Dominant China not counting chickens in Japan Open yet

Discussion in 'Korean Open 2004 / Japan Open 2004' started by ants, Apr 10, 2004.

  1. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    TOKYO: China are in four out of the five finals in the US$180,000 Japan Open. But they will not find it easy to win even one title at the National Yoyogi Gymnasium today. The quality of the opponents is such.

    World number five Bao Chunlai finally got the better of his more illustrious team mate Lin Dan with a 15-13, 15-10 win to reach the men's singles final.

    The 21-year-old Chunlai had lost to Lin Dan in three occasions since winning the Danish Open in 2001. The recent defeat was at the Swiss Open final.

    But he will have to snuff off a strong challenge from Singaporean Ronald Susilo in the final today. Ronald is on fire in the five-star tournament and will be going all out to win his biggest career win.

    He reached the final after eliminating South Korean Park Tae-sang 13-15, 15-10, 15-11.

    The world number 15 Ronald however, has lost in the last three meetings to Chunlai.

    Chunlai, who has only beaten Lin Dan in the short-lived seven point, best-of-five games system, said: “Lin Dan integrated himself quicker than I did to the 15-point system. That's why he has been winning recently.

    “Everybody in our team says Lin Dan is in his best form right now. We practice with each other a lot and we know each other very well. It depends on who can keep calm and today I did it better. That's why I beat him,” he said.

    Lin Dan, who took the Hong Kong Open, the China Open, the Swiss Open and the All-England besides being unbeaten in five matches in the Thomas Cup qualifiers, was not overly concerned about the end of his winning streak.

    “It could happen at any time, it's natural. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” he said.

    Elsewhere, it will be an interesting battle in the men's doubles final between China's Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng and second seed South Korean Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon.

    For the first time in a very long while, China will be strongly threatened in both the women's singles and doubles event.

    Holland's Mia Audina, who upset second seed Zhou Mi of China 11-4, 2-11, 11-4 will take on China's Gong Ruina in the women's singles final today.

    In the women's doubles, Ra Kyung-min-Lee Kyung-won of South Korea, who upset second seed Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen of China, will play another Chinese Wei Yili-Zhao Tingting.



    SEMI-FINAL RESULTS



    Men's singles: Bao Chunlai (Chn) bt Lin Dan (Chn) 15-13, 15-10; Ronald Susilo (Sin) bt Park Tae-sang (Kor) 13-15, 15-10, 15-11.

    Men's doubles: Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) bt Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian (Ina) 15-8, 15-11; Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon (Kor) bt Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto (Ina) 15-9, 15-9

    Women's singles: Gong Ruina (Chn) bt Zhang Ning (Chn) 11-0, 11-6; Mia Audina (Ned) bt Zhou Mi (Chn) 11-4, 2-11, 11-4.

    Women's doubles: Wei Yili-Zhao Tingting (Chn) bt Chien Yu-chin-Cheng Wen-hsing (Tpe) 17-15, 15-11; Ra Kyung-min-Lee Kyung-won (Kor) bt Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen (Chn) 15-3, 15-3.

    Mixed doubles: Nova Widianto-Vita Marissa (Ina) bt Jens Eriksen-Mette Scholdager (Den) 15-5, 15-12; Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thungthongkam (Tha) bt Chen Qiqiu-Zhao Tingting (Chn) 9-15, 15-2, 15-2

    TheStar
     

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