Lee Yong Dae will partner Ha Jung Eun for the 2012 Olympics

[LD rules!]

Depends. If they can at last harmonize on court and if LYD can put the pressure on, they have a chance of beating them. For me, there's no doubt that LYD is much more talented than Xu Chen, but I guess he's still held back a bit by his elbow problems - and the fact that he didn't play Mixed as much for the last years doesn't help. Ha Jung Eun will have to be in good shape though, Ma Jin is absolutely lethal at the net.

I think that Ma Jin is too strong for Ha at the net, Lee is better than Xu, but most of it comes down to the women at the net, and unfortunately for Lee, Ha can't beat Ma Jin.

I wonder if the Korean team wish that Lee HJ had delayed her retirement till after OG12.

[j4ckie]

I think that Ma Jin is too strong for Ha at the net, Lee is better than Xu, but most of it comes down to the women at the net, and unfortunately for Lee, Ha can't beat Ma Jin.

I wonder if the Korean team wish that Lee HJ had delayed her retirement till after OG12.

I think they do After all, she and LYD were a VERY strong combination. And even though he does not need a more experienced player to 'guide' him anymore, she was very good indeed at the net and at covering any replies to his pressure shots.
I also think HJE was better partnered with Ko Sung Hyun, perhaps because he is more of a smasher than LYD, which results in faster shots (and some loose ones) that she can intercept and drive back rather than accurate blocks to the net where she'll have to stand her ground against the likes of Ma Jin....
KSH is also quicker around the court than LYD and can cover more of the shots HJE lets through which LHJ would've intercepted for LYD.

But that's all guesswork, I'm just intrigued whether LYD can get in XD shape for the OG and maybe even find a more reliable partner. I'm also a bit sorry for KSH who enjoyed success with HJE but was forced to partner with new, unexperienced players to free up HJE for the poster boy....
Ah. Olympic Games are gonna be exciting indeed. Friends even got tickets, I'm gonna turn green with envy when I see those matches via stream rather than live

[chris-ccc]

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As I have expected, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun won Round 2 (against their lower ranked teammates, Ko Sung Hyun/Eom Hye Won).

Results
Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun defeated Ko Sung Hyun/Eom Hye Won 21-16, 21-18 in 29 minutes.

At the Quarter-Finals, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun will be facing Shintaro Ikeda/Reiko Shiota (JPN).

http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sp...2872EC&draw=10

I still believe that Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun can reach the FINALS.
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[j4ckie]

I agree. LYD is a super talented XD/MD player, and definitely has the potential to win any title. The question is only what shape he is in and how well his partner performs. I think his smash is getting better again, at least it looks that way. His elbow problems are probably getting better....I sure hope so! He plays some exciting badminton

[chris-ccc]

At the Quarter-Finals, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun will be facing Shintaro Ikeda/Reiko Shiota (JPN).

I still believe that Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun can reach the FINALS.

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Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun didn't reach the FINALS.

At the Quarter-Finals, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun defeated Shintaro Ikeda/Reiko Shiota (JPN) 21-17, 21-10 in 28 minutes.

At the Semi-Finals-Finals, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun were defeated by Xu Chen/Ma Jin [5] (CHN) 12-21, 22-24 in 43 minutes.

TS gives all the Mixed Doubles Results;

http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sp...2872EC&draw=10
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[KB@TB Em]

Well Xu Chen/Ma Jin are too experienced...and lyd/hje changed their tactics too late! But it makes me optimistic for the future of this mx pair

[chris-ccc]

Well Xu Chen/Ma Jin are too experienced...and lyd/hje changed their tactics too late! But it makes me optimistic for the future of this mx pair

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If we go back to Post #1, coach Sung Han-kuk said that they have concluded that Lee Yong-dae and Ha Jung-eun will be the optimal mixed doubles team for the 2012 London Games.

As for me, I still believe in them to perform well (like their coach expects).
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[chris-ccc]

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Coach Sung Han-kuk must be very happy that Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun have made it into the Semi-Finals of the 2012 Korea Open SSP. Here are their results;

http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sp...73A7EF&draw=10

Slowly but surely, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun have made it to Ranked No.12 (as at 05-Jan-2012);

http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/ra...9&category=476

Perhaps next week, Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun could be ranked in the Top 10 (and be ready for the 2012 Olympic Games).

Let's wait and see.
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[j4ckie]

Depending on their performance from here on, they'll probably move up 1-3 places as all other pairs (#4-11) are out of the tournament. With a win in the semis, they could very well be #9 next week. Should be possible against the Russians, but not easy.....very interesting

[chris-ccc]

Depending on their performance from here on, they'll probably move up 1-3 places as all other pairs (#4-11) are out of the tournament. With a win in the semis, they could very well be #9 next week. Should be possible against the Russians, but not easy.....very interesting

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Perhaps winning the 2012 Korea Open SSP XD title, they could be in the TOP 8 ranking for the 2012 Olympic Games.
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[j4ckie]

Doesn't really matter, does it? They're the top ranked pair from their country and easily within the top 16, so the only thing the ranking will change is seeding....and they still have a lot of time left to collect some more points...although winning would be very nice indeed for them

[Cheetah]

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Perhaps winning the 2012 Korea Open SSP XD title, they could be in the TOP 8 ranking for the 2012 Olympic Games.
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If they win their semi-final (which I really do hope) it will be very hard to either play the Danes or Xu Chen / Ma Jin. Ha Jung Eun is too weak compared to Ma Jin and Pedersen.... she's often way too nervous. Anyways let's see

[chris-ccc]

If they win their semi-final (which I really do hope) it will be very hard to either play the Danes or Xu Chen / Ma Jin. Ha Jung Eun is too weak compared to Ma Jin and Pedersen.... she's often way too nervous. Anyways let's see

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Let's hope that the home crowd can steady down Ha Jung Eun.

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[chris-ccc]

Let's hope that the home crowd can steady down Ha Jung Eun.

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And sure enough, Ha Jung Eun played better than we expected. Lee Yong Dae is always playing well (his usual self).

Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun defeated Alexandr Nikolaenko/Valeri Sorokina (RUS) 21-18, 21-15 in 39 minutes at the Semi-Finals.

For the results, here is the link;
http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sp...73A7EF&draw=10

I think Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun can take out the title in their homeground tournament. Another day to wait and see.
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[Dokkie]

LYD/HJE surely the king/queen of this tournament, both in the final in both their disciplines.

[george@chongwei]

Although he lose in both finals, having played 6 tough sets in a day is absolutely amazing... salute to this guy.
same goes to Ha Jung Eun.. played 2 match.. must be very tired..

[pcll99]

Although he lose in both finals, having played 6 tough sets in a day is absolutely amazing... salute to this guy.
same goes to Ha Jung Eun.. played 2 match.. must be very tired..

Ha Jun Eun was very tired at the XD final today... but LYD was still full of energy still even at the end....