Equinox New Zealand Open 2005

Discussion in '2005 Tournaments' started by adelina76, Aug 21, 2005.

  1. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2002
    Messages:
    347
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Solicitor
    Location:
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Straight after the World Champs, the NZ Open 2005 will be played from Wednesday, 24th to Sunday, 28th August in Auckland, New Zealand.

    Website: www.equinoxnzopen.com

    It's only a 1 star tournament but at least I can go watch some international players from 30 over countries play in my 'backyard' so to speak! Sairol Mohd Ayob (ranked in top 20) is the top seed in the men's singles and a Japanese World no. 26, Miyo Ako will be the women's top seed. Malaysia's Lim Pek Siah and Chor Hor Yee are the women doubles' top seed, they recently made it to the last 16 of the World Champs and was of course the defending Commonwealth Games champion (winning the title in 2002).

    Also excitingly, the NZ mix doubles pair of Daniel Shirley - Sara Ranussen-Petersen, the world no.15 that recently made it to the semis of the World Champs will feature as the top seed in this tournament, so hopefully this will be really exciting and raise the profile of badminton in a country that's more into its rugby and netball (and sheep shearing of course - no sheep jokes pls!). Hopefully after this tournament, we will get taunted less and less when telling someone we play badminton and get one of those replies "oh, is that an actual sport?" Grrrrrr..

    Anyway, I shall be your 'unofficial' reporter on this tournament and will keep you guys posted on the interesting antedotes during the tournament.

    This is Adelina Ong, reporting live from Auckland *smiles the 1 million dollar journalist smile* :D
     
  2. Maz

    Maz Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2002
    Messages:
    198
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    IBM - Sales Specialist
    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Thanks Adelina for the preview.

    Looking forward to the reports and possibly some professional photography from you too?! :rolleyes:

    Here are my thoughts:
    MS: I'm going for John Moody to take his 3rd title this year.
    WS: This will be the most competitive of all draws. I believe any of the 1-4 seeds can take the title (ie. Miyo Akao, Sutheaswari Mudusukan, Rebecca Bellingham, Rachel Hindley)
    MD: Easy pick for John Gordon & Daniel Shirley
    WD: I actually doubt the malaysian women's doubles pair will win.
    XD: It is quite a fair way to come back 'down to earth' after such a successful World Champs campaign, but my pick again is for Daniel Shirley & Sara Runesten-Petersen.
     
  3. noluckjim

    noluckjim Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    New Zealand
    I'd be keen to see the young'ins in the field, should be good for them :)
     
  4. eek!oh!

    eek!oh! Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2005
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Auckland
    Agreed! But it will also be great to see Sara & dan do well, especially after their excellent results at the World Cup.
     
  5. noluckjim

    noluckjim Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    New Zealand
    Did I mention how annoying University is? Damn classes, assignments and tests getting in the way of watching :mad: . (note that my university is about 10/15 minutes away from bus - makes it soooo tempting). Should be all cleared up tomorrow though:rolleyes:

    On a side note, for those of you who are going to watch, did you get passes for the whole tournament?
     
  6. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2002
    Messages:
    347
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Solicitor
    Location:
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Sidepass schmpass!

    I didn't, only got them for the semis and finals. In reality, if you tell the ticket ppl that you're going to pick up a racquet from the sports shop, they'll have to let you in..so you get free entry anyway :D But in order to support NZ badminton, I suppose you should just buy the daily pass or the pass for whole tourney. Thursday pass = NZ$5. Friday (quarterfinal day) = NZ$10. Semis and Finals on Sat and Sun respectively are NZ$15 each, so not bad really.

    I didn't watch all the games, but top seed, Sairul Ayob has cleared the first round after playing unseeded Daniel Forrester of NZ. I managed to take a picture with him and will post it on here tomorrow :) Sairul hardly raised a sweat as expected, in fact, the expression 'toying with your food' comes to mind when watching him play against the young Mr Forrester.

    I will try to get an interview with him after the finals (if he wins it hopefully). Will also try to interview the top women doubles seeds, Pek Siah Lim and Hoi Yee Chor.

    So far the tournament looks like it's well organised. Only 3 courts are used with one practice court at the far end of the hall. Lights and shuttles used were ok, I think they're Yonex shuttles.


    For rest of the results from day 1 of the tournament, check out this link:

    http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.asp?id=8407

    This is Adelina, reporting life from Gillies Avenue, Auckland.
     
  7. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2002
    Messages:
    347
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Solicitor
    Location:
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Sairul Amar Ayob

    Hi guys, as promised, here are the pictures of Sairul in action and also with yours truly :p

    Oops, I just got to this part and suddenly not sure how to attach the picture! Doh. I assume you could just browse from your computer and attach the pic but there's no such option and been asked to enter 'image text'. Any idea what I'm suppose to do here?
     
  8. noluckjim

    noluckjim Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    New Zealand
    LOL. Cheers for the effort though :rolleyes:
     
  9. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2002
    Messages:
    347
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Solicitor
    Location:
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Sairul Amar Ayob

    Hi again guys,

    I think I managed it this time! Yay! So hopefully you'll guys now get the pics as well! I'm going there again tonight and hopefully will report more on it later. :)

    Pics 1 & 2: Sairul in action. Pic 3: Sairul with yours truly. He's a really nice and friendly guy. I told him he has to win the tournament and I said "Malaysia boleh!" (he laughed..hopefully 'with' me and not 'at' me!) :p

    Adelina
     

    Attached Files:

    #9 adelina76, Aug 24, 2005
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2005
  10. hcyong

    hcyong Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2004
    Messages:
    5,558
    Likes Received:
    104
    Occupation:
    Software Engineer
    Location:
    KL & Sg
    MS: By a distance, the favourite is Sairul. If he cannot win this tournament, it will be a disaster for him. In fact, I'm not sure why he took part, but it's his own decision, he's not affiliated with BAM. I think he just wants to have some fun.
    WS: There are some Indonesian players like Francisca. I think she has a good chance.
    WD: Although the Malaysian WD pair not a top-class pair, so are the other competitors. But I have some doubts myself about whether they can win.
     
  11. khwong

    khwong Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2005
    Messages:
    686
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Self Employed
    Location:
    Muddy Estuary
    great pics adelina! more please! you sure look photogenic!:)
     
  12. Maz

    Maz Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2002
    Messages:
    198
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    IBM - Sales Specialist
    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    After day 2, most of the seeds in the singles are already out. John's gone. Miyo and Rachel are gone too...Up and comers (juniors from overseas - Indo & HK) are doing well so far.
     
  13. noluckjim

    noluckjim Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    New Zealand
    How's this: I left my EFTPOS card behind at the pro shop there...buying a ticket :eek: (I think the closest equivalent for you international folks is a debit card?)

    Anyways, I don't think this tournament will offer Sairul much challenge till the end
     
  14. eek!oh!

    eek!oh! Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2005
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Auckland
    Hope you get your card back Jim!

    & don't forget Michelle Chan is in the quarter finals for the singles! She really is the most promising of all the NZ juniors.
     
  15. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2002
    Messages:
    347
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Solicitor
    Location:
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Day 2 Report - Round of last 16

    Auckland - New Zealand - It was a day of minor upsets on the second day of the tournament. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch most games due to work but was able to catch the evening session featuring top seed in the men's singles, Sairul Amar Ayob playing against and up and comer NZ junior player, 17 year old Joe Wu.

    I managed to have a quick word with Sairul after his game. He said he is currently happy with his form and are looking forward to playing in the quarters today. He has also granted me a proper interview once he has finished playing all his matches here (i.e winning the title!), but the interview comes at a heavy cost for me...a big cup of coffee! Sacrifices I make for BC..:D

    I have discovered that in terms of the cost of paying NZ$5 each day to watch the games and NZ$10 for the quaterfinal day and NZ$15 for semis and finals, it would have been more economical for me to actually enter the tournament myself since it's only NZ$30 per entry for singles! As a player I would have got to watch all the games! [I play for Auckland in the Division 2 team and would have likely had a chance to reach the last 16. But due to work commitments, I couldn't play, much to my regret and our team coach's annoyance..oh well, there's next year!]

    Anyhow, here's the summary of Day 2 of the tournament:

    Men's Singles:

    As predicted, it was a stroll for Sairul vs Joe Wu but initially, Sairul struggled adjusting to the condition of the lights affecting his play particularly in retrieving fast clears by Joe. Joe led 4-1 in the first game before Sairul found his rhythm and romped home 15-4. In the second set, once again Sairul stamped his class and easily closed the game winning 15-1 in the second set.

    Other matches include upsets by two HK up and coming players. First up was Wong Wai Hong who fought an intense battle with no.4 seed John Moody of NZ to carved a well earned 12-15, 15-6, 15-13 win while his team mate Chan Yan Kit was impressive in disposing 7th seed Geoff Bellingam of NZ in straight sets, 15-5, 15-9. 8th seed, Stuart Gomez of Australia made sure he avoided similar fate by defeating another NZ junior player, Alan Chan in three sets, with the third going down the wire, 15-13. His victory earned him a quarterfinal show down with Sairul while Wong Wai Hong will take on Conrad Hueckstaed of Germany who made short work of James Moffat of NZ, winning 15-2, 15-4. Chan Yan Kit meanwhile will take on 3rd seed Andrew Smith of England for a place in the semis. The last quarterfinal berts are taken by tournament second seed, Bobby Milroy of Canada who will play no.6 seed, Stuart Brehaut of Australia.

    Prediction of semis? Sairul (MAL) vs Conrad (GER), Bobby Milroy (CAN) vs Andrew Smith (ENG).

    Women's Singles

    It was indeed a celebration day for the Indonesians as they will have 3 representatives in the quarterfinals. The most impressive of the three of course being Adriyanti Firdasari who bundle out no.1 seed Miyo Akao of Japan, 11-7, 11-2. She will next take on Renee Flavell of NZ. Maria Kristin Yulianti continued the trend for Indonesia by upsetting no.3 seed Rachel Hindley of NZ in straight sets and will play another NZ'er, Karen Tam.

    The quarterfinal highlight match will feature an Indonesian we know quite well, Fransisca Ratnasari, the Indonesian no.1 who will take on tournament no.2 seed Sutheaswari Mudukasan and completing the last eight line up will be an all NZ affair between top NZ junior female player, Michelle Chan who will take on Rebecca Billingam, tournament no.4 seed who recently reached the 4th round at the World Champs.

    Semis prediction: Adriyanti Firdasari (INA) vs Maria Kristin Yulianti (INA) and Rebecca Billingam (NZ) vs Fransisca Ratnasari (INA).

    Men's Doubles

    Other than the HK pair of Lam Hoi Tak and Tam Lok Tin, the rest of the quartefinalists are from Australia and NZ. Top seed Gordon/Shirley will take on Cheng/Tam, both pairs from NZ, Lam/Tam from HK who earlier upset 4th seed Smith/Warfe of Australia will take on Dennerley-Minturn/Miller of NZ, Brehaut/Gomez of Australia plays no.3 seed Cooper/Bellingam and Hannam/Lee completes the line up against no.2 seed, Cooper/Denney of Australia.

    Semis prediction: Gordon/Shirley (NZ) vs Lam/Tam (HK), Cooper/Bellingham (NZ) vs Cooper/Denney (AUS)

    Women's Doubles

    Only a few games were played yesterday due to the smaller entry in this division while most of the seeded players received bye into the quarterfinals. The lineup will feature top seeds, Chor/Lim (MAL) vs Wilson-Smith/Lucas (AUS), 2nd seeds Hindley/Bellingam (NZ) vs Winsor/Cranston (NZ), Chan/Tam (NZ) who defeated the only other US reps Chen/Jinadasa, will take on Flevell/Shirley (NZ), and Gordon/Runesten-Petersen (NZ) vs Barry/Copeland (NZ).

    Semis prediction: Chor/Lim (MAL) vs Gordon/Runesten-Petersen (NZ), Flevell/Shirley (NZ) vs Hindley/Bellingam (NZ)

    Mix Doubles

    No upsets in the mix as the top four seeds line up in the quarterfinals. Bronze medalist at the recent World Champs and no.1 seed, Runesten-Petersen/Shirley (NZ) vs Veeran/Veeran (AUS), no.2 seed Cooper/Shirley (NZ) vs Cooper/Lucas (AUS), no.3 seed Denney/Wilson-Smith (AUS) vs Tam/Revell (NZ) and no.4 seed Brehaut/Luiz (AUS) takes on the other representatives from USA, Jinadasa/Jinadasa.

    Semis prediction: Runesten-Petersen/Shirley (NZ) vs Brehaut/Luiz (AUS) and Cooper/Shirley (NZ) vs Denney/Wilson-Smith (AUS).


    Sorry I forgot to bring my camera yesterday so unfortunately missed out on taking pictures but will try and get some more later today and for the rest of the tournament. Will also try and get pictures and interview with Choi and Lim of Malaysia. Until then, this is Adelina, reporting live from Auckland! :)
     
    #15 adelina76, Aug 25, 2005
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2005
  16. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,818
    Likes Received:
    4,791
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    I think at least one of the HK singles will get through.

    Doubles pair won't.
     
  17. SmartCivet

    SmartCivet Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2003
    Messages:
    517
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    SOFTWARE ENGINEER
    Location:
    Hangzhou,China
    It's not easy that your predictions are nealy all wrong except for XD.
     
  18. tze yang

    tze yang Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2004
    Messages:
    194
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    World No. 3 In Outdoor Badminton
    Location:
    Melbourne, Aus
    Sairul won easily again...dissapointing tht sutheaswari lost and the WD msian lost coz 1 of them were injured...and adelina i think i saw some1 tht looks like the oone in the pic at the Hall...so it might well b u lol
     
  19. OTFK

    OTFK Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2002
    Messages:
    208
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    engineer
    Location:
    Medicine Hat, AB, Canada
    Just found this thread

    Thanks for the news.
    That is a pretty tight schedule for all those who have participated in the WC 2005 and rushed back to the NZ Open.
    IMO, NZ Team did pretty well in WC (of course in particular to the XD Bronze medal).

    BTW, if you see Donna Cranston or Kimberley Windsor, please tell them "do not hide under the coat" from a fellow at WC2005. Hopefully, Kimberley Windsor will find a sponsor.
     
  20. adelina76

    adelina76 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2002
    Messages:
    347
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Solicitor
    Location:
    Auckland, New Zealand
    Quick Report

    About to head off to watch the semis. Sorry for the late report but you can view the results so far at this link: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.asp?id=8407

    Quick summary of how it all went:

    MS: Too easy for Sairul beating Gomez from Australia and he will next meet 5th seed German Conrad Huckstadt who had some resistance from Wong from HK but the German prevailed 15-2, 15-4. Do not think Sairul will be troubled by him though in the semis.

    The other semifinal will feature the very impressive HK player, Chan Yan Kit who made short work of 3rd seed Andrew Smith of England, 15-1, 15-11. I believe Chan will have no problem disposing 2nd seed Bobby Malroy of Canada in the current form he's in. It will be an exciting final between Sairul and Chan I think.

    WS: Indonesia is assured of at least a rep in the final when two of the 3 quarterfinalists meet in the semis. Ratnasari, the Indo no.1 will take on Rebecca Bellingam in the other semis. My predition of the final is that it will be an all Indo affair, still good quality match though.


    I will comment on the other disciplines later as I'm late for the semis. Gotta run! Will report more later! Took a few great pics and I got a great story to tell too after making friends with Chor Hoi Yee of Malaysia, who together with her partner Lim Pek Siah got knocked out yesterday but had such a fine run in the WC by reaching round of 16!

    Talk later!

    Adelina
     

Share This Page