Eriko Hirose pics http://images.google.cn/images?q=Er...=1&hl=zh-CN&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N&filter=0
She is in a big slump now. I still remember right after athens olympic she made it to semi in a few big tournament and pose some threat to the chinese. However, nowadays, she could hardly survive until quarter final. Is she injured?
"...it was my duty..." Birmingham: Indian hope Saina Nehwal faltered in the quarterfinals of the All England Open badminton championships to a Japanese player who had to keep away thoughts of the devastating tsunami at home. The fifth-seeded Saina, who was expected to win at the event given the absence of some top Chinese players, lost 21-11, 22-20 to Japanese rival Eriko Hirose late on Friday. The match was contested evenly to start with but Hirose took control by breaking through the rallies that Saina generally wraps up in her favour. Saina came back in the second game and it went neck and neck but the Indian ultimately fell short as Hirose held her nerves to clinch the issue. With Saina’s loss, India’s campaign at the event ended as all her compatriots had already crashed out in previous rounds. “After my injury in 2007, I started to train really intensively and I can see now it’s paying back,” said Eriko. “I’m feeling very good at the moment and I’m really pleased with my game tonight. Moreover, after what happened in my country today, I really felt it was my duty to win my match today. I was so happy that my relatives weren’t hurt.” Full story: http://badmintonmania.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/all-england-saina-crashes-out-in-quarters/ I am rooting for Eriko to create a huge upset at the finals, and take the AE WS title this year!
ALL ENGLAND 2011 SF – Japan breaks two curses in one! Japan broke a long-standing curse, as no Japanese women’s doubles pair had entered a final of the Yonex All England Badminton Championships in 20-years. Fujii and Kakiiwa will be representing their country while Eriko Hirose also broke a 33-year old record, as the great Hiroe Yuki in 1978 was the last Japanese to enter a final here in England. By Tarek Hafi (Live from Bimingham); Photo: Badmintonphoto; Video: Mark Phelan Japan is becoming accustomed to breaking records in the All England Championships after Kenichi Tago cruised to the final last year. Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa broke a new record at the Yonex All England as the event has not seen any Japanese in the women’s doubles final in 20 years, a record they knew nothing about when asked after their match. “Really? I didn’t even know we did such a thing! I really don’t know what to say. I feel so honoured we achieved something like this,” said Kakiiwa. Before that, the Japanese girl, together with Fujii, needed to play their compatriots and friends, Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito in the semi-final. “It’s indeed difficult to play your compatriots, when there’s so much to earn in the end, but we all thought in the end, it wasn’t about who is going to the final it was more ‘let’s win for our country, to ease everybody’s heart when they are all suffering.’” On their end, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang needed to dig deep in their resources to beat Denmark’s new sensation duo Marie Roepke and Line Damkjaer Kruse (see video interview below), who were very close to creating another upset today. The young Danish pair provided a level play matching that of the Chinese players, using their excellent defence to counter attack Wang Xiaoli’s well-known lethal attacks. This status didn’t scare the mighty Scandinavians, who really troubled their opponents on the TV court. Nevertheless, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang earned a lot of experience having appeared in many last four spots in the past and they left no chances to the Danish girls in the third game while gaining their first spot together into the Yonex All England final. A few minutes after, it was Eriko Hirose (pictured), too, entering history, as she defeated Petya Nedelcheva, looking like she is at her best since the competition started, having all in her repertoire to sweep all her opponents. The lovely Japanese shuttler thus found success in her first All England semi-final and officially enters Japan’s great badminton history, when no Japanese girl haven’t entered the final since 1977 with the legendary Hiroe Yuki. “Petya is a very strong opponent I am so happy I managed to win my match today,” said Hirose afterward. “I feel like it’s a reward to all the Japanese people suffering at the moment, which is saddening me deeply and I feel at the same time so honoured to have achieved something like that, I must definitely give my best tomorrow, even if Wang Shixian is the number one seed.” It will be a first then for the two players, as neither one has competed in the All England final before. http://www.badzine.net/news/all-england-2011-sf-–-japan-breaks-two-curses-in-one/13548/
Will be rooting for her to give her all out performance to win the All england title today.. go japan!
Eriko always looks exceptionally happy when she wins. It's like she is thinking: "I can't believe I've just won!"
Pray for Japan, yes! For Eriko, that's debatable . I've always believed that it's only fair for the better player to win. But I really hope that the better player will be Eriko tonight .
Eriko has had a bit of an up-and-down year so far. The highlight was her incredible run at the AE2011, a beacon of hope to her country-people at a time when they were in deep despair at home. She made all of us here at BC also sit up and hope and pray for the near-impossible, that she would topple WSX (who was playing like a tigress then) and take the crown home. Sadly it was not to be, but she did stand on that podium. Ever since then, she has made it mostly to the round of 16, 4 times to the quarter-finals and just once to the semis. At the same time, other players have emerged or become stronger. Hopefully Eriko can re-discover the form and spirit she showed earlier this year. We would love to see her stand high up on the podium, soon!
...yes, but a well timed and honourable decision. Choosing the right moment to quit is a good skill to either have or learn. smautf