Here we go folks, semifinal round with some interesting matches : MS : Lin dan has to fight alone since his teammates decides to go to shopping early. Pleasant surprise is 2 Ina ms are there, what a rare occasion indeed. Hoping Tommy and Simon can spring some surprises Ws : WX has slight edge against soldier unless Schenk has some surprise to show us Hoping GJ can overcome LXR MD : expect another Korean final showdown which lately happen to held quite often WD : Chn vs very hard choice in final between madbad's beauties or ever improving Mizuki/Reika XD : This is the most open field, so...
I hope Simon Santoso can progress to the Final. He finally beat Shon Wan Ho (albeit in a very very close match!). He faces a resurgent Jan O Jorgensen and it will not be an easy match. It will be an upset if Tommy Sugiarto can beat Lin Dan. Tommy has already exceeded expectation in reaching SF and earning 4900 pts...almost equivalent to a GP title!
My wish list for today's SF results : MS = A final without Lin Dan WS = A final without 1st and 2nd seeds MD = Ko/Yoo to advance WD = Hopefully Madbad will be happy with the result XD = Whichever pair wins is fine with me.
INA MS chance: Tommy vs Lin Dan: 40-60 Simon vs JOJ: 45-55. Simon has been enforced rubber games with SWH and Anand Pawar which should he able to defeat in 2 games if he is to be considered at his best. Meanwhile, JOJ seems at his best form.
My calls: MS • LD v Tommy - LD is so pissed off with WZM and CJ that he told LYB "I'll do the job myself" • Simon v JOJ - hard one to call. JOJ plays well in Europe but I sense Something right with Simon this tournament. Flip the coin and it's... Simon WS • WX v Schenk - best chance for the soldier is to wear WX out. Easier said than done. Schenk might need nuclear armament to take down WX • Gu Juan v LXR - can't see the plucky Singaporean errr... ex-Chinese... winning. LXR to gallop home MD • Ko/Yoo v Hong/Shen - Koreans too experienced, too strong • LYD/JJS v Endo/Hayakawa - JJS will want to start rounding into form for the AE after his enforced break so it's sayonara to the game Japanese. LYD looking good so far. WD • Tang/Huan v CS/Pan Pan - my answer is always "beat Pan Pan" • JKE/KHN v Fujii/Kakiiwa - does it look like I have a choice? Cutie #2 & Skinny partner all the way XD • LYD/HJE v Sato/Matsuo - LYD will carry this pair despite having to endure the sour face of HJE • Laybourn/Rytter Juhl v Sudket/Saralee - playing in Europe must give the Danes a slight edge
MS: a) LD lose ("Im only interested in the big tournaments eg next AE) b) LD win ("Losing twice in 2012 is enough, GER GP is mine) Im hoping for A! Seems far fetched though...Go Tommy!
2012 German Open GP Gold: Semi-Finals and Finals matches . It's great that etudiant has started this thread while I was away busy. My PAW Game for this tournament is really bad; Scoring only 1 correct out of 8 submitted entries at the Quarter-Finals. BTW, for the PAW Game points for the Semi-Finals and Finals, Sandy has posted this; .
My prediction: MS • LD v Tommy - If Lin Dan wants to win the titel he will win it imo. • Simon v JOJ - Jan O did improve since he had the heart problems, i really hope he makes the final, he is such a great fighter! WS • WX v Schenk - Home advantage could make it happen. It would be great if she could gain some self-confidence against the CHN girls... • Gu Juan v LXR - both won their matches quite easily. I hope for a suprise. MD • Ko/Yoo v Hong/Shen - This won´t be easy for Ko/Yoo, but on the other hand they are way more experienced and stronger than the rising CHN double. • LYD/JJS v Endo/Hayakawa - Koreans obv. should win it, they won their matches confidently so far. WD • Tang/Huan v CS/Pan Pan - I don´t care^^ • JKE/KHN v Fujii/Kakiiwa - Could go either way, you never know how good the Jpn girls play. XD • LYD/HJE v Sato/Matsuo - Some more confidence for the Koreans after the close first match. Obv. depends a lot on HJE´s serve and confidence. • Laybourn/Rytter Juhl v Sudket/Saralee - I was quite suprised how well the Danes played, i think they make the final!
I can t imagine how Simon can defeat JOJ unless JOJ s heart let him. Simon played twice as long as JOJ yesterday and at the SF level, that difference is gonna affect the match outcome. Actually Simon has some unusual strengths but his problem is match attitude. He gives the impression he just turns up to play, with no urgency or strategy, no opponent homework done and just improvising as the match progresses. Actually that's a key problem with INA players.
BTW: You can find some Videos from GO on youtube. Short interview sequences in English and German but mostly matchplay in HD with great cuts and perspectives. The videos are produced very professionally. Clearly worth watching them! Day 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wW4sTkegQM&feature=related Day 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vCg3fHdkpk&feature=player_embedded Day 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTqu_CmX5KM&feature=player_embedded#!
so many unforced errors... no good first set... I knew if Korea can´t win it with LYD´s serve on 20-19 they ll gone lose the first one, esp after lyd smashed into the net..
right now the live streaming at badmintonlink.com is not working. where else can we watch live? any idea ? thanks for sharing.