Li-Ning Singapore Open 2011

Discussion in 'Thailand / Singapore / Indonesia Open 2011' started by Loh, Apr 27, 2011.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    TODAY

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    by Low Lin Fhoong
    04:46 AM Apr 27, 2011


    Indoor Stadium could stage clash of the titans

    Badminton superstar Lin Dan will be here for S'pore Open, signs are world No 1 Lee will also come


    SINGAPORE - They currently stand head and shoulders above everyone else in men's badminton, two great rivals who look set to battle for the sport's top honours over the next couple of years.

    At 27, China's Lin Dan is already hailed as one of the all-time greats of his sport. Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei, 28, is in the form of his life, as he works towards fulfilling a dream at next year's Olympic Games.

    And they could well stage one of the great match-ups in the sport at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in June.

    Organisers of the US$200,000 (S$247,000) Li-Ning Singapore Open, which will be held here from June 14 to 19, announced yesterday that Lin Dan, the current world No 3, will play in the tournament. Lee, the world No 1, is also likely to be in the main draw.

    Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) vice-president Ng Yoke Weng, the organising chairman, said: "I promise you this year the Li-Ning Singapore Open will be ... exciting and will draw the best shuttlers from all over the world.

    "The world's top players will be coming down, and we will definitely see a lot of exciting matches ... they (Lee and Lin Dan) always get great support and hopefully we can see them perform well and meet in the final."

    The last time they clashed, Lee overcame a huge psychological barrier when he beat his Chinese arch-rival 21-17, 21-17 in the All-England final in March in Birmingham.

    It was the first time Lee beat Lin Dan to win a major title, and he became the first Malaysian to retain the All-England crown since the great Eddy Choong (1957, 1958).

    Revenge will be very much on Lin Dan's mind.

    The shuttler, one of a handful who have won the Grand Slam of Olympic gold, All-England, World Championships and Asian Games gold, will also look to land his maiden Singapore Open win.

    In a statement yesterday, he said: "Li-Ning Singapore Open is one tournament that I want to win and add to my collection of trophies.

    "Singapore is also somewhere I'd like to visit, the food is good, people are friendly and the place is very clean."

    One big reason fans here will get to see the world's best shuttlers is because the Singapore Open is the first super series event that will offer qualifying points for next year's Olympics. The qualifying period for the London Games starts on May 2 and will end on April 29, 2012.

    With the Indoor Stadium holding a capacity of 8,000 for the tournament, organisers expect a near full house for the semi-finals and finals.

    In the women's draw, China's All-England champion and world No 1 Wang Shixian and newly-crowned Asian champion Wang Yihan (world No 2) are expected to feature. India's world No 4, Sania Nehwal, has yet to indicate if she will be back to defend her singles title.

    Fans will see all the women play in skirts for the first time after the introduction of the new code by the Badminton World Federation, who want to ensure an elegant presentation of badminton.

    The new dress code was scheduled to take hold on May 1, but was postponed for a month to allow players more time to adapt to their new attire.



    Ticket details

    Daily tickets

    Adult: S$12 qualifying, preliminary rounds, S$24 quarter-finals, S$26 semi-finals, S$28 finals)

    Senior citizen/student: S$6 qualifying, preliminary rounds, S$8 quarter-finals, S$12 semi-finals and finals

    Child: 2-12 years, free until semi-finals. S$5 for the semi-finals and finals)

    Daily ticket (premium): S$17 qualifying, preliminary rounds, S$35 quarter-finals, S$40 semi-finals, S$50 finals

    Season tickets

    Early bird (April 12-May 12) Adult S$25

    Senior citizen/student S$15

    Premium S$80

    Normal period (May 13-June 19) Adult S$45

    Senior citizen/student S$22

    Premium S$120

    Tickets can be purchased at all Sistic outlets and online at www.sistic.com




    Yao Lei and Shinta in the spotlight
    by Low Lin Fhoong


    Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari will draw much attention at the Li-Ning Singapore Open, as the Republic's highest ranked women's doubles pair (world No 10) look to defend their title at the Indoor Stadium.

    The pair created history last year after defeating South Koreans Lee Hyo Jung and Kim Min Jung 21-17, 22-20 in the final, becoming the first from the Republic to win a Singapore Open title in 20 years. With the world's top players expected in town for the tournament, the local pair will face an uphill task. All-England champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang (Chinese world No 2 pair) and Japan's Satoko Suetsuna and Miyuki Maeda (3) will be among the favourites for the Singaporean pair's crown.

    Shinta, 22, and 21-year-old Yao Lei are currently in New Delhi and will start play in the second round today in the India Open Superseries event.

    Said Ng Yoke Weng, Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) vice-president: "No doubt there will be some pressure on them as defending champions, but I'm sure with home support, they will give their best and hopefully do equally well this year. This will definitely be a good start on their road towards the Olympics in 2012."

    Gu Juan - who qualified for the All-England quarter-finals in March - and Fu Mingtian, who are ranked 32nd and 39th in the world, respectively, will lead the hosts' charge in the women's singles, while Yao Lei and Chayut Triyachart (world No 31) will do battle in the mixed doubles event.

    The Republic will likely not be represented in the men's singles. Only the world's top 44 players are eligible for the competition and Singapore's highest ranked men, Derek Wong and Ashton Chen, are currently 66th and 70th in the world. LOW LIN FHOONG


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    China's world No 3 Lin Dan. GETTY IMAGES


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    World No 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. GETTY IMAGES



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    #1 Loh, Apr 27, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2011
  2. pjswift

    pjswift Regular Member

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    At least Spore reporters are not as dense as MAS reporters. Spore reporters report in the present. MAS reporters are just stuck in the past because they are just too lazy to do proper homework.
     
  3. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    coming to a court near you...
    Hilarious. The article even gave everyone a heads-up on "skirts"
     
  4. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    Can't say I disagree ;)
     
  5. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Taufik aims for a third title in Singapore

    TODAY


    [​IMG]
    by Low Lin Fhoong
    04:46 AM May 05, 2011

    SINGAPORE - Indonesian badminton superstar Taufik Hidayat will play in the US$200,000 (S$245,500) Li-Ning Singapore Open, which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from June 14 to 19.

    The former world champion and 2004 Olympic Games gold medallist will join a star-studded field that includes world No 1 Lee Chong Wei and arch-rival Lin Dan of China. Taufik met Lin Dan in the last eight at the Korea Open Superseries Premier 2011 in January, with the Chinese powerhouse coming away victorious 21-13, 8-21, 21-15.

    Taufik, 29, has not won a major title in four outings this season but will look to end that run here and claim a hat-trick of Singapore Open titles after victories in 2001 and 2005.

    Meanwhile, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) denied they were being sexist by ordering women players to wear skirts.

    "It has never been the intention of the BWF to portray women as sexual objects, and nor is that what we are doing," deputy president Paisan Rangsikitpho said.

    Some players have opposed the new rule, which will take effect at the Singapore Open. Rangsikitpho said women could continue to wear shorts, tights or tracksuit bottoms beneath the mandatory skirt.
     
  6. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

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    hmm.. seems like Lin Dan would really come this time;)
    No more disappointing mood for the crowd..
     
  7. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Now he's going to take revenge on your beloved Chongwei!
     
  8. Sealman

    Sealman Regular Member

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    hmmm LD might drop out due to 'injury'
     
  9. pjswift

    pjswift Regular Member

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    Agree.
    Read his comments about Singapore. He sounded more like a tourist than one with badminton fans.

    Whether he plays will depend on the draw and LCW s form. LCW usually treats SPO as a warm up tournament anyway. But if LD plays, LCW will be serious so it will be great.
     
  10. Ferrerkiko

    Ferrerkiko Regular Member

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    Hi bros: if Premium tickets increase from $80 to $180, will Fans still pay just to watch Lin Dan in the Final ?
     
  11. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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    This will be his final year for SO. If he doesn't win it, he is still not considered one of the best to win all. ;) He already missed on MO. ;) Time will tell. ;)
     
  12. Ferrerkiko

    Ferrerkiko Regular Member

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    Bro : what is your opinion , if Premium tickets increase from $80 to $180, will Fans still pay just to watch Lin Dan in the Final or Final tickets increase from $50 to $150, will fans pay just to watch Lee Chong Wei & Lin Dan Final ?
     
  13. pjswift

    pjswift Regular Member

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    Bro, Singapore is not China. The sports fans are not like concert fans. Concert fans will pay to watch their idols. Sports fans will just watch the matches on TV. Before Aviva became a sponsor, the ticket prices were higher and there was no TV telecast and the attendance was poor most days. Then Aviva did a survey and found a price range that will make badminton fans leave home for the stadium.

    This year s response based on a price hike should be a learning experience for SBA. But Spore badminton fans have been ultra price-sensitive. We will see if they are still so.

    We don t need either LCW or LD to attract the crowd. During Finals, as long as there are INA or MAS or SIN or THA representatives, the crowd will be decent. If there s a CHN finalist, the crowd will be about 20% CHN fans.

    I am not sure LD is hot among Spore youngsters. The last time I asked one daughter if she had heard of LD of badminton fame, she asked if he was the one with bad sportsmanship. And she s a canoeist! You see, in Spore schools, they play LD s poor behaviour in MO? as an example of bad sportsmanship. If they have found a better replacement for bad sportsmanship, then LD s image should be ok now.

    TH used to be the star attraction, I believe he still is. Boonsak is always popular and gets super support like an adopted son. PG is evergreen here. Singapore fans bring out the best in unheralded players. We get excellent matches every round regardless of the players status.
     
  14. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Luckily you highlighted 'injury', otherwise many fans will curse themselves for paying the much higher Premium tickets. I was tempted to do the same but sanity told me to save some money for transport and makan by paying only $15 for the season ticket. Maybe I may meet someone with VIP passes and get to sit in the premium section again?

    Or if the stars are absent I can stay home to watch.
     
    #14 Loh, May 6, 2011
    Last edited: May 6, 2011
  15. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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    If it is LCW and LD final. I will pay. ;)
     
  16. xenoy09

    xenoy09 Regular Member

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  17. xenoy09

    xenoy09 Regular Member

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  18. huangkwokhau

    huangkwokhau Regular Member

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    Some players will participate:
    BCL
    Chen long
    Du Peng Yu
    Sony
    Simon
    Hayom,
    Hans Kristian
    Peter Gade
    Jan O Jorgensen
    Tine Baun
    Saina Nehwal
    All Thai players
    Vita /Nova
    Butet/Towi
    Pia/Frans
    mel/Greys
    Rizal/Debby
    Bona/Ahsan
    Tony/Howard
    Moe/Boe
    Mads/RJ
    christina pedeesen/Joachim
    wang siao li/Yu yang
    xu chen/majin
    Zhang nan/Zhao yun lei
     
  19. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    At first I thought the pic was taken in Indonesia as your location indicated. You must be an Indonesian residing in Singapore.
    But the familiar heartland surroundings with Chinese signboards soon gave it away.

    Pity the birdman was not holding a Li Ning racket! ;)
     
  20. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    It's World No 1 Womens Singles player Wang Shixian's first trip to Singapore

    .
    It's current World No 1 Womens Singles player Wang Shixian's first trip to Singapore.

    Source: http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC110510-0000023/Chinas-best-shuttlers-for-Li-Ning-Singapore-Open

    May 10, 2011

    SINGAPORE - Badminton powerhouses China will be sending their "A" team to the upcoming US$200,000 (S$246,559) Li Ning Singapore Open at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from June 14-19.

    Headlining the star-studded line-up will be reigning Olympic men's singles champion Lin Dan (picture) and current world No 1 women's singles player Wang Shixian.

    Others in the squad are last year's men's world champion Chen Jin and 2009 Singapore Open winner Bao Chunlai.

    The Singapore Open is part of the OSIM BWF World Superseries, and the first to offer valuable Olympic qualification points ahead of next year's London Olympics.

    "It's my first trip to Singapore and I have heard many good things from my team-mates. It is a very clean and vibrant city … I cannot wait to be here," said Wang.

    Fans can also get involved in the "Spot the Shuttlecock Man" Facebook contest at www.facebook.com/pages/Li-Ning-Singapore-Open-2011/100455493375897.

    Tickets are available through SISTIC at www.sistic.org.sg

    .
     
    #20 chris-ccc, May 10, 2011
    Last edited: May 10, 2011

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