flung herself at every winner that Hirose threw at her, slowly she climbed back and equalled at 7, and a Hirose drop that found the net gave her an 8-7 lead. Serve changed ends six times, Hirose equalled at 8, a long rally followed until Hirose made the critical error. Mori went 9-8 up but Hirose again equalled. Another one-point lead for Mori, but then she misjudged a toss and then smashed wide to let her compatriot equal at 10-all. Three errors from Hirose -- unfortunately, her favourite cross court drop found the net at the most critical time -- gave Mori her entry into the final. Gunawan-Riyadi fail: Now to the men's doubles. Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan had made the final after a close bout with Tan Bin Shen and Ong Soon Hock of Malaysia. If Hendra Gunawan and Riyadi could do the same, Indonesia would have been assured of a gold. Alas, it was not to be. They will have to wait until tommorow to see if Setiawan and Kido can thwart Lee Jae Jin and Jung Jae Sung. Gunawan and Riyadi were all over the Koreans to begin with, whipping them 15-8 in the opener. With Gunawan patrolling the back, and Riyadi nipping off anything near the net, the Indonesians looked on course to join their compatriots in the final. The momentum swung dramatically the other way in the second game. The Koreans went up 5-0 and 10-5 thanks to some elementary errors from the Indonesians, who appeared to be tired. Lee and Jung smashed winners frequently on both flanks as Gunawan and Riyadi looked on, both hopelessly out of position. Having broken serve at 12-8, both Indonesians promptly lost theirs -- Gunawan served short and Riyadi served wide. Lee and Jung needed no further invitation. The third game was even more of a mismatch as the Koreans went up a level higher. Despite flashes of brilliance from both the Indonesians, the Koreans were just too consistent today. Indonesia's doubles woes were further compounded when Jo Novita and Greysia Poli were completely outmanoevered by the Japanese pair of Kumako Ogura and Reiko Shota. There was no doubt that their strategy was conceived by coach Park Joo Bong -- so meticulous and well-executed was it that the Indonesians stood no chance. Novita-Poli outplayed: Novita and Poli had shocked favourites Saralee and Sathinee in the quarters, thanks to some big hitting by both of them. The Japanese, however, countered their attacking style by lifting everything to the baseline. Poli and Novita wore themselves out hitting smash after smash -- and everything kept coming back. The Japanese attack itself was sudden and unpredictable. The Indonesians threw everything they had, and at times they did brilliantly. At 8-12 down in the first game came the rally of the match -- Poli and Novita smashed time after time; the shuttle kept coming back, and after about 30 strokes the Japanese made an error. Both teams got a standing ovation. By the second game the Indonesians had wisened up to the tactics of their opponents, so they replied toss with toss. The rallies got more defensive, but both Ogura and Shota made lesser errors and played sharp on the big points to ease through during the final moments. By the end of day's play, two Koreans had set themselves up in line for a double -- Lee Jae Jin and Lee Hyo Jung won their mixed doubles semifinal over Mohd Rizal and Endang Nursugianti. They will face the Thai pair of Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee in the final. Lee Hyo Jung is also in the women's doubles final. Sudket and Saralee destroyed Albertus Susanto and Li Wing. Sudket, spectacular with his huge jump smashes, and reminiscent of a Liem Swie King, gave the Hong Kong pair no chance. The Thais go into the final as favourites, especially since Lee Jae Jin and Lee Hyo Jung have their other doubles finals also to worry about. Results: Semifinals: MS: Sony Dwi Kuncoro bt Ng Wei; Kuan Beng Hong bt Lee Hyun Il 15-11, 15-4. WS: Wang Chen bt Cheng Shao Chieh; Kaori Mori bt Eriko Hirose 11-5, 5-11, 13-10. MD: Setiawan/ Markis Kido bt Tan Bin Shen/ Ong Soon Hock 15-13, 15-13; Lee Jae Jin/ Jung Jae Sung bt Hendra Gunawan/ Joko Riyadi 8-15, 15-8, 15-6. WD: Ogura/ Shota bt Poli/ Novita 15-10, 15-4. MXD: Sudket/ Saralee bt Albertus/ Li Wing; Lee Jae Jin/ Lee Hyo Jung bt Rizal/ Endang.
Most likely Sony will win this tournament. Head to head stats doesn't favour Kuan Beng Hong as Sony won all their 4 encounters. But i do hope that with that win against Lee Hyun Il will futher motivates Kuan to play his best in the Finals.
yeah...i hope kuan will win too. It will be a big boost for him. Sony is not unbeatable, in fact, he cracks up quite easily.
Game Time???? Could someone let me know what time they will start the Final please? California time? I am getting my PC ready for PPLive. Is it still showing on Shanghai Sport TV? Please...please...please...
Women's Doubles Lee Kyung Won/Lee Hyo Jung vs Kumiko Ogura/Reiko Shiota I can only confirm this one, watched it on the television just a while ago. I have only three things to say about the ABC 2005: 1. Reiko Shiota 2. Reiko Shiota 3. Reiko Shiota Kawaiiiiii~
final result... MS - Sony bt Kuan Beng Hong 15-10, 15-5 WS - Wang Cheng bt Kaori Mori 11-8, 11-4 MX - sudket-saralee bt jae jin-hyo jung 15-11, 14-17, 15-10
Hmm..thanks for the post. I will watch it later through Shanghai TV's delayed telecast. This is definitely a morale-boosting title for Sony and a first one for him since the 2003 Asian Championships. He had good wins against Boonsak Ponsana (WR no 14), Ng Wei (no 9), and Kuan Beng Hong (no 11) this week. Despite the absence of top 8 players, looking at head-to-head results, I would think that he certainly can match them and now, he only has inferior record against Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai. Sony is still young (21 this year) and the fact that he won a bronze at the Athens Olympics last year is a testament that he could go far. He has had a major injury which really affected him since the Olympics last year and this title win will be definitely encouraging. He is definitely one of the contender for the Beijing Olympics in 3 years time, alongside Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai. I am not sure whether Taufik will still be around then, even though he is only 24 this year. If he wins the AE, Thomas Cup, and perhaps another WC or Asian Games title next year, he might retire. As for Sudket/Saralee, they are now my second favorite pair in mixed doubles after Nova/Lilyana. They have definitely improved this year and have defeated almost every top 10 pair, including Zhang/Gao, Chen/Zhao, Lee/Lee, and Robertson/Emms. They have won the Japan Open (5*) last April and now the Asian Championships (4*). They will win more titles in the future tournaments. Now, after the 3 set matches yesterday and today, Lee Jae Jin is definitely one tired man and the fatigue factor will tip the balance in favor of Markis/Hendra to win their first ever title. I still think Jung/Lee is superior, but, anything can happen....lets wait and see.
Men's Doubles Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan bt Jung Jae Sung/Lee Jae Jin Women's Singles Wang Chen bt Kaori Mori Women's Doubles Lee Kyung Won/Lee Hyo Jung bt Kumiko Ogura/Reiko Shiota
YES....whats the score? A real good win against the higher-ranked Jung/Lee. Congrats to Markis/Hendra in getting their first ever WGP title. This win further confirm their reputation as Indonesia's no 3 double pair after Candra/Sigit and Luluk/Alven. I hope Flandy/Eng Hian retire soon and this will enable Hendra/Joko (who have performed well in Hyderabad) to gain more experience and go up the ranking table. They should now be in the top 25. Hopefully, they will be in the top 10 in a year or so.
Live from Hyd: Sony is king of ABC Dev S Sukumar/ badmintonmania.com Hyderabad, 11 September 2005: Indonesia can celebrate. Two golds out of the five at stake isn't bad: Sony Dwi Kuncoro and the men's doubles team of Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan returned with top honours to cap a satisfying tournament for Indonesia. Three countries shared the other three titles. Hong Kong's Wang Chen was expected to win the women's singles and so she did with minimum fuss; Korea's Lee Kyung Won and Lee Hyo Jung weathered a Japanese storm to take the women's doubles gold; while Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thounghthongkam broke Korea's heart in the mixed doubles. The mixed doubles final, scheduled first on Sunday, was the only nail-biting contest. Sudket was flamboyant as usual, leaping at the back and executing murderous winners; Lee Jae Jin was not far behind; while Saralee and Lee Hyo Jung patrolled the net, jumping at any shuttle that dared rise an inch above the net cord. The Koreans, having lost the first game at 11 but equalling with a second game win at 17-14, fell slightly behind at 7-12 in the decider. But Jae Jin powered his team on, smashing powerfully to come close at 10-12. It was touch-and-go, but luck favoured the Thais as Saralee's drive fell over after tipping the net cord. The Thai girl consolidated the advantage, attacking the net, returning everything the Koreans hit at her, and finally nailed a winner. At 10-13 the Koreans still had a chance, but Jae Jin netted his return and the Thais had match point. Ironically, he again netted a drive to hand the match to Sudket and Saralee. Poor Lee Jae Jin. Playing in two finals this evening, he lost both -- the second, in the company of Jung Jae Sung. His mixed doubles partner, Lee Hyo Jung, however had the satisfaction of taking home a gold in the women's doubles. Kuncoro, Wang Chen reign: Both the singles finals were one-sided. Kuan Beng Hong of Malaysia started well, running up a 6-1 lead, but that lasted only until the Indonesian found his rhythm. He leapt at anything that seemed hittable, bringing those vicious crosscourt jump smashes into play, and totally overwhelming the Malaysian. A beautiful slow drop gave him 8-6, while two jump smashes saw him at 11-6. Kuan was being blown away, and the only points that came his way were errors by the Olympic bronze medallist. Occasionally he produced a beauty himself -- a counter dribble that foxed Sony was the highlight of his performance -- but these were too few to bother the Indonesian. Unlike his semifinal performance against Lee Hyun Il, where he had produced several devastating smashes, Kuan looked tame. The difference, of course, was that Sony was keeping all the shuttles down, not giving the Malaysian the length or the height to smash. At times Sony did toss it into the air, challenging the Malaysian to hit, and he returned whatever thunderbolts Kuan sent down. With nothing else to offer, Kuan's challenge folded up meekly, much as Kaori Mori had against Wang Chen in the women's singles final. Wang had some trouble in the opening game, but it was an error-strewn performance by both players, and the final never rose to a significant level. Both women seemed tight to begin with, and it was only towards the end of the game that Wang came into her own, leaving her Japanese rival flat-footed with those fabulous cross court drops that she has perfected. Mori tried to increase the pace in the second, but Wang was always a step ahead of her. On the few occasions that Mori broke her serve, she immediately broke back by attacking her rival's service. It was an imperious performance. If only the Chinese had participated, Wang might have shown more of her repertoire. As it was, she jogged through her competition, with only young Indian Aditi Mutatkar threatening to take a game off her in the second round. "I was a little tight in the beginning," Wang Chen said. "I didn't come in with any particular strategy -- I tried to keep keep her at the back." Kuncoro was a little bit more elaborate. "I was confident before the final because I have beaten Kuan twice already. I played loose, no tension. In the beginning I was in doubt, I was trying to adjust to his game, but then I attacked." Asked what role coach Joko Suprianto had in his win, he said: "Joko told me to pressure him from the start, to not give him a chance to hit." Korean women pip Japanese: The women's doubles was a strange contest. Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Kyung Won seemed to have everything under control against Kumako Ogura and Reiko Shiota after a first game win, but then they fell back 2-10 in the second. Perhaps Hyo Jung was recovering from her efforts of the first match, the mixed doubles. The Koreans fought back to 8-12 in a single service game, but the Japanese recovered in time to take the next three points. Whatever rhythm the Japanese had evaporated soon enough, as the Koreans ran away to an 8-1 lead, and Shiota and Ogura never looked like they could make it. Hyo Jung, with her fearsome presence at the net, and Kyung Won rattling in smashes from behind, destroyed whatever tactics the Japanese had worked out. The final match of the day, the men's doubles, was particularly of interest to Indonesia because Jae Jin and Jae Sung had beaten favourites Hendra Gunawan and Joko Riyadi in the semifinals. There were no blazing guns, no thundering smashes and diving retrievals. It was almost an anti-climax to an eagerly-awaited final. Few rallies in the first game went beyond four or five strokes. The Indonesians, aware of the destructive smashes on the other side, kept the shuttle down, exploring the angles and trying to outmanoevre the opposition. It was a particularly effective ploy today by the Indonesians. Jae Jin had already played a tiring mixed doubles final, and he could not get any momentum. Both Setiawan and Kido played soft, resorting to big smashes in spurts, and drawing whatever sting the Koreans had. In such a game of quick exchanges, the Koreans were desperately short of momentum, and the Indonesians notched up point after point with seeming ease. The Koreans kept pace till 7-all in the first. Their challenge totally fell apart in the second. Kido, erratic at times but brilliant otherwise, and Setiawan, consistent with the soft drops and playing close to the net, did everything right today to take a richly-deserved gold and trigger celebrations in the Indonesian camp. Results: MS: Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) bt Kuen Beng Hong (Mas) 15-10, 15-5. WS: Wang Chen (Hkg) bt Kaori Mori (Jpn) 15-1115-7. WD: Lee Kyung Won/ Lee Hyo Jung (Kor) bt Kumako Ogura/ Reiko Shiota (Jpn) 15-13, 8-15, 15-5. MD: Markis Kido/ Hendra Setiawan (Ina) bt Lee Jae Jin/ Jung Jae Sung (Kor) 15-11, 15-7. MXD: Sudket Prapakamol/ Saralee T (Tha) bt Lee Jae Jin/ Lee Hyo Jung (Kor) 15-11, 14-17, 15-10.
