2009 U.S. National Adult Badminton Championships (Day 1)-The NorCal invasion..

[ctjcad]

So, who want to be the U.S. National Adult Champions?..

A quick one before i'm off...Went to y'day's 1st Day's matches and just want to share these pics.
Sorry if i didn't capture everyone..

Quick summary:
All the defending champions from all events survived.
2 players caught my attention, James Young and Ajit Umrani.
Lots of young folks.



The candidates, who will it be...

[ctjcad]

Karine Hsu played well in her WS consolation match vs. Priscilla Lun. Doesn't have the big smash, but has moves around the court wonderfully. I know her mom & dad were cheering her on, with dad as her special coach.











This pair, Sunil P. & Ajit U., made one of the most exciting matches of the day and almost created an upset as they forced their opponent to a close 3-game duel.

[ctjcad]

Official handbook and t-shirt..





The "Baddy" Air Jordans...







These players caught my attention..

Is there a new hippie movement up north?? I almost didn't recognize him. Daniel Gouw with a new lock, maybe soon to be a dreadlock, and hairband look. I think he's just missing wearing one of those Jimi Hendrix psychedelic t-shirts. The guys really enjoyed it.





Ajit Umrani. Another multi-talented player. His warm-up strokes might not indicate his real talent, but once he played, he's got one of the most comfortable and easy to watch strokes out there. Has a deceptive reverse-slice shot and strong backhand.



James Young. Multi talented, very good backhand and plays deceptively relaxed. He was involved in a pretty good, 3 game showdown with Sandro Rossi.



Ben Hussey. Another young multi-talented player. He was also involved in one of the most exciting MS matches of the day vs. Eric Kuo.



Okay, those are it. Will try to capture more actions in today's matches...

[Vtec101]

Nice pics Chris.. Thanks for sharing.

[george@chongwei]

wow chris, u became the part time photographer for this tournament?
i thought u are participating in this tournament.

[Joseph]

Can you record the MS finals with Nick vs. Howard tomorrow?

[ctjcad]

Can you record the MS finals with Nick vs. Howard tomorrow?

..no, i can not.....











*actually i've also recorded highlights of other matches (from Day 2)...stay tuned for the vids..

[ctjcad]

Quick recap..and some pics to share..

MS - Howard looked poised to take another title this yr, after his 2007 victory, as he simply out-stamina Ajit in 2 straight games. While Nicholas & Daniel had a fun go at it in their Semifinal match and capped the match by giving each other a big hug.

WS - Johanna cruised her way to an easy victory while Eva had some ups and downs moments, setting up their umpteenth time to meet each other. Both players have won the U.S. National WS title the last 4 yrs in a row (2 each), and both Lees will battle it out once again to determine who will get the bragging right to a 3rd WS title between the 2.

WD - The defending champs are back after eliminating May & Priscilla in 2 easy games. While Joanne and Jamie had to battle through an amped up Phongasavithas sisters, in 3 games, to earn their Final appearance.

MD - Howard and Bob are back to defend their title, for it seems like forever, vs. Daniel and Chandra. A funny moment occurred in the Semifinal match between Howard & Bob vs. Halim & Phillip, as the youngster Phillip did a defensive stand while sitting down on the floor (similar to what KKK did during last yr's SS Master Finale). The crowd did have a good laugh at it, as they also won the point.

XD - The Final combatants will be decided after the Semifinals this morning..

One very close contested match was between Sattawat P. vs. Daniel Gouw. After a grueling 3-game battle, Sattawat was on the brink of winning the 3rd game. But a long lift capped Daniel's win as emotions were poured out by both players (one in jubilation while the other not so jubilant).

[ctjcad]

A few more..

"I'll cover you....no, no, you cover me...DUCK!!!"















The ups & downs from Eva. This particular situation, she had to take a bit of time to re-gather herself after falling awkwardly.

[ctjcad]

Clue: i have similar features to a very famous player..Who Am I??

[ctjcad]

..Ajit Umrani apparently used to play for his national team. He is currently residing in the East Coast, New York?? LazyBuddy might know him??..

[Winex West Can]

Clue: i have similar features to a very famous player..Who Am I??

Should be easy, I think Last name Gunawan :0

[ctjcad]

First off, congrats to all the winners and runner-ups.

To sum it up, it was vintage Howard Bach again ala 2007. On the Finals day, he was able to capture 3 titles to add to his already remarkable feat as one of the best badminton athletes in U.S. history.

Saw a couple of matches. One, the Semifinal in one of the XD events involving U.S. current #1 XD pair vs. 2 veterans.
The former back-to back-champions, from 2006 & 2007, were not to be denied another Final appearance. But not before enduring a tough 3-game battle. In the end, their composure held off as the 2 veteans committed 2 costly errors.

[ctjcad]

Then saw another match, involving 2 young WS players, between Priscilla Lun and Claudia Hardi, duking it out for a chance to have a place in the Final & win the WS consolation title.

[ctjcad]

XD Final

It was the battle of last yr's XD champions vs. the previous yr's XD champs. This time around, the latter proved to be a stiffer test for the defending champs. In the 1st game, it was neck to neck for both pairs as they tried to take control of the match. The 2nd game was still a struggle for the defending champs as they started out slow & were forced to dive all over the court the entire game. It turned out to be another close affair, as the defending champs rallied from nearly a 10 pt deficit to make it a game. However, in the end, a couple of costly errors sent the former champs back to the winner circle with 21-19, 21-18 win. Chalk one up for Howard.



Chandra did everything he could, even with his new defensive shaolin-style stance..

[ctjcad]

WS Final

If last yr Johanna's opponent was Lili Zhou in the Final, this time she would meet her, for the umpteenth time, arguably, almost seemingly regular &
toughest challenge in the U.S.' WS circuit in Eva Lee. This time, it was for the bragging rights, of which one would get 3 titles first, between the two.
The back to back defending champ was out aggressive, early on, as she set the tempo. While Eva could onlymount her comback
in the 2nd game, only to be kept back by the consistent Johanna. In the end, Johanna would take her
three-peat WS title, becoming only the 6th WS player in U.S. history to win it three consecutive times, in a solid 21-12, 21-15 victory.

[ctjcad]

MS Final
Howard is back after his lost in last yr's Final vs. Raju Rai. This time, with the absence of Raju in the competition, Howard didn't give much chance to Nicholas. The 1st game was almost filled with errors from the #1 seed, Jinadasa.
In the 2nd game, he made a strong run to make it a close affair. But despite a stiffer challenge, Howard began his comeback and Jinadasa began making more errors. After the interval of the 2nd game, Howard never looked back and won it 21-7, 21-17. The last point of the match was quite brilliant as Howard dove to retrieve a shuttle and made a return winner to an empty area of the court (see pic below).
Chalk another title for Howie.



Brilliant dive and save...