Jump the gun. CHN 3 KOR 0 for both Cups. --------------------- Let's give out these info/links: For Schedule of Matches: Uber Cup Final: http://tournamentsoftware.com/sport/teammatch.aspx?id=18EE3904-EED4-4A97-BF4B-69500CD7021D&match=88 Thomas Cup Final: http://tournamentsoftware.com/sport/teammatch.aspx?id=18EE3904-EED4-4A97-BF4B-69500CD7021D&match=37 For Time in China: http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_CN.aspx For Live Streaming: Perhaps BCers from different countries can post the links that are working for their regions. Different countries sometimes cannot use the same links. Here is the BWF Live Streaming link: http://www.youtube.com/user/bwf For those lucky enough to be able to watch the matches live, we hope to read your posts/comments as the matches are played.
UC - Best point opportunities for KOR, in order from best to worst WD1, WS1, WD2, WS2, WS3 Methinks, only the first two above are possible. The other three are inconceivable. TC - Best point opportunities for KOR, in order from best to worst MD2, MD1, MS3, MS2, MS1 Same here. For KOR to take any MS is inconceivable.
tomorrow will be the day! can China revenge, or Korea make it twice.. interesting!! btw, can some1 give info, how many times 3 cups (thomas, uber and sudirman) held meetings in China in past compare to another country?
Since you are predicting and not betting, I say WSX not playing but LXR will CHN will send her stronger lineup to nail 3-0 to make a loud and clear statement. Agree except TC, CHN 3 KOR 1 (KOR may win MD1 and that is a longshot too)
I'll laugh pretty hard if Korea beat China in UC, remember 2 years ago BCers. I think korean still have chance tho.
Prediction: For Uber Cup (if The Chinese girls just play like usual and not plaque by nerves) 3-0 (Only the WD 1 will have a chance to topple WXL/YY who still not play their yet here) For Thomas Cup: This is dilemma for Korea team specially setting up their MD pairs. YYS/KSY got smack by the Danes in SF. So they probably play LYD and KSY who probably had a chance to beat CY/FHF. But that mean their MD 2 will be the weaker YYS and KSR and this pair cannot guarantee 1 point against WH/SY. Anyhow: 3-0 for China Thomas Cup team. (only LYD/KSH had a chance to beat CY/FHF) But China 3 MS are just too strong for Korea MS.
2 years ago, Korea has 2 very good and experienced players - Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Kyung Won. Chinese is basically the same team but more experienced, but Korea is losing their best 2 players. I don't see any way history will repeat.
thank you this is starting at 2pm. 11pm start time for us means that i might be able to stay awake. having said that, i fell asleep during the MD1 last night. it was too brutal.
Off topic question.. Why did China pick Wuhan to host the Thomas Cup? Wuhan means five.....an auspicious place for them to pick up the fifth title in a row. At the same time, Lin Dan , Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng is one match away from creating history becoming the first three people to win five consecutive Thomas Cup in the Open era. The last person to win that many was Rudy Hartono (four times) but that doesn't count since he played in the prehistoric era of badminton.
Oh maybe WuHan is symbolic to the top five Han Chinese players in Thomas Cup team: Lin Dan Cai Yun Fu Haifeng Chen Jin Chen Long I would wish Bao Chunlai would have been the fifth player because he never got the chance to redeem himself after costing China their place in the final back in 2002 when they lost to Malaysia..
Wuhan doesn't mean five. it may sounds like 5, but doesn't mean it: 武汉 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A6
But TC was held every 3 years in his era. So that was 12 years compared to LD, CY and FHF's 10 years.
You also must consider that time when badminton status was not at its best on the world scene plus there weren't many talented players who actually know how to play proper badminton Rudy Hartono had an easier path to win those titles whereas China today rely on both Lin Dan and Cai/Fu to beat any team in the world. With three of them together, China has never lost a match since they debut in the Thomas Cup. Reminds me so much of Brazil during the world cup matches. Pele and another forgotten man Garrincha played together and Brazil was undefeated in two world cups until they got knocked out of the third World Cup by Portugal when Pele was injured and Garrincha didnt play due to old age.
Saying Hartono's 4 TC titles don't count is like saying Pele's titles don't count either since football was not nearly as professional and competitive back then . Talk about your unfortunate examples ... I don't think badminton's place on the world scene has improved much if at all compared to 70's 80's ... (meaning place in the world of sports, not spreading of the game). I dare to say the news coverage in mainstream media in non-baddy crazy countries is less than it was then (based on newspaper clippings and whatnot dug up from archives wherever by the old garde) That reminds me I just saw an article recently in a US newspaper and still have to share it here
Of course the place in the papers for these results, reports and such for minority sports have been shifted to the online pages so they haven't disappeared completely just that a casual reader is less likely to pay attention to it and actually click on it to read instead of just bumping into it in a physical newspaper.
Although China is hot favourite. They have to respect their opponents fully to minimise the upset. I hope they will play with their full potential although it means 3:0. Korea team only have realistic chance in 1st WS, 1st WD and 2nd WS, provided their chinese opponents play suboptimally games. Having said that for korea team to beat chinese team in China is unthinkable.
whenever he opens his mouth, there gotta be some sting... http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2012/5/26/sports/11362377&sec=sports [h=1]Yongbo: Exits of M'sia and Indonesia proof others putting effort to become title contenders[/h][h=2][/h] THE trend is changing in the world of badminton and China’s supremo Li Yongbo predicts exciting times ahead. He feels that the exits of Malaysia and Indonesia are proof that other teams are putting in more effort to become genuine title contenders in the team competition, which is traditionally dominated by a handful of badminton giants. Besides China, Malaysia and Indonesia, the other two regular frontrunners are Denmark and South Korea. In the Finals in Wuhan, however, Indonesia and Malaysia lost to Japan and China in the quarter-finals respectively. It was especially a black day for Indonesia, as they have reached at least the semi-finals of every Finals since 1958. “Two strong teams – Malaysia and Indonesia – struggled in the Finals. It shows that their advantage as powerhouses are slowly being eroded as others are catching up. This is good for the sport – it won’t be boring,” said Yongbo. In the Uber Cup Finals, Taiwan, Germany and Thailand have also showed plenty of promise with heart-warming performances. Taiwan almost brought the roof down with their spirited display against South Korea in the last eight before losing 3-2. On the Uber Cup final between China and South Korea today, Yongbo expects his girls to exact revenge on the Koreans. “I was hoping for South Korea to reach the final. Our team lost to them two years ago. Now, we want our girls to show that they are the better team at home,” said Yongbo. “Wang Yihan lost in the first singles two years ago but we are confident she will make amends tomorrow (today).”
[h=1]http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2012/5/26/sports/11363175&sec=sports BWF come under fire again from Christensen and Joo-bong[/h][h=2][/h] THIS will be Peter-Gade Christensen’s last Thomas Cup Finals. And the great Dane has one wish: that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) be more professional in deciding on the format and scheduling of Thomas Cup Finals matches. Yesterday, he took the BWF to task for conducting the quarter-final draw of the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals at midnight. The final group ties ended at 11pm on Tuesday and the BWF then conducted a lengthy draw ceremony that went past midnight. That saw teams scheduled to play in the afternoon session the following day having only half a day to analyse their opponents and prepare for battle. “I do not like the idea of conducting the draw at midnight. It is not a professional way to do things. I would rather they give the players a day off after the draw. The organisers should look into this matter,” said Christensen, who will quit the game after the London Olympic Games. There were other complaints too. Japan chief coach Park Joo-bong was fuming after learning of his team’s Uber Cup semi-final schedule. Japan and South Korea’s respective quarter-final ties ran until late into the evening but, to their dismay, they found that they were scheduled to take on each other in the first afternoon tie the following day. Hosts China, who had played their quarter-final tie in the afternoon, had a longer rest as their semi-final tie was only scheduled for the evening the next day. It looks like the BWF have some serious tinkering to do to keep interest in the game alive.
