Ehm.. (i wasn't there to witness his win, live).. ..not to take away anything and esp. his win in this IO, and to an extent downgrade the level of competition in this yr's IO, but how many top 10 MS players were competing in this IO??...Sony has the potential, but he just needs to go out there and show his potential consistently and against the best of the best. Again, IMO, it boils down to what's going on in between Sony's ears.
^^Taufik...^^ ..was in Jakarta.............................................but he didn't compete... Anyway, point is, Sony needs to show up & play more like he did this past week and in last yr's WC, when he went all the way to the Finals.
Hendrawan said that, "Many said Sony plays really slow...but if he can earn scores out of that, why not?" It reminds me of Hendrawan himself and Susi. Both were "slow" and defense-type players. They often earned points just because the opponent went weary or got impatient and impulsive and made their own errs. Gez, it's just a matter of style. IMHO, there's no one type of playing style that is better than other styles. It's all back to everyone's fighting spirit and endurance. So, I'm still optimistic about Sony moving a higher ladder
The standings I gave are, IMHO, the highest yet. I didn't include the 2003 Asian Championships because China didn't play. Similarly, without China, the SEA Games is quite a depleted field And a bronze is quite an oddity in badminton, isn't it?
Yes..but 2003 wasn't the only yr CHN missed the ABC.. ..i remember, the 2003 ABC was a controversial one, as CHN squad pulled out at the last minute (they cited the event doesn't award ranking pts etc.)...However, i don't think that should diminish Sony's accomplishment, with or without the CHN squad's presence. As for the 2005 ABC, the only CHN's MS representatives were Li Yu and Chen Jin. Li Yu was drawn in the same half as Sony. However, guess what happened?? Well, if i'm not mistaken, the CHN squad also withdrew at the last minute. see: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26654 (post #5) Thus, they weren't able to play. Should we also take out Sony's 2005 ABC title from the list because there weren't any CHN MS players playing??.. As for last yr's Chinese Taipei Open, as far as i remember the MS draw, the only CHN representative was Chen Hong. Even so he was basically playing on his own (technically, he was no longer in the national team); unfortunately if he wanted to play, he had to play under the CHN flag. Further, Sony was on the other half of the draw and Taufik took out Chen Hong, in their own half, to reach the Final. In a way, it wasn't Sony's fault he didn't meet Chen Hong or any CHN player in his own half of the draw. As for the SEA Games, understood CHN was never a part of those games.
I watched the tournament live. I saw Sony beat Bao, I think he was more patient this time. Not rushing it with his smashes and just taking it slow. When I told him that he played really well, he just smiled. What a low profile guy Yeahhh.. I also met his girlfriend. In fact he introduced her to me and my friends *me and my friends are Sony's biggest fans*. She's really pretty and nice. Was broken hearted at first, but I'm glad they're together.
Yes, I watched the tournament live for three days. I watched Sony beat Bao Chun Lai. I think this time he was more patient and didn't rush things with his smashes. He usually does that and make unforced errors. When I told him he played well, all he did was smile. Very low profile guy Yeahhh.. I also met her and he even introduced her to me and my friends *me and my friends are one of Sony's biggest fans*. She's really pretty and friendly. Was broken hearted at first, but trying to get over it now..haha Anybody else watched Indonesia Open 2008 live? Maybe you may have seen me and my friends. We were wearing a t-shirt with Sony's face on the front and in big red letters"SDK Indonesia" on the back..hehe
Yeaahhh... I was there. I watched Sony play in the 1st and 2nd round also at the semifinal. I think he was more patient this time, not rushing things with his smashes, that's why he didn't make a lot of mistakes When I told him that he played well against Bao, all he did was smile. Very low profile guy Yes, I have met Sony girlfriend and he even introduced her to me and my friends *we are Sony's biggest fan* Broken hearted at first, but she's really nice
Sony said that he might get married next year but not sure.... He just celebrated his birthday yesterday ( July 7) and he is 24 now....still have 4 or 5 yrs to go....before retirement...hehe
Not a good news for his badminton career. Once married his "4 to 5 yrs" retirement might become "less than 12 months" like you know 'who'....hehe
Belated Happy Birthday, Sony May the year ahead be kind and generous to you. May the month ahead be particularly good for you