The Tony Gunawan Factor

Discussion in 'Hong Kong Open / China Open / Chinese Taipei Open ' started by badMania, Nov 17, 2005.

  1. badMania

    badMania Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2005
    Messages:
    18,925
    Likes Received:
    269
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Wow..wow...no matter whom he is paired with, he seems to be able to create a major upset. Paired with the unheralded Howard Bach, they created the most unlikely upset by beating Candra/Sigit to become world champion.

    This week, he pairs up with Taiwanese's double expert, Cheng Wen-Hsing and created probably the biggest upset in the Chinese Taipei Open. They beat the soon to be world no 1, Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung in 3 sets: 15-10, 10-15, 15-8 :eek: :eek: :eek: I believe no one here would expect such a result...and in my earlier post, I had written "if Lee/Lee does not win in Taipei, something would be wrong!" Now, I have to eat my word :cool:

    Its simply unbelieavable because this is the first time Tony is paired up with the Taiwanese girl, with Tuesday's being their first day at training and Wednesday's first round being their first match!! In just their second match together, they defeated one of the best mixed doubles pair in the world.

    If I am to nominate the world's best double player, Tony Gunawan is without a question the one !
     
  2. MarkinJapan

    MarkinJapan Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 24, 2004
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    kouchou sensei!
    Location:
    Victoria
    Makes you think what would have happened if he would have stayed in IND.
     
  3. Mag

    Mag Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    3,347
    Likes Received:
    4
    Occupation:
    Graphic Designer
    Location:
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Yeah, in two years so from now he would have been an ex-badminton player without no education. ;)
     
  4. seven

    seven New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2003
    Messages:
    2,841
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Computing Engineer
    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Tony Gunawan is a pure genius !!!!!!!!! :cool::cool::cool:
     
  5. tutu_h

    tutu_h Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2005
    Messages:
    796
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Germany
    too bad my dream pair Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan split up. otherwise they will create the History of being World No.1 for the longest time as well as having the highest point ever collected since they pair up. well, only iiiiiifffff they're to be together. :crying: :crying: :crying:
     
  6. harimau

    harimau Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2002
    Messages:
    393
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    ITs, CEs, P&C Insurance Agent
    Location:
    OC,CA,USA
    PERHAPS YOU COULD ALSO PUT IT INTO THE CONTACT OF "THE FEAR FACTOR" TOWARD HIS OPPONENTS ........ ESP WHEN HE IS AT THE NET !!! HE IS VERY LETHAL .....
     
  7. event

    event Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2005
    Messages:
    2,901
    Likes Received:
    278
    Location:
    Korea
    I felt this way, too. I remember watching them in the 2000 Olympics. Amazing. In Sunday's match in Guangzhou, Candra and Sigit won but you could see the tension between them with Sigit getting on Candra's case about errors and loose shots. All I remember seeing in Sidney is confidence and determination. Sigit is a brilliant player but the partnership just doesn't seem as solid as the Tony/Candra pairing was.
     
  8. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    plus that tony wouldn't be as happy because he would likely pull away from badminton (mentally) on family matters. I think by being in the US, tony can extend his badminton career longer than if he had stayed in INA. Some people thinks that tony is like a machine, keep producing results independent of what his goals and ambition. By staying in INA, he would be just another badminton slave to PBSI.
     
  9. badMania

    badMania Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2005
    Messages:
    18,925
    Likes Received:
    269
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I personally think its a good for Tony and Halim to remain in the U.S. This way, they can actually promote the sport to the public over there. So, they can pursue his studies and play the sports that they like at the same time. Not to mention the thrill of winning again, this time as the underdogs (since their ranking is low). Killing three birds with one stone :D

    I am happy to see them scoring the unlikely upsets.
     
  10. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    all top pros have ability to can achieve great results from any tournaments, the difference of winning and losing is the desire to win (mental).
    take taufik for example, if he is good enough to win the WC and Olympic in, why can't he win other tournaments in more a consistent fashion? Say if taufik leave INA to a foreign country, would u say he should have stay in INA because he can bring back more WC, all england, and olympic medals for INA?
     
  11. badMania

    badMania Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2005
    Messages:
    18,925
    Likes Received:
    269
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    A few years ago, he was on the verge of joining Singapore because Mulyo Handoyo (his coach) was already signed by the Singapore Badminton Association. However, he later changed his mind and returned back to Indo.

    I personally dislike Taufik, especially before last year. No doubt, he's arguably the most talented player in the circuit, however, he was too moody and arrogant to be a good professional and role model for young badminton players. It was only starting last year that we see some changes in his personality. Still, he chooses which tournament he wants to win at ("angin-anginan" in Indonesian). Like this year China Open, he was "injured" and didn't even bother to turn up even though he was already signed up.
     
  12. Qidong

    Qidong Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    1,766
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    Waiting to be out-sourced
    Location:
    San Jose, California
    I kept feeling that Tony was living under the shadow of Ricky/Rexy, Sigit/Chandra when he was in Indonesia. He might be considered only the 5th best double player in Indonesia. He teamed up with Chandra only when Sigit was on probation. But coming to US do him better because he can prove himself as the real #1 double player not even in Indonesia but also in the world. I won't take away anything from Howard because in WC final he was not intimated by Sigit/Chandra and able trading shots and shots against the 2 legends from Indonesia. By playing with a talented but in-experenced Howard and winning the WC, Tony is definitely the best double player right now.
     
  13. w3wmfhe

    w3wmfhe Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2004
    Messages:
    455
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    san francisco ca
    Tony isn't just the best double player right now...i do believe he is one of the greastest double player in badminton history. no matter whom he is pairing up..it come with good result. even with the taiwanese girl for the first time . Kim might be one of the best mix double player..not men's double ..when he split up in 1998 and team up with Yong ..the result isn't that good. i am agreed that he was living in the shadow of candra/sigit in INDO..in ppl's mind ..candra and sigit consider the best pair after ricky/rexy..now tony approve he is the best . or the greatest double player in the world
     
    #13 w3wmfhe, Nov 17, 2005
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2005
  14. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    it also prove that candra/tony pair isnt the only winning formula for INA (ie, stop crying over it like :crying: we lost tony :crying: ) since tony can do really well with most other partners.
     
  15. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
    Brand Representative

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    Messages:
    12,682
    Likes Received:
    290
    Occupation:
    Social Distancing Specialist
    Location:
    Southern California
    Tony rules! :D :D :D
     
  16. KeepinItClean

    KeepinItClean Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2005
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Fort Smith, AR
    Tony Gunawan rox!! :cool: :)
     
  17. tino4

    tino4 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2005
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Germany - Indonesia
    Fyi....

    tony was also paired with rexy and they won some tournaments, like Asien Games or Asia Cup and also won the key point for INA at thomas cup 2000..
     
  18. MarkinJapan

    MarkinJapan Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 24, 2004
    Messages:
    199
    Likes Received:
    6
    Occupation:
    kouchou sensei!
    Location:
    Victoria
    You don't think to some degree we did? He moved to a badminton wasteland. In this thread people are calling him one of the best doubles player of all time, and I agree. I could careless about the wins for INA, rather just being in INA and training with some of the worlds top pairs. I wish we could have seen more of him over the last few years. If he would have stayed in INA, i'm sure we would have.
    All that aside, I really admire the way he valued his future and families future. I read a servey a few years ago that said something like 80% of elite altheles would trade 15 years of their life for a gold medal. Badminton isn't life, and in a sport of children leaving their families at 12 to train, it was cool to see someone at the top come out and show it.
     
  19. scchang

    scchang Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2004
    Messages:
    200
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Mechanical Engineer
    Location:
    Irvine, CA
    I didn't know if you tracked Tony Gunawan's tournament history and/or watched the videos of tournaments or not. From the videos, he was not too different a player from other elite players in the Indonesian team. But for the recent two years (2004-05), what I observed was that he has become a level higher than his old team mates, Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto. At their levels, the training is just to maintain their condition; the factor that Gunawan could get one step ahead might be that he has to coach in US. I agree, it is a badminton wasteland since there is no others close to the international level other than the 2001 WC gold medal pairs. My thought is he will not get too much progress if he did stay in Indonesia and keep training. In a way, it limits the "vision". What I am trying to say is that it sets a different angle for him to comprehend the play as a coach, not just a player. An old chinese saying says "teaching helps learning"; Tony Gunawan could be a good example for badminton....

    Anyway, we cannot turn back the clock. If he stayed, he might be even better or just retire like other players, e.g. Hendrawan, etc. We will never know. :)

    -SC

     
    #19 scchang, Nov 18, 2005
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2005
  20. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    21,811
    Likes Received:
    23
    Occupation:
    Surfing, reading fan mails:D, Dilithium Crystal hu
    Location:
    Basement Boiler Room
    well, people who're crying over tony move to US only concern about themselves(ie selfish) and not on tony's behalf nor his life nor badminton itself. If u had read my earlier posts, i already had stated tony's is the best MD individual that i have ever seen. This was before 2005 WC, when i saw a blurry 45 to 60 seconds video of tony playing MD soon after he step onto US soil. I bet u dont disagree with me that great MD player is great strategist. Then ask yourself why are some people cry and disrespectful of his strategic move :confused: (ex. INA lost tony :crying: and tony is going to a badminton wasteland blah blah blah). If u claim tony is the best MD player, u should also respect his decision.
     

Share This Page