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Among the 60 greatest Vol. 1. No. 7
Thomas/ Uber review For Private Circulation Only
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May-June 2008
Saina sizzles in S'pore
SINGAPORE: Saina Nehwal’s stirring run into the semifinals of the Singapore Open Super Series (June 10-15) has reaffirmed her status as one of the most dangerous players on the circuit, and a potential top-10 player. That is no news to her fans, of course, since she has been in the reckoning after the four-star Philippines Open win in 2006. But what makes this special is that it is her best result at a Super Series tournament, a result got after failing to get past the quarterfinals of several major events. The quality of her opponents – she beat world no.17 Yao Jie, Singapore’s Gu Juan and Indonesia’s Adriyanti Firdasari, before falling to Zhou Mi in a cracker of a match in the semis – means she is just a few steps away from the top. “The match was very tiring. Saina is a very good player, and she displayed very creative shots. I think the crowd must have been pleased to watch the match,” Zhou told Badzine. “I think this is an excellent experience for me,” said Saina. “This will definitely boost my confidence for the next tournaments. However, it will also put a lot of pressure on me since my whole country has their hopes on me to do them proud.” Meanwhile, Saina’s compatriots had mixed luck. Anup Sridhar, expected to do well in the light of withdrawals of several top players, fell to Ayob Sairul Amar of Malaysia 21-17, 21-13 in the second round, while Arvind Bhat had a memorable win over Przemyslaw Wacha – a long-time nemesis of Indian players – 21-14 in the third. Arvind, however, lost to Denmark’s Joachim Persson after a close second game (23-25). Saina at Singapore Open: First round: bt Yao Jie (Ned) 21-19, 19-21, 21-13 Second round: bt Gu Juan (Sin) 21-19, 21-17 Quarterfinal: bt Adriyanti Firdasari (Ina) Semifinal: Lost to Zhou Mi (Hkg) 17-21, 21-11, 21-19. Cover Photo: BadmintonPhoto.com
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
Editorial... I’m often asked, especially by non-badminton friends, why I follow the game so closely. I’m usually at a loss for an answer; sometimes, however, the reasons are so apparent that I wonder how I forgot them in the first place. Indian badminton has the feel of a great community that pulls along together, even if, at times, disparate currents attempt to pull it apart. I was reminded of this while watching junior internationals Ruth Misha, Ashwini Ponnappa, Nitya Sosale and Soumya Padhye help out with the paperwork at the Union Bank All India junior ranking tournament recently. With over a thousand entries, the organisers were overworked and needed all the help they could get. It was thus heartening to see the four huddle over entry forms late into the night.
Building bridges: Badzine’s unique project PARIS: Badzine, the world’s most comprehensive badminton news and features website, has announced a unique initiative to bring followers of the game to watch the French Open Super Series. Badzine has organised host families at Paris who will provide free lodging to visiting spectators. The aim is to bring people together, French hosts and badminto n fans from all over during one of the biggest tournaments in the world, and minimize costs to the foreign guests by making lodging free. “We hope to create a new tradition in the badminton world, one of sharing the game in a different perspective,” says Raphael Sachetat, editor of Badzine and chief visionary behind
It isn’t just the juniors who help out. I once saw Anup Sridhar – then a two-time national champion – volunteer to umpire matches at a junior-level tournament; Arvind Bhat, likewise, has been accommodating of junior players and others associated with the game. This is what gives warmth to followers of the game. Badminton is not just about winning matches; it has a certain ethos of its own that goes beyond what happens on court. When Lin Dan and Zhang Ning announced their support for victims of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan, they validated their iconic status – not just as badminton champions, but as heroes who had transcended the sport. GUTS offers condolences to the families of victims of the quake, and wishes Lin and Zhang the best in their endeavour to raise money for survivors. E-mail: badmintonmania@gmail.com
BQ
Check your Badminton Quotient Prakash Padukone was awarded an honorary doctorate by which university? SMS your answers to 9844546292 (Please include your name)
Answer to last edition's BQ: Heryanto Arbi Winners: Jaseel Ismail Habeeb Rehman K 9447305795 Krishna Kumar
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May-June 2008
this project. “To us, this is a way of welcoming badminton fans to Paris, from all over the world and helping them to discover the French culture, to live with French people for a few days, and to take this opportunity to enjoy one of the best tournaments in the world – the French Open. It brings a human side to the competition and we are very keen on starting a new tradition of sharing our common passion among badminton lovers.” The event starts on October 28 with the qualifications rounds, and ends on November 2. You will have to take care of your travel expenses, your insurance, your food on site and other expenses in France. Lodging will be free as your hosts will welcome you in their houses and apartments. Accomodation will be within an hour’s drive of the venue. Badzine had earlier organised field trips in 2006 (World Championships Madrid) and in 2007, in Kuala Lumpur (French Badzine readers were completely taken care of). Both were a success and Badzine is preparing a third edition for the World Championships 2009 in India. Badzine hopes to make it a tradition until the World championships in 2010, and maybe influence other countries to do the same thing to promote the sport. Log on to: http://www.badzinetrip.com for details on the trip. Support for quake victims BEIJING: China’s badminton team has been working to alleviate the distress caused by the devastating earthquake in China, which happened while the Thomas/ Uber Cup was on. Zhang Ning, Lin Dan and the others have been raising awareness on the need to support victims. The team and their sponsors held a donation ceremony at their hotel on May 22. Lin Dan
donated the gold medal he won at the Thomas Cup, and auctioned his autographed shirt online. The money earned will be given to the Red Cross Association of China, and passed on to people in the affected area. “I was very much concerned when I heard about it and tried many ways to know more about the condition. When I came across the scenes on the television, I felt even worse. I hoped to help the victims in my own way once I get back to Beijing. I hope to bring help to them with my own hard work,” said Lin on his blog (translated by Ee Lyn for Badzine). Olympic champion Zhang Ning posted this poignant message: “A week has gone by. There were no more miracles that happened in the ruins, but the rescue team was still continuing with their rescue job; without giving up hope. May all of you leave in peace… I shall see all of you off with my birthday candles.” Zhang turned 33 a few days after the quake. Still the sport of choice Jakarta: In sport halls, on streets and just about every corner of Jakarta spacious enough for hitting around a shuttlecock, it is obvious badminton is still the game of choice for many Jakartans of various ages and walks of life. Badminton not only helps Jakartans get fit, it is a sport of bonding. “I’ve met other traders playing badminton. We don't just give each other a casual nod of the head anymore,” said Wang Wei Lung, a gemstone vendor at Rawa Bening traditional market, East Jakarta. Since last month, traders of the Rawa Bening gemstone market who like playing badminton have held several badminton events on the third level of a sport hall, still under construction, near the market. (Source: The Jakarta Post) Honour for a legend NEW YORK: Ten-time All England champion Judy Hashman has been invited to the opening of the new ‘home’ of the international Women's Sports Foundation. This involves housing the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame within the Billie King International Women’s Sports Centre which is now part of the Sports Museum of America. The Museum will open in early May “dedicated to the celebration of all sports and their significance in our lives and culture”. Hashman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995 and remains the only badminton player – among hundreds of pioneers, players and coaches – to be so honoured. This year’s ceremony took place in New York on June 8 and 9 and all Hall of Famers were invited.
May-June 2008
eye on India Sumeeth, Anuradha take Union Bank title BANGALORE: Anuradha Shrikhande of Maharashtra and Sumeet Reddy of Andhra Pradesh won the under-19 girls’ and boys’ singles titles at the Union Bank all-India junior ranking badminton tournament here on Thursday, June 12. Gopichand protégé Sumeeth Reddy held off Andhra teammate K Nandagopal in the U-19 boys’ final, in a match featuring fine attacking play. Tanvi Laad of Maharashtra eased past Sheshadri Sanyal (West Bengal) 21-8, 21-17 in the U-16 girls’ final, while Sameer Verma (MP) overcame the taller Vinay Hari (Karnataka) in the U-16 boys’ final. Padukone Academy trainee Vaishnavi Iyer, who had won the Kochi All-India tournament (under-13) earlier this month, won the Bangalore tournament as well. Neog is champ at Kochi KOCHI: Hirakjyoti Neog of Assam emerged the under-19 national champion and Madhya Pradesh shuttler Pratul Joshi won the gold in the under-16 event of the 7th Indian Oil Servo RSC all-India Junior Ranking Badminton tournament held in Kochi in the first week of June. The tournament is one of India’s biggest. In the under-19 final played at Kochi on June 7, Hirakjyoti Neog defeated Prakash Jolly of Karnataka 21-15, 21-17. Maharashtra’s Prajakta Sawant won the under-19 girls title. She beat her statemate Tanvi Laad 21-13, 24-22, but Tanvi took the U-16 title. Indian performances: Spanish Open Chetan Anand: bt Henri Hurskainian (Swe) 21-17, 19-21, 21-14 (Final); bt Andre Kurniawan (Ina) 21-17, 9-21, 22-10 (Semifinal); bt Stenny Kusuma (Ina) 21-7, 8-21, 21-10 (Quarterfinal); bt Andi Hartono (Ina) 21-17, 21-15 (2nd rd). Neha Pandit: lost to Maria Elfira (Ina) 21-16, 21-4 (Final); bt Karina Jorgensen (Den) 21-19, 15-21, 21-19 (Semis); bt Emelie Lennartsson (Swe) 21-9, 16-21, 21-14 (Quarters); bt Anu Nieminen (Fin) 21-18, 23-21, 21-16 (2nd rd); bt Solenn Pasture (GB) 21-13 21-17 (1st rd) . Aditi Mutatkar: bt Maria Febe Kusumastuti (Ina) 16-21 21-17 21-18 (1st rd); bt Nathalie Descamps (Fra) 21-7 21-16 (2nd rd); lost to Karina Jorgensen (Den) 17-21 25-23 21-11 (Quarters). Ajay Jayaram: bt David Leal (1st rd, Qual); bt Hannes Kaesbauer (2nd rd, Qual); lost to 3-Steinar Klausen (Nor) 21-16 21-23 21-16 (Final qualifying round) Toulouse Open: Aditi Mutatkar: bt Laura Molina; bt Patty Stolzenbach (Fra), bt Elisa Chanteur; lost to Olga Konon 21-14 21-5. Ajay Jayaram: bt Yoann Turlan; bt Henrik Toth (Hun); lost to Christian Lind Thomsen (Den) 24-22 23-21 (Quarters) Chetan Anand: bt Jordy Hilbink; bt Kasper Oedum (Den) 21-9 21-23 21-15 (2nd rd); lost to 3- Andre Tedjono(Ina) 21-12 10-21 21-12
GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
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Chetan Anand wins Spanish Open
Gutsy Neha nearly pulls it off
Neha Pandit (left) could not extend her dream run past Maria Elfira Christina
MADRID: Chetan Anand held off a tough challenge from Henri Hurskainen of Sweden to win the men’s singles title at the Spanish Open in Madrid on Sunday, May 25. Fifth-seed Anand edged past Hurskainen 21-17, 19-21, 21-14. Meanwhile, qualifier Neha Pandit ran an impressive streak of wins to enter the final, but fell to sixth seed Maria Elfira Christina of Indonesia 21-16, 21-4. Neha showed great composure under pressure right through, winning three three-set matches in the main draw, and one in qualifying. Anand’s biggest victory in the tournament came against top seed Andre Kurniawan Tedjono of Indonesia in the semifinal on Saturday. He thwarted a tough fight from Tedjono and kept his cool in vital moments of the game for a 21-17, 9-21, 22-20 win. His other victories came against Marcel Reuter of Germany, Andi Hartono and Stanny Kusuma, both from Indonesia, in the first three rounds. The world no. 49 should be able to gain some ranking points after this title. Neha Pandit showed excellent temperament to enter the final of the 32-player event. Neha’s best win was against third seed Anu Nieminen of Finland in the pre-quarters. She was a set and 12-18 down in the second round match but came back to clinch it 18-21, 23-21, 21-16. She won two more cliff-hangers, against Emelie Lennartsson of Sweden and Karina Jorgensen of Denmark, in the quarterfinal and semifinal. “The competition was at a very high level,” Neha tolk GUTS. “It was a hard-earned result for me. I won four three-setters because
my fitness was good; I’d been training at the (Padukone) Academy. That’s how I could pull on during the long rallies when even the Europeans were getting tired.” The 20-year-old, who is awaiting the results of her final year B Com exams, will return to Bangalore to train at the Academy. Having spent Rs 1 lakh on the trip, she says she has yet to decide on her participation at forthcoming overseas tournaments. Meanwhile, India no.2 Aditi Mutatkar’s troubles with closing out matches continued, as she lost her quarterfinal match against Karina Jorgensen after leading 21-17, 20-10 in the second set. Jorgensen won 21-17 23-25 1121, but fell to Aditi’s compatriot Neha in the semifinal, in another tough three-setter. Another Indian, Gayatri Vartak, fell in the second round to Xin Xu Bing of China in three games, after overcoming Yoana Martinez in the first. After the Spanish Open, the Indian contingent hopped over to France for the Toulouse Open. Here their performances failed to match up to the Spanish Open: Aditi fell to eventual winner, Olga Konon of Belarus 21-14, 21-5 in the semifinals. Both Gayatri Vartak and Neha Pandit lost in the first round. Ajay Jayaram fell in the quarters to Christian Lind Thomsen of Denmark, while Chetan Anand too was beaten in the quarters by Andre Kurniawan Tedjono, who went on to take the title. (See box for comprehensive Indian results at the Spanish and Toulouse Opens.)
Among the 60 greatest GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
May-June 2008
Photo: Dev S Sukumar
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Among the names selected by India Today as the 60 greatest since Independence, one is the face of Indian badminton — Prakash Padukone. This is a rare honour — for he shares that space with the likes of Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose. Dev S Sukumar was asked to pen a tribute by the national magazine for its 21st April ’08 cover story; the article that eventually appeared was cropped due to space constraints. Here is the full article: In July 2005, a packed hall of Indonesians in Jakarta gave a thundering ovation to an Indian badminton player more than a decade after he had last played in those parts. What was it, I wondered, about the Prakash Padukone persona that endeared him to a people whose language he couldn’t even speak? After all, it wasn’t like the Indonesians were short of badminton heroes. Several were present that day, for a commemorative ‘Evening of Legends’ event featuring exhibition matches among the best players of the Seventies and Eighties -- Rudy Hartono, Christian Hadinata, Han Jian, Icuk Sugiarto, Iie Sumirat, Morten Frost, Punch Gunalan. The Eighties! Has there been a more romantic period in world badminton? Matches showcased distinct styles and great characters – the attacking ferocity of Liem Swie King; the stubbornness of Icuk Sugiarto; the power of Luan Jin; the deception of Padukone; the fluidity of Morten Frost. All of them dressed immaculately and played sportingly. Sport never had better ambassadors.
The Indonesians, unbeatable in the Sixties and Seventies, were toppled by the Chinese who came out of international isolation in May 1981. The Chinese newcomers stunned everybody with their speed and power, and it was Padukone who
first showed how they could be countered. Using his control and precision, he’d slow the game to his pace; with his deception he would keep them off-balance and unable to anticipate. People still recall the 15-0 thrashing of Han Jian in the first game of the 1981 World Cup final at Kuala Lumpur. “I didn’t know what happened,” said Han Jian when I met him in 2007. Padukone was there at the right place, right time, or more appropriately you could say he strove to make it happen at the right place, right time. He was there when the ‘Open’ era of prize money tournaments began (he won the first Open tournament, the London Masters in 1979); he was there when television arrived. Among the uncommunicative badminton community dominated by the poker-faced Chinese and Indonesians, he and Frost were the ones who could articulate the players’ perspective to the English media. He was Oriental and Occidental at the same time – he was Asian by birth and upbringing, but he was at home in Europe; he loved the atmosphere of the halls of England, and the English treated him with great warmth. His best friend on the circuit was Morten Frost, and the two trained together and hung out together. And what about his game – a game no Indian has been able to replicate with equal success thus far? You could dissect a sportsman, classify his abilities in terms of strokes, power, stamina, intelligence. When you do this you’ll
May-June 2008
GINDIAN REATEST S
GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
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“I don’t resent the star status of cricketers, I feel the media could be more supportive of other sports.”
FEATHER TOUCH Oriental and Occidental, he was Asian by birth but at home in Europe and was the only player in the world top ten for a decade
Prakash Padukone
Badminton player 1 9 5 5
By Dev S. Sukumar
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n July 2005, a packed hall of Indonesians gave a thundering ovation to an Indian badminton player in Jakarta more than a decade after he had last played there. What was it, I wondered, about Prakash Padukone that endeared him to a people whose language he couldn’t even speak? The Indonesians, unbeatable in the ’60s and ’70s, were toppled by the Chinese who came out of international isolation in May 1981. They stunned everybody with their speed and power, and Padukone first showed how they could be countered. Using control and precision, he would slow the game to his pace and GIREESH GV
his deception would keep them offbalance. People still recall the 15-0 thrashing of Han Jian in the 1981 World Cup final at Kuala Lumpur. “I didn’t know what happened,” said Han Jian recently. Padukone was there at the right place at the right time. He was there when the era of prize money tournaments began (he won the first Open tournament—the London Masters in 1979) and he was there when television arrived. Among the uncommunicative badminton community, only he and Denmark’s Morten Frost could articulate the players’ perspective to the English media. He was Oriental and Occidental—Asian by upbringing, but
Q ?
uick TAKE
at home in Europe. His best friend was Frost, and the two trained and hung out together. What is it about his game that no Indian has been able to replicate with equal success thus far? Only Pullela Gopichand has cracked the world’s top ten, and that too for two years, but Padukone was there for a decade. Never in his prime did he lose to a no-namer and never did he let the country down in team matches. There have been great singles players in India but Padukone had the biggest impact on the world’s perception of Indian badminton. The author has written Touch Play, the biography of Prakash Padukone
Q: Which was his first major international title? A: Gold at the Commonwealth Games
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Q: Who was the Danish player with whom he used to train? A: Morten Frost Hansen
Q: When did Padukone win all four Grand Slam titles? A: In 1980
find that a lot of Indian players will be good enough to be in the world’s top ten. Except that, only one Indian men’s singles player since Prakash has cracked the world’s top ten, and that too, briefly. Pullela Gopichand was among the world’s best for two years. Padukone was there for a decade. Or you could take some of the young guns, like world no.26 Anup Sridhar, and wonder what else he could do. He works himself to the bone, has the weapons he needs, he can become hellishly confident and take apart the best players on the planet. And then he can have a bad day, and lose to some someone he has no business losing to. But that’s life, that’s the way sport works, and badminton is a hard business. And then you wonder at Padukone. Never in his prime has he lost to a no-namer; never has he choked under pressure; never has he let the country down in team matches. There have been great Indian men’s singles players – George Lewis, Prakash Nath, Devinder Mohan, TN Seth, Nandu Natekar, Suresh Goel, Prakash Padukone, Gopichand. It’s unfair to rank them, but there’s no doubt Padukone had the biggest impact on the world’s perception of Indian badminton. He was there when world badminton took the strides that made it what it is today. That he excelled during that time made India a country that is still reckoned with in the game.
The India Today poll began on March 14 and ran for three weeks through the India Today website and SMS. A total of 18,928 votes were registered; Bhagat Singh topped with 6,982 votes. The sportsmen who figure in the elite list are: Sachin Tendulkar, Viswanathan Anand, Dhyan Chand, Prakash Padukone and Milkha Singh. ‘They are the ones who set the stage for those who came after them to play out their romance,’ said the cover story.
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
May-June 2008
Punch Gunalan says goodbye JAKARTA: Datuk Punch Gunalan’s reign as Deputy President of Badminton World Federation (BWF) came to an end as he resigned after a vote of no-confidence during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Jakarta on May 17. The AGM was held on the sidelines of the Thomas/ Uber Cup. The controversial AGM reportedly went on for eight-and-a-half hours. The Mongolian Badminton Association had proposed the vote of no-confidence and after a secret ballot, a total of 142 members voted for the resolution while 38 were against. Gunalan, who had been involved in the world body since the 80s, did not show up for the meeting, but flew home to Kuala
Lumpur a day before the AGM after resigning as the BWF chief operating officer. Two other prominent figures – vice president Robyn Bryant and the administration committee chairman Eraj Wijesinghe – were also absent. BWF general secretary Stuart Borrie, however, told Malaysia’s The Star newspaper that Gunalan’s status would be finalised only after a meeting with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “Mongolia’s proposal on a vote of no-confidence was turned down by
the BWF at first. They however brought the case to the CAS, and CAS has asked us to look into this proposal during the AGM. We did and we now have the members’ decision. We will forward it to the CAS and they will make a decision.” Though the CAS was still to rule in the case, Gunalan decided to quit saying he “acknowledged the will of the membership” without waiting for the outcome of the arbitration. Gunalan, the 1974 Commonwealth Games champion and all-England finalist the same year, is seen as the architect of the rally point system introduced in 2006 to make the game more attacking.
The business of branding Perhaps no company has built as strong an association with one sport as Yonex has with badminton. Its success story, however, hides from its stark early days, when founder Minoru Yoneyama, a kamikaze in the Japanese army, escaped from the clutches of the invading Allies and started a business manufacturing wooden floats. He started manufacturing badminton rackets in 1957, and since then the Japan-based company has grown into a nearmonopoly in the face of competition from other UK and US-based brands. Ben Yoneyama, son of Minoru, and President of Yonex, visited Hyderabad during the India Open and then Bangalore in early April “to see for myself the progress of the sport in India”. Yoneyama played a short game with Prakash Padukone at his academy and later went down history lane with GUTS:
I’ve heard your father built up the company after the War. Those must have been hard times… My father was 21 when the War was over. He was a kamikaze in Okinawa. As you know, the place was over-run by the Allies, but he managed to escape. He didn’t like talking about those days, so I don’t know much about his struggles. He was manufacturing wooden shoes before the War. After that he got into making wooden floats for fishing nets. He was the eldest of five brothers, and he had to provide for the family. After the War times were difficult; he had to work hard. How did he get into manufacturing rackets? In the 1950s badminton was booming in Japan, so he started making rackets for another
us. Then he went to other tournaments. It was at one such tournament in Japan that he saw (Danish greats) Erland Kops and Flemming Delfs. I’ve never seen people so tall. He sponsored both of them, and the brand instantly got international recognition. Badminton wasn’t that popular a sport internationally, so my father realised that if we had to build our business, we had to promote the game too. So we started sponsoring tournaments across the world, and our brand came to be associated with the game.
Ben Yoneyama, President of Yonex, is aware of the legacy he has inherited. Photo courtesy: Sven Heise
company. That company went bankrupt a short while later. My father’s second brother was good at carpentry, he had good hands with wood. My father was good at selling; he was always a good salesman. They started making (wooden) racquets in 1957, a year after I was born. Soon everybody could tell our company’s rackets were the best in the market. Coming out a war-torn economy, what sort of vision did he have that helped make the company such an international brand? He had great confidence in the quality of his products. He sponsored a college team in Japan. That team was no.10, and with our help they became no.1, so everybody noticed
The game hasn’t really grown beyond its traditional bastions. What future do you see for it? China has been dominating the game, but it will be nice if India comes up. India has the potential to be among the best because you already have two All England champions (Prakash Padukone and P Gopichand). If there is stiff competition between five-six countries, the game will get exciting. What challenges do you foresee for the growth of the game? The bird-flu problem, for instance, must have affected your company. Yes, that was a problem. Our shuttlecock sales were hit… we have to promote badminton as the game of choice in urban areas. People are concerned about outdoor sports because of the dangers of UV radiation, and badminton can be promoted as a good alternative because it is an indoor sport. Also, the space required is far lesser, and that’s another selling point. And your father… does he play badminton? He plays golf (laughs). He’s 83 now, but he still follows badminton keenly.
May-June 2008
GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
It’s a Chinese double! China retained the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, but the title defence wasn't easy. Malaysia in the men's and Holland in the women's proved tough competitors, and the defending champions had to scramble past. Then there were some memorable matches elsewhere in the draw. GUTS brings you an overview of the tournament:
JAKARTA: China steamrolled its way to yet another Thomas Cup triumph, but the women’s team had it much tougher, narrowly scraping through a tough quarterfinal before disposing of Indonesia for its sixth straight title and 11th in the last 13 editions. After a first-round bye, the Chinese topped Group A by dismissing Nigeria and Canada, and then got past Thailand (3-0), Malaysia (3-2) and Korea (3-1) in the final, thus taking the Thomas Cup for the third successive time. The tough test came in the semifinals, when Lee Chong Wei upset Lin Dan (21-12, 21-14) to inject hope into the challengers. But Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng took apart a disappointing Koo Kien Keat/ Tan Boon Heong in the doubles, and Bao Chunlai consolidated for the Chinese with a 18, 7 result over Wong Choon Hann. Zakry and Fairuz leveled 2-2 for Malaysia with an excellent 17, 15 result over Xie Zhongbo and Guo Zhendong. It was left to the final rubber between Chen Jin and Hafiz Hashim – and many might have backed Hafiz, for Chen has been in poor form since his All England triumph in March. But
Indonesia's world no.33 Adriyanti Firdasari surprised everybody by winning four of her five matches -- her victims included the higherranked Yu Hirayama and Julianne Schenk.
China's no.2 Bao Chunlai held his nerve in a tense opening game against Korea's Lee Hyun-il to help his team gain the advantage in the Thomas Cup final.
Chen stepped up to the plate and showed why the Chinese are formidable even at their lowest form, as he whipped Hafiz 12 and 16 to ensure a path into the final. Meanwhile, Korea had caused early controversy by throwing their first two matches against England and Malaysia in Group B, to avoid running into China or Indonesia until the semifinal stage. In the event, they got the team they wanted – Denmark in the quarters, but they managed to subdue them only after a terrific fight. The match went into the fifth rubber, with Shon Seung Mo thwarting Jan O Jorgensen 11 and 9, to book a place in the semis, where they thrashed Indonesia 3-0. Given his loss in the semis, Lin Dan was expected to be under pressure in the opening match against the in-form Park Sung Hwan. The world champion, however, did not crack under the pressure and set the tie up for the Chinese. Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae made it one-all for Korea by beating Cai and Fu, but Bao Chunlai held firm with a spectacular 28-26, 21-11 win over Lee Hyun Il. If the tight first game had gone Korea’s way, perhaps the result of the Thomas Cup would have been different; but then again, that’s where China have proved to be so strong over the years. Zhongbo and Zhendong polished things off in the second doubles. In the Uber Cup, meanwhile, China weathered a stormy quarterfinal against The Netherlands to eventually romp to another
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title. The first three singles rubbers proved to be riveting three-set affairs – Yao Jie upset Xie Xingfang in the first; but Lu Lan held off Judith Meulendijks in an extraordinary battle – 22-20 in the third; Rachel van Cutsen made it 2-1 for Holland by beating Jiang Yanjiao. The two Chinese doubles pairs, however, overcame their opponents with relative ease. In hindsight, it was young Lu Lan who proved decisive in the quarterfinal. The match was China’s stiffest in a long time, and Holland had probably been within a point of a memorable upset, considering the closeness of the first three matches. No problems, however, in the remaining matches, as China overcame Korea (3-1) in the semis and Indonesia 3-0 in the final. Indonesia, notwithstanding their loss in the final, can go home with pride, for they scored upset after upset, overturning the form books with wins over Japan (4-1), Holland (5-0), Hong Kong (3-0) in the quarters and Germany in the semis – although it must be remembered that Indonesia were lucky to face depleted sides. Japan were without doubles ace Kumiko Ogura; Holland chose to field an under-strength team; while Hong Kong in the quarters were without either Wang Chen or Zhou Mi. Maria Kristin Yulianti and Adriyanti Firdasari performed way beyond expectations, giving coach Susi Susanti much to look forward to in coming years. The biggest disappointment was Denmark, which fell to Germany in the quarters – Tine Rasmussen even lost her opening rubber to Xu Huaiwen. With a disappointing Thomas/ Uber Cup campaign, Denmark must be worried.
Holland's Rachel van Cutsen (world no.64) stunned China's no.24 Jiang Yanjiao to raise hopes of an upset win in the Uber Cup quarterfinals.
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GUTS - A Window into World Badminton
May-June 2008
Chong Wei makes chow of Santoso By Serla Rusli/ Pearlyn Kwang Badzine
SINGAPORE: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei breezed through the field of the Aviva Singapore Open, taking the title after blowing away Simon Santoso in the final on Sunday, June 15. Lee won 21-13, 21-5 and US$15,000 in 29 minutes. Malaysia had excellent results in the men’s doubles as well, with Mohd Zakry Latif and Fairuzizuan Tazary beating compatriots Lin Woon Fui and Gan Teik Chai. However, Malaysia’s Wong Mew Choo fell to eventual winner Tine Rasmussen in the women’s singles semifinal. Rasmussen won the title beating Zhou Mi in the final. Simon seemed to give the Indonesian crowd a glimpse of hope through his fight during the first half of the opening game. The two players were trying to exploit each other’s weak points, which resulted in a close tie all the way to the 11-point mark. However, after that, Chong Wei dashed that flicker of hope when he stepped back to the court and displayed his array of skills that totally stunned Simon.
SINGAPORE SUPER SERIES Lee tore off 15 points in a row, the most that anyone has ever seen in the admittedly short history of Super Series finals. Simon was stranded at a 0-15 deficit. “Chong Wei played really well today. He was very prepared and on my side, I made a lot of mistakes,” said Simon Santoso, who was left clueless during most of the match. “Many of his shots were unexpected while I pushed the shuttle out too many times.” Lee, who expected a much tighter battle against Simon, told the press, “I never underestimated Simon from the beginning. Perhaps I’m more experienced after playing in Thomas Cup as well, and am more prepared. Nevertheless, this tournament has been a good preparation for the Olympics, for me to just get a feel of competitions before the one in August.” Misbun Sidek, the Malaysian singles’ head coach, gave the scoop on Chong Wei’s easy win. “What we tried to do just now was to penetrate into Simon’s play and exploit his weaknesses. Simon also tried to put forth a few
strategies that Chong Wei quickly broke before he could develop them fully.” The women’s singles final saw Tine Rasmussen versus Zhou Mi. It was a close affair with the world number 6 Dane just too good for Hong Konger Zhou, capturing her fourth Super Series title in nine months. “It’s more of my mentality,” said Zhou, the world number 10, when asked if her loss was due to her fitness. “When I play against other players, my weapon to break through and pull away is to increase the speed and pace of the game, but playing with Tine is different. Even as I increased my speed, she would respond by increasing her speed as well and it is challenging adapting to this.” Winners: MS: Lee Chong Wei; WS: Tine Rasmussen WD: Du Jing/ Yu Yang MD: Mohd Zakry/ Fairuz Tazari XD: Nova Widianto/ Lilyana Natsir
ALL PHOTOS OF CURRENT BADMINTON PLAYERS COURTESY BADMINTONPHOTO.COM
Editor: Dev S. Sukumar. Printed & Published by Dev Sukumar and Thomas J. Kunnath. P4, KSSIDC Industrial Area, Mahadevapura, Bangalore - 560 048. Printed at National Printing Press, Koramangala, Bangalore-560 095. Email: thomas@kunnath.in