Kenichi Tago ( 田児賢一 )

[SibugiChai]

Not possible to go full time in Japan due to the high living cost and low pay in badminton

[Justin L]

Kenichi Tago's talent will be wasted if he doesn't turn full-time professional soon and for that he needs a sponsor badly (who's going to pay his bills if he doesn't win tournaments,what with the high cost of living in Japan? ). Haiz.

[cobalt]

At the China Open SSP November in Shanghai, there's a decent chance that Tago will be up against his pal Chen Long in the quarter-finals.

[scorpion1]

Not possible to go full time in Japan due to the high living cost and low pay in badminton

Yeah, To some extent this is correct. If you are playing by own , this will definitely be a cause. But still i feel there is some lack of sponsors even for persons who are near or in the top 10 of the world ranking in japan. Considering the cost of living, i am sure it can indirectly affect your participation in multiple tournaments if the sponsors are not there and you are owning your expenses by yourselves. Because most of the spending would have gone in your country itself for your living.

[skchen]

Kenichi Tago had the best chance of landing a grand prix gold title in the Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold 2012 tournament following the withdrawal of LCW but he fluffed in the first round of the main draw losing to the unseeded Chan Yan Kit 13-21, 20-22.
This talented Japanese player who had reached the finals of the AE, French and Malaysian Opens, has yet to win a SS or a GP title and it very frustrating to his fans to see him lose to unheralded players in a minor tournament when so much was expected of him.

[madara]

Now, All-Japan Badminton Championships will be held for 2012/12/3-9.

MS Finals will be Tago vs Sasaki maybe.
I can not wait this match .

[Wingu]

Kenichi Tago had the best chance of landing a grand prix gold title in the Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold 2012 tournament following the withdrawal of LCW but he fluffed in the first round of the main draw losing to the unseeded Chan Yan Kit 13-21, 20-22.
This talented Japanese player who had reached the finals of the AE, French and Malaysian Opens, has yet to win a SS or a GP title and it very frustrating to his fans to see him lose to unheralded players in a minor tournament when so much was expected of him.

I'm a Tago-fan and I really hope he can win a title, but I'm afraid he has too many ups and downs...

And it looks like Tago will meet Momota in the QF tomorrow in the All Japan Championships.

[Wingu]

Tago vs Sasaki tomorrow in the finals of All Japan
Hoping for Tago to win this and gain some more confidence.

Tago about the finals:

「世界ランキング５位に恥じない試合をしたい。自分のプレーをするのは当然。観客に何か持って帰ってもらえ るようにしないといけない」

I want to play a game that lives up to the standard (lit. not to shame) of being ranked 5th in the world.
Naturally, I'm going to play my type of game. I have to play so that the crowd can leave here with something (It says "something", but in context "something" = good memories or such).


It's good that Tago is taking this seriously. If he can win or at least play at a level that someone ranked 5th in the world should, he should be able to get some confidence and hopefully play well in the SSF.

[george@chongwei]

Anyone knows what yonex shoe is he wearing recently? It looks stunning on him!

[Wingu]

I think he is using the F1 model but with different colors.

[R20190]

Does anyone know what strings and tension Tago used on his Z-Slash?

[demolidor]

Does anyone know what strings and tension Tago used on his Z-Slash?

Apparently BG66Sharp, at 35lbs. Thought it was BG80 ... but do know of another (semi-)pro player that had it strung with BG80 at ~35lbs. And know of someone else that has one strung at 35 with BG80 as well but just a spare racket, with ARC10 as main ...

[LD rules!]

Apparently BG66Sharp, at 35lbs. Thought it was BG80 ... but do know of another (semi-)pro player that had it strung with BG80 at ~35lbs. And know of someone else that has one strung at 35 with BG80 as well but just a spare racket, with ARC10 as main ...

I thought people were joking when they said 35, that is crazy though. Laybourn's consistent 35lbs on his NS9900 (verified) was also insane. Think I heard he played with a 36lbs in one tournament which is just

[cobalt]

I wonder who has the b***s to string BG66 sharp at 35 lbs!
But then again, Yonex isn't exactly sponsoring me anytime soon...

[cobalt]

Tago to Rise Higher
09 Jan 2013

http://www.maybankbadmintonopen.com/newspage.php?id=91

LAST year�s beaten finalist Kenichi Tago of Japan is hoping to go one better in this year�s Maybank Malaysia Open.
The world No. 6 lost to Lee Chong Wei in straight games 12 months ago.

Tago�s performances has been rather inconsistent lately and suffered a less than convincing December after losing to Chan Yat Kit of Hong Kong in the first round of the Macau Open GP Gold.

However, he will be ready for the fight in Malaysia and will start his campaign against Malaysia�s Chong Wei Feng, whom he has beaten in three of their four meetings.

Tago started playing badminton at the age of thre, to follow his mother, Eriko Ueno�s footsteps. Ueno was one of the top badminton players in the world in the 1970s.

By the age of 10, he began playing competitively.

Nicknamed, Kenbo, he has been in the national team since 2006 and made his first international debut at the Asian Junior Championships.

The 24-year-old was the first Japanese in 50 years to have reached the singles final of the All-England Championships in 2010 but lost to Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

[cobalt]

Here's my 2012 report card for Kenichi Tago.

In 2012, Tago participated in 16 tournaments, and the OG and TC. He had just one solitary finals appearance to show for his efforts: the Malaysia Open, where he lost (obviously) to LCW.

Kenichi is approaching 24 years complete this year; he is at an age where he should be approaching his finest form and fulfilling his undoubted potential, much like his peer Chen Long. Alas! rational man proposes, Kenichi disposes!

Marks per item:
Final Results: 3/10, Fail
Consistency to justify rankings: 4/10, Fail
Application: 3/10, You gotta be joking
Brain-fades per tournament: 9/10, Excellent
Unjustified respect for the top players: 11/10, Through the roof
Display of potential: 5/10, Ordinary
Commitment to fulfill potential: 3/10, Now you're really pushing your luck

Overall standing: Mind-numbing

Any help? Any hope?:
His coach (a respected international ex-player who is doing wonders for the rest of the Japan team) cannot, obviously.
TXH will be unable to. Morten Frost, Rexy, Hendrawan, Gopi, my uncle and the Prime Minister of Japan will be unable to.
His mother will be unable to. If she or the others could, he'd be owning at least a few SS and/or GPG titles by now.

Recommendations, who can help?:
Only Beatrix Kiddo can.

[**KZ**]

I'm very impressed with Tago's performance at the India SS against LCW. his style had changed with more emphasis on his attacking game, which actually caught LCW off guard.