Day 1... ...hmmm, not much action. Arrived earlier in the day & the organizer were still setting up the place with abt 1 hr to go.. ..but we're fully underway with the Qualification Rd. ..now, waiting and pondering if our dear DinkAlot will show up....hmmmm.. videos highlights of Day 1 action will be up later...stay tuned..
Day 1 recap.. ..well, basically it was a very slow day. A day for those Qualifiers who wanted to get into the main draw. Unfortunately, from what i witnessed, none of them really stood out. There were supposed to be a couple or so Qualifying Singles matches, but it wasn't meant to be as it turned out to be all Doubles matches galore..On top of that, all, except one match, lasted for 2 games.. One player which got a bit of my attention is David Neumann (i have a video of him playing). He has this rather peculiar way of serving. In his XD match, he would serve a side-forehand serve. But in the MD match, he would do your usual backhand serve. But there's more to his backhand serve. What he would do is move his racket from one side to another, delaying the actual serve to abt 4-5 seconds. They were using 4 courts for today. Not sure if they would keep it the same for R32 and R16. Crowd wasn't a lot. But i would guess it would be quite full tomorrow as Taufik, and a lot of other players/pairs, will be competing . After the Qualifying Rd ended, a horde of players converged on all the courts to partake in a training session. If i recall, i saw David Snider (CAN) doing some sort of floor exercise, using some kind of a rubber tubing on his hip/waist. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow will present a much entertaining day..
owh, so here we go!! of course we all are hungry for more tidbits and side news action in this usa open, chris! keep it coming!
I am planning on going to this for the first time, when should I start lining for Saturday's finals matches to get a good seat? I heard the doors open at 5. Thanks for the info so far.
I saw Taufik's game tonight against a local player named Tam Nguyen. I was kinda disappointed cause I didn't see much action from Taufik. He probably only used 10-20% of his skills to beat Nguyen 21-3, 21-10 in 16 minutes. He was toying around this local player with a few tricks and one or two 'weak' smashes. Nguyen got most of his points from Taufik's errors or from his usual laziness not trying hard enough to return the shuttlecock. I have to give Nguyen credit when he dare to challenge Taufik on the net several times and try to hit the shuttle cock to Taufik's backhand several times (he ended up getting punished by Taufik). The funny thing was: Nguyen was so proud (and honored) to be able to play Taufik. He always have his smile before, during and after the game. The funny thing was: after the game he took a picture in front of the score board with his name and Taufik's name on it with the score of 21-10. Everyone applauded him when he did that. Although he lost, I'm sure he will always remember forever this rare opportunity to play the great Taufik Hidayat.
Day 2 recap.. ...just want to share these before my mind is really toast & i forget everything.. ..2nd day turned to be a more entertaining day. There were a few matches which caught my attention and definitely caught the badminton-thirsty crowd. - The match between Nick Jinadasa vs. Charles Pyne (Jamaica) turned out to be a pretty competitive match. I think it's the longest Singles match of the day, if not one of the longest. Both sides were pretty even, it just at the end, the more persistent Nick was able to pull through. - The MD match between Halim & Phillip vs. Flores & Quang MN turned out to be a crowd pleaser. After losing the 1st game, the former regroup and slowly but surely clawed their way back. Add the boisterous crowd support and one of the local fan favorite pairs made it through to the R16. - The crowd definitely was hooting and cheering for the elder Rudy Gunawan in his MD match. Pairing with Ignatius Rusli (who's back after a brief career stint in INA), the elder Gunawan still showed that age really does not matter as they beat their younger counterparts. And he still is going strong... hmm, let's see what else.....Ohhh.. - The XD match between Kowi & Santoso vs. Do & Ying Chen turned out to be interesting after the former lost focus towards the end of the 2nd game. - Another local XD pair, Gunawan & Ketpura also drew thunderous crowd support, after they trailed in their match vs. the pair from CAN. In the 2nd & 3rd game, the savvy Gunawan showed who's boss in the doubles field as he regained control and brought back the confidence needed for a pleasant come from behind win. - The 2 CHN Taipei's Mens' Singles players are definitely the ones to watch. I wouldn't be surprised if they reach the QF or even the Semis Rd. However, in Doubles, they weren't so dominating as they lost to the Lin brothers. - Agus Wijaya didn't encounter any obstacles. He was in control in both of his Singles as well as Doubles events. - The English boys of Ellis & George really played well in upsetting the pairing of Kowi & Gouw. Sharp and formidable in their game. - Lee Hock Lai was, again, the motor behind the engine of his partnership with Priscilla Lun. However, with Priscilla hobbled by an ankle injury, suffered earlier in her WS match, it was more than what Mr. Lee could handle as they lost a tough one to the Canadian pair. - As for Taufik. Well, he came out of nowhere (his match being delayed for several minuted), he wowed the crowd, he played the crowd, he toyed with his opponent, he left an indelible mark for his opponent and he disappeared into the thin Orange County air, the same way he arrived for his match. Same sentiment as what Seasider wrote. - Finally "officially" met and chatted a bit with smashie54. Wow, she really has a plan for her near future, looking to expand her baddy career in Denmark. Nice to finally meet you, Lauren & hope for the best in your future endeavor. I hope i wasn't being too chatty.. ...i think that's all i can remember...will post more if i recall anything interesting...for now, it's back to work with the videos and pics... Daylightkiller took some pics, maybe he wants to get us going first with the Day 2 pics??..
One more to share (since George asked).. ..so, after the last match ended, and my back nearly about to explode, i passed by Sattawat and asked him, if he had advanced to the R16 and who would he meet next?..He looked at me and started to smile, and before he whispered another word, i strung out "Are you meeting Taufik?!?!"...After i blurted that out, Sattawat pulled a smile which turned into a wide grin and said, "Yes, i'll be meeting Taufik tomorrow"...Now, i don't know if that's a smile of giddiness of being able to play against Taufik or was it a smile of "Oh boy, here comes Mr. Taufik!". Anyway, i congratulated him and wished him good luck in his match vs. Taufik which Sattawat graciously replied, if i recall correctly, "It's okay, it'll be a good experience for me."...
David Snider defeats Lee Hock Lai 21-15 21-12. Sorry for all you guys that PAWED against the Pan Am Champ.
oopz! my bad haha M B Larsen defeats Chi Yuan Lu 18-21 21-18 21-12. (yay) Stephen W defeats Agus Wijaya 21-17 21-16. (yay)
Hola gang... ..i just finished my dinner and the badmintoncentral.com media team is abt to pack up & leave OCBC... Well, Sattawat tried his best but just came up short...I'll try to ask him later what he felt after playing against Taufik... ..will resume posting in a few hrs..
Quickie Day 3 recap.. ..okay, just a few comments before i bore you guys to death.. A few surprises tonight. Well, not really. - First, Lee Hock Lai succumbed to Mr. Snider of Canada. I did not see the entire match, but from the scoreline, perhaps he's somewhat affected by last week's BBC tourney up in NorCal? - Second, the match of the night definitely belonged to the MD match between Halim H. & Phillip Chew vs. the combo pairing of Koch and Zauner. The crowd cheering definitely kept me awake as i was losing it a bit trying to stay awake. They cheered the local pair almost non-stop. In the end, after a hard fought battle, i guess it wasn't meant to be for one of local favorite pairs. - Third, it was indeed a battle of 2 pair of sisters when the Yeh twins faced off against the Thomas sisters. Yes, both pairs were also petite. The crowd support for the Yeh twins definitely aided them as they pulled off the longest match of the day by outlasting and perhaps out-staminizing their counterparts, the Thomas sisters, from Wales. - Fourth, last yr's runner-up survived a scare after losing the 1st game to the CHN's Taipei's Chi Yuan LU. The 2 lanky players played their hearts out, but Martin's die-hard attitude pushed him through to the QF round. - Yes, Taufik came, he enjoyed the crowd cheering for and against him and he left. Just like he did on Tuesday night. However, Sattawat gave Taufik a run, early on, as he challenged Taufik at the net (Sattawat even gave Taufik a taste of his net-play medicine which resulted in the crowd's approval). But at the end he just couldn't keep up with Mr. Hidayat. I didn't see Sattawat pose in front of the scoreboard, like Tam Nguyen did the previous night, but i definitely heard one of the largest applauses from the crowd for his effort. hmm, what else??... - Oh, the THL clothing line finally rolled out on Wednesday night. Fresh off the production line as they were hanged & put on display in a roller hanger type equipment. I asked one of the people there if they just brought it out and he said "Yes". Too bad, i was so tired, that i totally forgot to take pics of his THL line. Maybe next time. Alright, that's all for me to share.. ..post what? his match videos? if so, yes, but only for a few minutes..Really, a few minutes is all you need to watch his performance in this tourney...Now with Lee Hock Lai going the same road as last yr, i wonder who will really challenge the Wild Child of Badminton??..hmmm..
Someone please record the match between David Snider and Taufik, I would like to see how Taufik toy with him.
I watched your 6 day2 videos last night. Didn't see TH and any of the double matches. Will you be posting more day2 videos? Thanks a lot for your effort!!
^^I need a..^^ ..really fast computer. Do you have 1 i can use right now so i can send all of the videos & have them all be ready by this evening??..:crying: Yes, there are more Day 2....and even Day 3 videos in the storage vault. ..i just need a computer upgrade.................................... ...this is gonna be the eeeeeeaaaaaasiest ever title for Taufik. If he doesn't win, then i think he should completely quit playing badminton. I think he should come to the U.S. Open every yr so he'll win more titles..
