Can you fill me in on how Tania Luiz played? Tania and Stuart are up against the top seeds but ah well.. she's a stunner, lol.. ^^..
Hahaha I passed on your message to Kimberly who laughed out loud and told me what happened. Apparently during the World Champs when the cameras are doing the random scan on the crowd, they hid behind their coats to avoid appearing on camera and that just made the cameramen kept focussing on them...very funny. She unfortunately couldn't remember who you are but said thanks for the good wishes..she's still looking for her sponsor. She and her partner lost in the quarterfinals to the tournament second seeds, Bellingam/Hindley.
Yes, it is disappointing that all the Malaysians lost except for Sairul in the quarterfinals. Well Tze Yang, next time you think you see me, come up and say hi..I'll probably be walking around taking pics of the players! Already got heaps and will put them on here soon.
Continued report of the Quarterfinals, Friday, 26th August MD: The men's doubles quarters was a bitter sweet affair for the host nation as their no.1 ranked pair and tournament top seeds, Gordon/Shirley easily disposed of NZ juniors, Tam/Cheng, 15-3, 15-3 and would take on the HK pair Lam/Tam, who defeated another NZ junior pair, but in three sets. Unfortunately, NZ's no.2 ranked pair of Cooper/Bellingam was upset by their Aussie nemesis, Ashley/Stuart who would go on to meet their countrymen, Cooper/Denney in the other semis. WD: Disappointment in the Malaysian camp continued after the loss of tournament 2nd seed, Sutheaswani Mudukasan as Chor/Lim did not live up to their top billing, succumbing to a two set loss to a pumped up Aussie pair of Wilson-Smith/Lucas. This game was unfortunately ruined by terrible umpiring by a NZ umpire who was really an embarassment which saw him sighting unfairly with the Aussie pair. One of these glaring incidents involving Chor serving to Lucas who grabbed the shuttle after she initially missed hitting it and then complaining to the umpire that she wasn't ready yet and the umpire had the point replayed. This is shocking given that under international badminton rules, if you're not ready, you're meant to put up your hand and not attempt to hit the shuttle. Anyhow, when it happened exactly the same time again, this time the umpire actually said "I can't give you another chance anymore or it would be too obvious!" Geez!! Chor/Lim were also faulted at least 6 times alltogether either in serving or receiving serves. Interesting call by the umpire given that the girls were never faulted ever once in their 13 years of playing badminton tournaments in serving or receiving. Shame really. I jokingly teased Chor later on by saying perhaps because they had such short bodies that their racquets constantly looked like they were above their waists when serving . A whack with her racquet was all I got for my troubles In other games, Gordon/Runesten-Petersen, the silver medalists from the Commonwealth Games 2002 beat a junior NZ pair to move into the semis to play against Wilson-Smith/Lucas. The other semis will feature all kiwi pairs, Flavell/Shirley vs Hindley/Bellingam. XD: The top 4 seeds of the tournament played to the form book and would be facing each other in the semis. World Championship bronze medalist and tournament no.1 seeds, Shirley/Runesten-Petersen would take on no 4 seeds Brehaut/Luiz of Australia in the first semis. Second seeds kiwi pair of Cooper/Shirley will take on another Aussie pair, Denney/Wilson-Smith, seeded 3rd.
Sizzling Semi-final Action! Auckland - Second to last day of the Equinox NZ Open 2005 proved to be a sizzler, which is more than I can say for the weather Time sure flew when you're having fun..I'm sure I speak on behalf of the almost full house spectators at the Gillies Badminton Hall when I say that it sure didn't feel like we spent almost 5 hours 'oooh-ing and aahhh-ing' at some of the great shots demonstrated by the semi-finalists of the tournaments. I managed to take many pictures and will be posting them in due course. First, let me take you through the mouth-watering matches on offer today: Men's Singles First time in the tournament that Sairul got tested where he actually had to play more than 5 rallies to win a point! Also first time that the spectators at the Gillies Badminton Hall were treated to a display of Sairul's skill and ability as he sliced, diced, smashed and dashed and ultimately brought Conrad Hueckstaedt, the German 5th seed to his knees (literally at one point), the Malaysian winning 15-6, 15-5. It was hard to tell whether the crowd enjoyed the game more than the players' on court antics. Conrad tried to psyche out Sairul by staring him down each time he wins a shot and shouting with pumped up fist and all. Bad move really by Conrad given Sairul's more superior skills as the Malaysian decided to let the German taste his own medicine, mimicking the German when he won the points to the delight of the crowd. No points for guessing who had the last 'shout' in this match The other semis took place at the same time as the Sairul vs Conrad game, but on the next court. I'm surprised I haven't become cross-eyed from trying to capture all the actions happening on both courts. HK youngster, Chan Yan Kit was indeed the oriental rocket pocket as he took off from the start of the game and never once looked back, beating tournament 2nd seed, Bobby Milroy of Canada in straight sets, 15-10, 15-10 . His ability to read his opponent's game, combined with his fluid movements around the court and deadly smashes will truly make him a handful for Sairul in tomorrow's final. If he proceeds in this manner, the world will have to stand up and pay attention, watch this space! My bet will still be on Sairul to win obviously! Sairul boleh! Women's Singles First semis game featured NZ hopeful and no.4 seed, Rebecca Bellingam against one of the 3 Indonesian 'armadas', in the form of their no.1 player, Fransisca Ratnasari. Initially, Rebecca matched the Indonesian in most areas of the game as they moved each other around trying to find weaknesses in one another's game. Eventually, Fransisca showed her class, making less unforced errors and adopting pin point accurate placing shots to sink Rebecca in straight sets 11-5, 11-4. The second semi final match understandably received less interests as Yulianti Kristin took on teammate Adriyanti Firdasari. However, the crowd soon got into the game at one set all and the two players went up another gear. Firdasari thrilled with her amazing net-play which saw the shuttle tumble over at least 5 or 6 times to the frustration of Kristin who managed to trick her opponent many a time with her deceptive cross court slices. Eventually, Firdasari prevailed 11-3, 6-11, 11-5. Men's Doubles These were the last matches played in the day but the crowd's patience in waiting for them was well rewarded. First up, no.2 seeds, Denney/Cooper showed their more junior teammates Gomez/Brehaut how it was done. Everything the younger pair threw at their seniors came back like a good ol boomerang. Denney/Cooper's defence had been solid all week and it saw them winning easily 15-1, 15-3. Then came perhaps the most exciting game of the day, with HK's Lam/Tam taking on tournament top seeds, Gordon/Shirley of NZ. Cheered by the voicerous Chinese section of the crowd, the HK players played aggressively and it was neck to neck until about 10-10 before a few mistakes and some powerful cross court smashes by Shirley pulled the kiwis away to win 15-11 in the first. It was obvious in the beginning of the second set that the HK pair who threw everything in their armoury against the kiwis was starting to tire and it became apparent that they could not fight the impending tide that was washing them ashore, taking its surfers with it into the final, second set score being 15-5 It will be an exciting final given the kiwis' attacking play versus the aussies' defensive style ala Ricky/Rexy vs Jalani/Razif Sideks (ok, not same league..but hey, beggars can't be choosers!) My prediction (and perhaps a bit of bias) is that Kiwis will win. Women's Doubles After the exit of the Malaysian doubles pair, I was somehow comforted that at least there were 3 kiwi pairs in the semis, outnumbering the sole Aussie one. Tournament 2nd seeds, Hindley/Bellingam made short work of Flavell/Shirley, the surprised semi finalist in this tournament 15-3, 15-8 (Shirley was overheard saying constantly, "I can't believe how lucky we are to be in this easier half othe draw!!"). The other semi was of course more exciting given the trans Tasman rivalry. Gordon/Runesten-Petersen who lost to Wilson-Smith/Lucas earlier in the year in Perth in a badminton tournament managed to turn the table this time, defeating the Aussies 15-9, 9-15, 15-3 to set up an all Kiwi final tomorrow. Hindley/Bellingam may just squeezed through on this one in my prediction of the final. Mix Doubles Runesten-Petersen/Shirley had little trouble living up to their top billing and perhaps the confidence gained from reaching the World Champ semis played apart in their demolition of the Aussie pair, Brehaut/Luiz, 15-5 15-7. Unlike the women's doubles, it won't be a all kiwi affar in the final though as the Aussie party poopers (as far as the kiwis are concerned anyway), 3rd ranked Denney/Wilson-Smith threw the form book out of the window in their upset win over the 2nd seeded kiwis, Cooper/Shirley, winning 15-13, 15-8. My prediction of the final? You really want me to spell it out? Go kiwis! This is Adelina Ong, reporting live from Auckland. Until tomorrow, ka kite ano (Maori for goodbye )
Pics from the Quarterfinals Hi guys, here are the pics from the quarters: 1. Runesten-Petersen 2. Rebecca Bellingham vs Michelle Chan, both of NZ 3. Lim/Chor (MAL) vs Wilson-Smith/Lucas (AUS)
More Quarters pics 1. View of all 3 courts in the hall 2. Fransisca Ratnasari (INA) 3. Fransisca vs Kudeshani Mudakasan (MAS)
Your descriptions are just so 'graphic'. Very enjoyable HK for the MS winner! (Sairul will win though )
Finals Day - Women's Singles Auckland - It was a great day for badminton in New Zealand as we received live telecast coverage on national tv of the finals of Equinox NZ Open which was no small feat given this is afterall a nation of rugby and netball. The first event of the day was the women's singles featuring Indonesia's top two players, Fransisca Ratnasari vs Adriyanti Firdasari. It was a close first set as the players try to exploit each other's weaknesses, which of course they know so well, playing and training together in the past. At 8-8, an unforced error plus couple of good smashes saw Firdasari surged ahead to take the first set 11-8. The confidence earned from winning the first set spurred her on and she was never troubled in wrapping up the match 11-5 in the second set to win the inaugural women's singles title together with a winner's purse of US$2,250.00. Pics: 1. Both players in the start of a rally; 2. Ratnsari concentrating hard; and 3. Firdasari's winning pose with yours truly.
Finals Day - Mix Doubles It was a classic Trans-Tasman rivalry between tournament top seeds, Shirley/ Runesten-Petersen and the 3rd seeds, Denny/Wilson-Smith who had clashed many a time in the White Trophy but this is the first time the Aussies are playing the newly crowned Bronze medalists at the World Champs. Expectations were high on the NZ pair to deliver and to add to the pressure was the importance of winning the title to gain more valuable points to boost their rankings prior to the start of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next year. The Aussies came out firing and after the initial nerves, the kiwis lived up to the nation's and indeed their own expectations by crushing the Aussies, 15-8, 15-4 in 36 minutes to continue their winning ways following the World Champs. Pics: 1 & 2: The opponents facing one another; 3: Adelina mixed in the doubles and Sara's bronze medal won at the WC
Finals Day - Men's Singles This is definitely the hightlight of the finals day as top seed Sairul Amar Ayob takes on the centre stage to try and win his maiden IBF tournament, albeit only a 1 star one. Standing in his way though was hopeful up and coming youngster, Chan Yan Kit of Hong Kong who already earlier sent tournament no. 7, no.3 and no.2 seeds packing. It would be his biggest badminton achievement if he could add the World no. 17 to his list of casualty. This was not only a great match because of the players' respective calibres and colourful repertoire of shots, but also the fact that they had their own voicerous and boisterous group of supporters. Each time a group yelled out "Hong Kong, Kar Yau ('add oil')", it would be instantly rebutted by the Malaysian supporters screaming "Malaysia Boleh, Sairul Boleh!" The HK player drew the first blood with a high jumping smash followed by his pumped up fist and shout of "Saaaa!" (As if the crowd needed anymore pursuasion to echo his shout!) Not to be outdone, Sairul unleash several cross court smashes to win a few points himself and soon they were tied at 5-5 and took turn leading one another until 10-10. Then as if stepping up a gear, Sairul would punch some clears to Chan's backhand corner forcing him to often backhand clear which would almost definitely be punished by Sairul's steep smashes. Sairul claimed the first set 15-8. Sairul seemed to have lost his concentration in early of the first set to let the crafty HK player raced to a 5-0 lead before he registered his first point. Soon it was neck to neck again before Sairul regained the lead and soon comfortably reaching 14-9. Then his concentration lapse or perhaps nerves got to him which saw Chan wrestled the serve back after a titanic energy zapping 30 rallies and catching up slowly. Of course, what kind of dramatic final would it be without some controversy? Two dodgy calls by the linesmen saw Chan clawed his way back to level at 14-14 and forcing deuce. Sniffling victory in the second set and cheered at feverish pitch by his supporters, Chan smashed and pumped his fist all the way to reaching game point at 16-14. Showing true class and grit of an experienced player, Sairul snatched back service, maintaining his composure to level at 16-16 and earning his first match point. Taking a deep breath before he served this time must have calmed his nerves as he patiently rallied and executed a very tricky cross court drop shot that caught Chan unaware. The HK player dived to retrieve the shuttle but this was easily tapped by Sairul who leapt for joy before going over to hi-5 his supporters and coach, securing his first international title after a battle that lasted just under an hour. Pics of the players in action
Finals Day - Men's Doubles After the Men's Singles, before the crowd had a chance to catch their breath and moved away from the edge of their seats, they were once again caught up with the excitement that is the men's doubles with another Trans-Tasman battle on the way. This time it is top seeded kiwi pair of Gordon/Shirley taking on Australian 2nd seeds, Denney/Cooper. Although the games were nail-bitingly close all the way, somehow watching the game, you sensed the Aussie's determination and preparation for this match as they picked on the weaker player, this being Gordon and their game plan worked, so well that the Aussies finally managed to upset their more fancy opponents, scoring a 15-11, 15-9 win, robbing Daniel Shirley of winning another title after his mix doubles win earlier with Sarah Runesten-Petersen.
Finals Day - Women's Doubles This was an all kiwi affair and unfortunately suffered a bit of an anti-climatic effect, especially also being the last event of the day, everyone in a hurry to see the prize giving. No one obviously told the girls that as they played their hearts as two sisters (Rebecca Bellingam (nee Gordon) and Nicole Gordon) left their affection for one another at home in facing one another in this match. Eventually, the 2nd seeds Bellingam/Hindley defeated the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games silver medalists Gordon/Runesten-Petersen (also spoiling Sarah's plan for a double victory), 15-7, 15-8 in less than 40 minutes. The prize-giving then followed. Here are the pics of the WS, MS and MD.
