Asian Games 2006 Draws

[badMania]

MEN'S TEAM EVENT
GROUP A
China
Indonesia -- bad draw for Indonesia
India

GROUP B
Korea
Thailand
Vietnam

GROUP C
Malaysia
Hong Kong
Japan

Group winners qualify for semi-finals, while the runner-ups will be grouped again to determine the final qualifier. Indonesia is likely to be paired with Thailand and Japan, unless it beats China.

WOMEN'S TEAM
GROUP A
China
Malaysia
Indonesia -- again, a bad draw since it means a do-or-die tie against Malaysia to prevent being eliminated in the group stage

GROUP B
Thailand
Hong Kong
Singapore

GROUP C
Japan
Korea
Chinese Taipei

Similarly, runner-ups will be grouped again. It will be a miracle if Team Indonesia can get to semi-finals. They have a chance to beat Malaysia only if they win the second, third singles and second doubles. Even if they beat Malaysia, they will entertain two other strong teams (probably Japan and either Thailand or Singapore).

[badMania]

I will skip the WS and WD since the golds will definitely go to China, unless, there's a miracle.

Starting with XD:
The top seed Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir has a tricky quarter-final against possibly the unseeded Zheng Bo/Gao Ling. If they win, they will either face Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung or Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia for a place in the final.

In the bottom half, Alvent Yulianto/Vita Marissa should pass their first round test against Keita Masuda/Kanako Yonekura. However, Lee Yong Dae/Hwang Yu Mi awaits in the second round. If Alvent/Vita can progress to the quarter-final, another fearsome foe Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthongkam will be their opponent for a semi-final spot. The other semi-final spot is likely to be secured by Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen.

So, it's not an easy route for Nova/Butet for gold.

[ctjcad]

I will skip the WS and WD since the golds will definitely go to China, unless, there's a miracle.

Starting with XD:
The top seed Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir has a tricky quarter-final against possibly the unseeded Zheng Bo/Gao Ling. If they win, they will either face Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung or Hendri Kurniawan Saputra/Li Yujia for a place in the final.

In the bottom half, Alvent Yulianto/Vita Marissa should pass their first round test against Keita Masuda/Kanako Yonekura. However, Lee Yong Dae/Hwang Yu Mi awaits in the second round. If Alvent/Vita can progress to the quarter-final, another fearsome foe Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthongkam will be their opponent for a semi-final spot. The other semi-final spot is likely to be secured by Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen.

So, it's not an easy route for Nova/Butet for gold.

badMania, thanks for the intro. analysis of the AG draw..Just curious, why isn't Flandy playing with Vita?? Last minute injury? Or the coaches wanted to try a new pairing??..Any news on this??..

[ants]

They can't play together due to coach decision.

[ctjcad]

Group winners qualify for semi-finals, while the runner-ups will be grouped again to determine the final qualifier. Indonesia is likely to be paired with Thailand and Japan, unless it beats China.

hmm...OK, so what i understand is, after the initial round-robin groups play, then there will be only 6 teams remaining, with 3 teams in each group(GWs and RUs). Then comes what??. .sorry if i don't quite understand the process.

[badMania]

The MD draw is pretty interesting.

Quarter 1
Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun (1)
Lee Jae Jin/Hwang Ji Man (5/8)
-- Fu/Cai get a bye in the first round. They will entertain the Thai no 1 pair Sudket Prapakamol/Patapol Ngernsrisuk in the second round. Lee/Hwang also receive a bye, but, their second round opponent is the newly formed Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, who first have to beat their unknown opponent in the first round. It will be a cracking match and the winner should face Fu/Cai in the quarter-final for yet another exciting encounter. I do hope that KKK/TBH qualify from this quarter.

Quarter 2
Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (3/4)
Albertus Susanto Njoto/Yohan Wiratama Hadikusumo (5/8)
-- Kido/Hendra are yet again drawn against the opponent which troubled them the most recently: Hendri/Hendra. But, the Indonesian-born Singaporean pair has to beat Sato/Sasaki in the first round. If Kido/Hendra can survive the tricky second round tie, they will probably face another ex-Indonesian pair, now representing Hong Kong. Kido/Hendra SHOULD at least progress to the semi-final (bronze medal).

Quarter 3
Luluk Hadiyanto/Alvent Yulianto (5/8)
Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari/Lin Woon Fui (3/4)
-- Luluk/Alvent will have no problem progressing to the quarter-final where Mohd Tazari/Lin or Zheng/Guo possibly awaits them. At their current form, it will be a bonus if they can beat either pair and obtain a bronze.

Quarter 4
Keita Masuda/Tadashi Ohtsuka (5/8)
Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae (2)
-- probably the easiest quarter to be in and Jung/Lee should breeze through the semi-finals.

Overall. it's again not easy for Kido/Hendra to win the gold medal. Their main obstacle will be Fu/Cai. If KKK/TBH can beat the top-seeded Chinese pair, it should make their task easier

[badMania]

hmm...If that's the case, after the initial round-robin play, then there will be only 6 teams remaining, with 3 teams in each group(GWs and RUs). Then comes what??. .sorry if i don't quite understand the process.

There will be only 3 teams in the play-off group (all runner-ups). The winner of the group will join the other 3 group winners in the semi-finals.

[badMania]

badMania, thanks for the intro. analysis of the AG draw..Just curious, why isn't Flandy playing with Vita?? Last minute injury? Or the coaches wanted to try a new pairing??..Any news on this??..

There was some confusion regarding the number of players allowed for the team-event. Each contingent is only allowed 16 players. Flandy Limpele and Nathalia Poluakan have to be ommited from the squad because of that.

[ctjcad]

The MD draw is pretty interesting.

Quarter 1
Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun (1)
Lee Jae Jin/Hwang Ji Man (5/8)
-- Fu/Cai get a bye in the first round. They will entertain the Thai no 1 pair Sudket Prapakamol/Patapol Ngernsrisuk in the second round. Lee/Hwang also receive a bye, but, their second round opponent is the newly formed Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, who first have to beat their unknown opponent in the first round. It will be a cracking match and the winner should face Fu/Cai in the quarter-final for yet another exciting encounter. I do hope that KKK/TBH qualify from this quarter.

Quarter 2
Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (3/4)
Albertus Susanto Njoto/Yohan Wiratama Hadikusumo (5/8)
-- Kido/Hendra are yet again drawn against the opponent which troubled them the most recently: Hendri/Hendra. But, the Indonesian-born Singaporean pair has to beat Sato/Sasaki in the first round. If Kido/Hendra can survive the tricky second round tie, they will probably face another ex-Indonesian pair, now representing Hong Kong. Kido/Hendra SHOULD at least progress to the semi-final (bronze medal).

Quarter 3
Luluk Hadiyanto/Alvent Yulianto (5/8)
Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari/Lin Woon Fui (3/4)
-- Luluk/Alvent will have no problem progressing to the quarter-final where Mohd Tazari/Lin or Zheng/Guo possibly awaits them. At their current form, it will be a bonus if they can beat either pair and obtain a bronze.

Quarter 4
Keita Masuda/Tadashi Ohtsuka (5/8)
Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae (2)
-- probably the easiest quarter to be in and Jung/Lee should breeze through the semi-finals.

Overall. it's again not easy for Kido/Hendra to win the gold medal. Their main obstacle will be Fu/Cai. If KKK/TBH can beat the top-seeded Chinese pair, it should make their task easier

..hmm, i see a lot of "new" fresh faces/pairs here(in comparison to 4 yrs ago)..the top "veterans" are Matsuda/Ohtsuka, Njoto/Hadikusumo and maybe Alvent/Luluk and/or Fu/Cai??..

[badMania]

WD
Jo Novita/Greysia Polii are seeded 5/8 and should have no problem qualifying for the quarter-final. But, their journey will also stop there as once again, they are drawn against the top seed Gao Ling/Huang Sui.

The other pair, Lita Nurlita/Vita Marissa should also pass their first test in Shinta Mulia Sari/Vanessa Neo Yu Yan, but, Saralee Thoungthongkam/Sathinee Jankrajangwong will be their opponent for a place in the quarter-final. Even if they beat Saralee/Sathinee, their journey will also end at the hand of another Chinese pair, Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen.

-- So, there will be no medal for Indonesia in WD unless there's a miracle.

[badMania]

As for WS, the players also face the same fate. Fransisca Ratnasari has an easy first round tie against a Sri Lankan player, but, the top seed Zhang Ning is already waiting for her in the second round.

Adriyanti Firdasari already has a tricky first round tie against Lee Yun Hwa, a tie which I fear she might lose. Even if she beat the Korean, Wong Mew Choo will be waiting in the second round. If lady luck is shining again and Firda can overcome the first two obstacles, Wang Chen will probably be her opponent in the quarter-final.

Therefore, it will be a miracle even for either player to reach the quarter-final.

[ctjcad]

There will be only 3 teams in the play-off group (all runner-ups). The winner of the group will join the other 3 group winners in the semi-finals.

...i see, so the RUs will have to play another go at round-robin play, before meeting the 3 QFs...So then the winner of the RU group will play the winner from which group??..Is it from Group A, B or C??..

[badMania]

Finally, the MS.

Quarter 1
Lin Dan (1)
Ng Wei (5/8)
-- Simon Santoso is also in this quarter and he is faced with a tricky first round tie against the much improved Nguyen Tien Minh. If he wins, he will meet Ng Wei in the second round. The winner will take on Lin Dan in the quarter-final.

Quarter 2
Lee Hyun Il (3/4)
Mohd Hafiz Hashim (5/8)
-- Hafiz will face either Kendrick Lee Yen Hui or Sho Sasaki in the second round. The winner will entertain Lee Hyun Il in the quarter-final.

Quarter 3
Taufik Hidayat (5/8)
Bao Chunlai (3/4)
-- Taufik has a tricky second round tie against Park Sung Hwan. If he wins, he will face Bao Chunlai in the quarter-final. Meanwhile, Bao himself has to beat Ronald Susilo in the second round. It will take a huge effort if Taufik is to reach the semi-final and get at least a bronze.

Quarter 4
Boonsak Ponsana (5/8)
Lee Chongwei (2)
-- the Malaysian player will square off against Shoji Sato in the second round and possibly Boonsak Ponsana (yet again) in the quarter-final. However, Boonsak has to first beat Chan Yan Kit and Anup Sridhar in order to reach the quarter-final.

[badMania]

...i see, so the RUs will have to play another go at round-robin play, before meeting the 3 QFs...So then the winner of the RU group will play the winner from which group??..Is it from Group A, B or C??..

I am still not sure yet. The ppt file does not indicate which team will meet which team in the semi-finals It could possibly be A vs B and C vs the playoff winner.

[ctjcad]

They can't play together due to coach decision.

There was some confusion regarding the number of players allowed for the team-event. Each contingent is only allowed 16 players. Flandy Limpele and Nathalia Poluakan have to be ommited from the squad because of that.

..hmm, so basically they sacrificed Flandy for who??..Sorry, can you list the members of the INA team in this yr's AG squad, again.. ..

[badMania]

..hmm, so basically they sacrificed Flandy for who??..Sorry, can you list the members of the INA team in this yr's AG squad, again.. ..

Alvent Yulianto is now paired with Vita Marissa in the XD.
Meanwhile, Vita will also pair up with Lita Nurlita in the WD.

MEN'S TEAM
Taufik Hidayat
Simon Santoso
Sony Dwi Kuncoro
Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan
Luluk Hadiyanto/Alvent Yulianto
Nova Widianto

WOMEN'S TEAM
Fransisca Ratnasari
Adriyanti Firdasari
Pia Bernadet Zebadiah
Jo Novita/Greysia Polii
Lita Nurlita/Vita Marissa
Lilyana Natsir

[ctjcad]

Alvent Yulianto is now paired with Vita Marissa in the XD.
Meanwhile, Vita will also pair up with Lita Nurlita in the WD.

MEN'S TEAM
Taufik Hidayat
Simon Santoso
Sony Dwi Kuncoro
Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan
Luluk Hadiyanto/Alvent Yulianto
Nova Widianto

WOMEN'S TEAM
Fransisca Ratnasari
Adriyanti Firdasari
Pia Bernadet Zebadiah
Jo Novita/Greysia Polii
Lita Nurlita/Vita Marissa
Lilyana Natsir

The new combination in WD and XD, it seems PBSI use try & error method to fulfill DAGOC quota amid confusion to find best formation. PBSI defends Vita stay in squad probably because consideration she's multifunction/flexible shuttler to partner with any player but never see Alvent plays mixed so far. Any info about others fixed bdm team (MAS & KOR) to compete in Doha?

sorry for coming in late and not paying close attention..
hmm, i see, so the young Ms. Zebadiah is being put out there to get her feet wet in the AG...I understand PBSI's decision of making the squad "balanced" and giving the youngster an opportunity to play, but interesting..
Well, this is a tough one, but i just took a quick snippet from CLELY's post in the Changes to Team Indonesia thread. *Personally*, sorry, not to sound harsh or anything, but with the recent results of Luluk/Alvent, i would put Flandy in the team instead of Luluk instead(since he can play both doubles events also). That way Flandy can play, even if he has to play as the 2nd MD pair with Alvent(i mean if i think abt it, what difference or what is/are there to lose if Alvent is paired up with Flandy)-->just like Vita's flexibility to play multiple events. Thus he still can retain his partnership with Vita, as INA 2nd XD pair. Have Alvent/Vita played competitively with each other before??..But who knows, maybe the coaches also want to see what kind of partnership will come out of the Alvent & Vita pairing?!?! Sigh..Anyways, that's a tough one to decide..