2009 U.S. Open daily recaps, happenings, side news...

Aaiihhh...

..forgot to mention this the other day. Yes, he is one of the legendary former INA shuttlers from the 80s & 90s. I didn't see what happened, but from what i heard, he did retire in the 3rd game due to a shoulder injury.

Btw, in today's MS Semifinal match between Hsueh (Taiwan) vs. Wojcikiewicz, the latter had to retire because of a knee injury. I didn't see what transpired, but he certainly had to ice his knee once he left the court. At the very least, he was able to walk off on his own. Too bad, as he had given some stiff challenge to the Taiwan player.

Be back later for the recap on the Semifinals day..

 

Eerrmm..

..a third pair of hands would be gladly welcomed..
One pair of hands to write down the reports..
One pair of hands to record the matches..
One pair of hands to capture all the actions on a DSLR...akhem!!

 

Day 5 Semifinals recap..

..okay, i was able to enjoy one more night watching the matches, while my partner in crime was busy lifting some extra weights..

XD matches:

For these 2 matches, I’ll just be brief because in fact, they were really brief matches.

- Howard BACH & Eva LEE vs. William MILROY & Fiona MCKEE. Scoreboard indicates otherwise to what really happened and how fast the match ended. In this particular match, it was so fast, it wasn’t even funny. For real, at one pt I was getting ready and all set to record the match, starting from the 11 pt interval, and was expecting at least a 6 minutes show. Nope, it never happened. I pressed the record button and the next time I looked up, the match was over. So, if anyone asks why the video is so short, then that’s the reason why.

- Alvin LAU & Xuelian JIANG vs. Toby NG & Grace GAO. Same deal as the 1st XD match. But at least I was able to record it a bit longer. Jiang XL was the difference in that match. Very aggressive player, despite her petite figure.

For the Finals, I would expect the Canadian pair to squeak out a win. IMO, the difference will be the plays of the ladies. Jiang is a motor and Eva needs to slow her down to have a chance.

 

Day 5 Semifinals recap continues..

WS matches:

Now, for those of you who love long rallies, hard fought battle, these 2 matches sure live up to their expectations.

Anna RICE vs. Nicole GRETHER. Both ladies came out firing in this match. Nicole went first as she kept Anna on her heels and put her stamp on the match in the 1st game. In the 2nd game, Nicole still kept the momentum, but Anna started to slowly and patiently find her rhythm and game back. With many beautiful rallies, Anna was able to wrest the 2nd game and level the score at one a piece. In the 3rd game, it was basically neck and neck until the middle of the interval. And that’s when the more consistent Anna finally pulled away and clinched her first ever U.S. Open Final appearance.

Mona SANTOSO vs. Michelle LI. This has gotta be the most exciting match of the evening. Down 1 game to the very energetic Li and still languishing in the first part of the 2nd game, something must’ve hit Mona and she started to play with more urgency. I would guess, the turning pt was when Mona got a very easy, loose return, which she smacked the shuttle just long. She couldn’t believe the call as she pleaded with the umpire. From that moment on, Mona’s fire started to ignite and she finally played with more vigor. Something clicked & she rallied back and took the 2nd game much to the big support from the crowd. In the 3rd game, which I missed cos I was away chewing and swallowing my dinner at the same time, Mona simply ran away and continued her assault with heavy smashes. It was all attacks from the Indonesian as Michelle could only respond with her many errors.
Yes, Mona’s come from behind win was unexpected and she will be competing in her first ever U.S. Open Final, surprisingly as a Singles player.

For the Finals, it’s hard to tell. Mona’s style of play and movements on court are not really smooth. Let’s see if she can keep up her attacks against a very patient and rally oriented Anna.

 

Day 5 Semifinals recap continues..

MS matches:

- Hsuan Yi HSUEH vs. Stefan WOJCIKIEWICZ. Stefan came out ready to play and challenged Hsuan Yi’s repeated smashes in the 1st game. With his patient type of game, Stefan held the fort and took the 1st game, pretty much unchallenged. In the 2nd game, things were still looking rosy for Stefan and everyone thought he would steal the match. But the turning pt happened at the interval pt. From then on, Hsuan Yi started to play with more patient and was able to create some easy pts from some clever set-ups. Add in also a few lucky touches here and there and Hsuan Yi was able to even the score. In the 3rd game, it was also even steven for both players. Up until Stefan apparently tried to retrieve the shuttle but for some reason must’ve turned his knee as he tried to move backward (that’s what I heard from another witness). I didn’t witness what happened, but the next thing I realized was they had just called off the match. Stefan was still standing as he was packing his belongings from the court, but was obviously in some pain.

- Taufik HIDAYAT vs. Carl BAXTER. Well, Taufik once again showed who’s boss. This time displaying more of his backhand x-court smash return shots which left Carl speechless and the crowd buzzing with the “Ooohs and Aahhs”. With his uncanny feel of the shuttle, at one pt showing off his backhand smash, Taufik was able to take the match relatively easily.

What’s in store for the Final? This U.S. Open title is for Taufik to lose.

 

Day 5 Semifinals recap continues..

MD matches:

- Jurgen KOCH & Peter ZAUNER vs. Martin BILLE LARSEN & Jacob CHEMNITZ. Unlike the previous night, Martin’s & Jacob’s game fizzled as the veteran Jurgen and Peter took matters into their hands and decided not to allow the same thing which happened to the English pair happens to them. Quick, fast and strong to the point, Jurgen and Peter wrapped up the match in a fast fashion.

- Howard BACH & Tony GUNAWAN vs. William MILROY & Toby NG. Tony is still da man. Enough said.

For the Finals, I would expect the U.S. pair to clinch and add another MD title to their collection.

 

Day 5 Semifinals recap continues..

WD matches:

- Ying CHEN & Yun (Grace) PENG vs. Priscilla LUN & Mesinee MANGKALAKIRI. The battle between 2 teachers and 1 of their pupils. In some instances, it was almost like another practice session out there for the veteran ex-China’s national players.

- Ruilin HUANG & Xuelian JIANG vs. Nicole GRETHER & Charmaine REID. The last match of the night. What can i say. It was long. It was sometimes boring. It was a few times unwatchable. It was a pure display of brute force vs. finesse play. But the crowd, those who patiently waited til the end, definitely enjoyed the 2nd half of the 3rd game. In the 1st game, it was brute force vs. finesse style. Nicole & Charmaine showed their power as they rumbled through the 1st game. The Canadian pair seemed to have no answer for Nicole & Charmaine non-stop attacks. In the 2nd game, things were still going good for Nicole & Charmaine. But the Canadian pair never gave up as they forced the 3rd game. In the final game, Charmaine & Nicole were still displaying their imposing power. But things started going southward, for Charmaine & Nicole, after the interval. At a few point in that last half of the game, the constant pleading of shuttles to be changed by Charmaine and Nicole almost turned comical. Nonetheless, the Canadian pair rallied, put pressure on Charmaine to make plays and dished out 11 straight pts to clinch their first ever U.S. Open Final.

My hunch says, the Canadian pair to win. Once again, Jiang is the motor.