Lee Hyun Il

**LD rules!** · 07-30-2010, 10:05 AM

Well it appears that LHI has returned, and he seems to be in great form at the Macau Open, he has to play Boonsak Ponsana in the SF, but he has a good chance of making the Final.

**lcleing** · 07-30-2010, 10:40 AM

Even though he just came back to competitive badminton recently, it is clear that he is playing at a level higher than his opponents in Macau open 2010. Guess that's the reason why the KBA kept asking him to return to the scene. If I remember correctly, this is the second time he returned from retirement. Once in 2007, and now in 2010. On his retirement from 2007, took him only a year to get into MAS SS final, beating LD in Korea Open 2008 and stormed into the semifinal in the 2008 Olympics. He is just simply amazing. I think he will have a very good chance of getting into the final of Macau open, the same cannot be said for LCW

.

I won't be surprised if he was ranked as the best MS player in Korea(internally) at the moment.

**Wong8Egg** · 07-30-2010, 10:53 AM

Are we going to see him in WC?

**press100** · 07-30-2010, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Wong8Egg

Are we going to see him in WC?

Not yet. Maybe next year.

**LD rules!** · 07-30-2010, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by lcleing

Even though he just came back to competitive badminton recently, it is clear that he is playing at a level higher than his opponents in Macau open 2010. Guess that's the reason why the KBA kept asking him to return to the scene. If I remember correctly, this is the second time he returned from retirement. Once in 2007, and now in 2010. On his retirement from 2007, took him only a year to get into MAS SS final, beating LD in Korea Open 2008 and stormed into the semifinal in the 2008 Olympics. He is just simply amazing. I think he will have a very good chance of getting into the final of Macau open, the same cannot be said for LCW

.

I won't be surprised if he was ranked as the best MS player in Korea(internally) at the moment.

He is definetly in the top 2, PSH appears to have disappeared in the last 6 months, (military service ?) and Shon Wan Ho is still improving.

Originally Posted by Wong8Egg

Are we going to see him in WC?

Nope he doesn't have any BWF points and therefore isn't ranked, although there is no question about it, he definetly still has the skill and ability.

**event** · 07-30-2010, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by lcleing

I won't be surprised if he was ranked as the best MS player in Korea(internally) at the moment.

There isn't much of a domestic ranking system. Only 3 tournaments a year have individual competitions, one of those (sports fest) only allows one entry per province or city and only one (the nationals) has players from pro teams such as Lee and Park playing in the same draw as university team players such as Shon Wan Ho and Hong Ji Hoon. Lee Hyun Il beat Park in the Summer champs in June but lost to him in the QF of the nationals last December (where Shon lost to Hong Ji Hoon in the semis), didn't play in the sports fest in October, which Park won, and won the Summer Champs in 2009, where Park was beaten by Jang Young Soo in the semis. So yes, he's obviously considered to be among the strongest players in the nation.

**jasonmarc** · 07-31-2010, 05:43 AM

LHI is simply amazing......entered final in his first appearence in international tournament after two years off.

**ants** · 07-31-2010, 06:52 AM

HE still plays actively in Korea and spars with the Korean Team.. I guess he is still VERY Fit. Will find out how he fares tomorrow against LCW.

**lcleing** · 07-31-2010, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by event

There isn't much of a domestic ranking system. Only 3 tournaments a year have individual competitions, one of those (sports fest) only allows one entry per province or city and only one (the nationals) has players from pro teams such as Lee and Park playing in the same draw as university team players such as Shon Wan Ho and Hong Ji Hoon. Lee Hyun Il beat Park in the Summer champs in June but lost to him in the QF of the nationals last December (where Shon lost to Hong Ji Hoon in the semis), didn't play in the sports fest in October, which Park won, and won the Summer Champs in 2009, where Park was beaten by Jang Young Soo in the semis. So yes, he's obviously considered to be among the strongest players in the nation.

Thank you very much for the info. I find it much more exciting to watch LHI's play than PSH's. Probably that's why I am a little biased towards LHI. The reason I was confused about the domestic ranking system is because Li Mao did mention that Choi Ho Jin wasn't even ranked the 6th in the national team(in terms of strength) when he beat Lin Dan in EAG last year, which prompt me to think that there might be a domestic ranking somewhere in the team. Anyway, cheers for the info!

Looking for an upset by LHI in tomorrow's final.

**undeadshot** · 07-31-2010, 07:08 AM

Lee Hyun-il has one of the most smooth footwork and all I have seen... can I use the word 'graceful'? I predict a hard time for LCW, and possibily an upset from LHI.

**event** · 08-01-2010, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by ants

HE still plays actively in Korea and spars with the Korean Team.. I guess he is still VERY Fit. Will find out how he fares tomorrow against LCW.

He does now that he is back on the national team, i.e. since the runup to the Thomas Cup. Between Beijing and this past spring, however, the only sparring he got with national team members has been at those 3 or 4 domestic tournaments each year. Until late last year, he was playing with Kimcheon, so he had Jang Young Soo to spar with for a few weeks in 2009 but at his new pro team at Gangnam Ward, there are quality players but no top singles players to spar with. That has all changed since his return to the national team, of course.

**event** · 08-01-2010, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by lcleing

Thank you very much for the info. I find it much more exciting to watch LHI's play than PSH's. Probably that's why I am a little biased towards LHI. The reason I was confused about the domestic ranking system is because Li Mao did mention that Choi Ho Jin wasn't even ranked the 6th in the national team(in terms of strength) when he beat Lin Dan in EAG last year, which prompt me to think that there might be a domestic ranking somewhere in the team. Anyway, cheers for the info!

Looking for an upset by LHI in tomorrow's final.

Well, last July, they had a tryout for players who wanted to play singles on the national team, and Choi won 6 of 3 matches, a record bested by Park Sung Hwan and Jang Young Soo (9-0), Hwang Jung Woon (8-1), Kim Sa Rang (7-2), and matched by Lee Cheol Ho (who also beat Choi), Shon Wan Ho, and Hong Ji Hoon so that may be what he meant by sixth. Or he may have been referring to ongoing sparring among the players who were selected. Either way, Lee Hyun Il, Park Tae Sang and Shon Seung Mo and other players not on the national team would not have been included in the reckoning.

**Loh** · 08-01-2010, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by undeadshot

Lee Hyun-il has one of the most smooth footwork and all I have seen... can I use the word 'graceful'? I predict a hard time for LCW, and possibily an upset from LHI.

Question is whether he could handle LCW's smashes, although I also notice that LHI has somewhat employ more smashes in Macau.