Lin Dan leads China to All England badminton sweep

BIRMINGHAM, England, March 9 -- Olympic champion Lin Dan led the Chinese badminton team to sweep all the five titles in All England Badminton Open on Sunday.

In a replay of the Beijing Olympic final, Lin upset current world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-19, 21-12 for his fourth men's singles victory in Birmingham.

Wang Yihan, 21, stunned Danish top-seeded Tine Rasmussen 21-19,21-23, 21-11 to win her first major title in her second All England.

China also captured all the three doubles golds to become the first nation since Denmark in 1948 to win all five events at this prestigious tournament.

While they had a clean sweep in the 1987 world championships in Beijing, it is the first time for them to collect all titles overseas.

Chinese head coach Li Yongbo believed that glory came out of harder work.

"Definitely Chinese are the best in the tournament. I don't know if in every event, but they are the best this time.

"We have the best players and best coaches and they work closely together. And most of all, they train really hard. I can say no one else could work harder. That's exactly the reason why we are successful."

Chinese had booked women's doubles gold and silver before Zhang Yawen and Zhao Tingting beat Cheng Sui and Zhao Yunlei 21-13, 21-15 in an all-Chinese final, and third seeds He Hanbin and Yu Yang added mixed doubles title, fighting back from a game down to beat South Korean duo Sung Hyun and Ha Jung Eun 13-21, 21-15, 21-9.

Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng held their nerves and completed the sweep with a 21-17, 21-15 victory over Han Sang Hoon and Hwang Ji Man of South Korea.

The final between Lin and Lee, the top two players in the world, turned out to be another lop-sided one after Beijing where the Chinese sensation thumped Lee 21-12, 21-8.

Although the first game had twists and saw Lin come back superbly from 19-17 down to take the next four points, he reeled off seven points in a row from 14-12 to 21-12 to register his ninth victory over the Malaysian in their last 10 meetings.

"Even the first game, I felt it's under control although I didn' t handle the situation well at some points and became impatient. But I soon reconcentrated and won back," said Lin.

"I think today I played well and I was totally composed," he added.

Lee, apparently upset with another heavy loss to his arch-rival, admitted that Lin enjoyed the psychological advantage over him.

"Yes, I think so. But I'm ok. I hope I can try again and I'll never give up," said Lee, playing in his first All England final.

"Today we still had a good match. I had chance when leading 19-17 in the first game but I squandered a few points by easy mistakes. I don't know. I lost focus. If I could have snatched the first game, it could be a different result."

Lee also promised to try different ways to beat Lin.

"I think Lin played even a lot better than in the Olympics. He improved his speed and attacking. He's a good attacker and has good speed. Maybe I have to break his rhythm next time."

Coach Li Yongbo also responded to China's controversial absence from international events for months this year.

"Each team has its own arrangement and we did that upon players' need. They need rest. Can't you say it's a bad decision today?

"We don't think that much. It's nothing weird. But I hope other teams won't follow our example. They won't have the same result," Li said with a smile. (Xinhua)

Badminton-China goes it alone to retain dominance

BEIJING, (Reuters) - China believes it has found the solution to the dwindling number of youngsters playing badminton but its proposed professional league looks certain to put it on a collision course with world governing body, the BWF.

As the country's top players do battle at this week's All England championships in Birmingham, the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) says there are now just a thousand registered players in China and the relaunch of a national league is essential to boost those numbers.

"The league is a must, as it is the only way to commercialise and promote badminton," CBA spokeswoman Wang Yuyan told Reuters.

Inevitably, however, the proposed league would result in Chinese players shunning international events to play at home.

"You cannot burn the candle at both ends, we will have to give up some international tournaments," China's head coach Li Yongbo told state media.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF), who got an inkling of what to expect when China withdrew all its leading players from last season's first Super Series finals, said on Wednesday it wanted to talk to the CBA about the league.

"The BWF is concerned with the development but welcomes open discussion on the issue for the mutual benefit of all parties," BWF chair of events Paisan Rangsikitpho told Reuters by e-mail.

MEDAL WINNERS

China has dominated badminton since the country returned to the international sporting arena in the 1970s. Chinese players won 11 of 20 medals at the 2007 world championships and eight of 15 at last year's Beijing Olympics.

In an increasingly affluent China, however, parents restricted by law to one child no longer see sport as an attractive way for their sole offspring to get on in life.

The CBA's solution is the six to eight team league, which it says has already attracted 20 million yuan ($2.92 million) in sponsorship ahead of a projected start by the end of the year.

"This will make more and more Chinese parents let their children play badminton since they can see hope through the league," said Liu Fengyan, director of the Badminton and Table Tennis Administration.

The CBA admits clashes with the international calendar are inevitable but says they will be kept to as few as possible.

"The league is carefully working on the schedule to co-ordinate with the international tournaments as much as possible," said Wang.

"The national team's performance on the international stage must not be affected, as well as the status China has held in the badminton world," she added.

PLANNING STAGE

The league, announced with a flurry of publicity last month, is still at the planning stage, however, and the CBA is well aware that China's previous professional competition collapsed seven years ago when it ran out of money.

Liu said the league would initially be experimental, while the influential Li has suggested it would be safer to start with a smaller league and develop it step by step.

"If we run a league at a cost to the national team's interests, I'd prefer no league," said Liu.

Despite China's huge success in international badminton, the CBA are in no doubt that the country will face a crisis in the mid to long term if the present decline is not arrested.

"Chinese badminton faces a challenge," Liu said. "Many provinces have shelved their badminton teams ... at the same time there have been no new teams formed for 30 years."

The nationwide network of grassroot amateur sports schools, the base of the Chinese sports pyramid which has been producing talented youngsters for provincial and ultimately the national team for years, is also struggling to attract students.

While China's world-beating badminton squad, which boasts world and Olympic champion Lin "Super" Dan, attracts a huge amount of support, few youngsters, it seems, are playing badminton for more than fun.

Another benefit of the league, Liu believes, would be to offer financial rewards to the many top quality badminton players who fail to make it into the national team -- several of whom have defected to other countries in recent years.

"A badminton player has very little chance to succeed unless he can make it into the national team," Liu said.

"Who is going to do this if they are unable to make a living after decades of intensive training?"

The shortage of young talent has already had the sometimes acerbic Li complaining about the poor quality of new recruits to the national team.

"They have no distinguishing techniques, no will to fight and not even the vitality of youth," he said.

Badminton: Tine aims to defend badminton's All-England title

BIRIMINGHAM, England: Tine Rasmussen, who not long ago worked as a secretary to help fund her badminton, will defend her title the All-England Open which starts on Wednesday as the only woman who has loosened the Chinese dominance.

The last decade has seen 43 of the 50 All-England titles go to Asian players, fully 29 of them to China. And in women's singles eight of the last ten were won by Chinese.

But despite being past her mid-twenties before making her surge from obscurity, Rasmussen is now world number one, the winner of the first two Super Series tournaments of 2009, and a reasonable bet, in European conditions, to test the world's greatest badminton nation again this week.

The 29-year-old Dane is tall and striking, and her style strong and attacking, but her character is an intriguing mix of assertiveness and vulnerability. She also attributes her wonderful start to the year in Korea and Malaysia partly to the power of love.

"Um, I think we, er, we had some things at home, private stuff," she said with an engaging diffidence. "And it was finished.

"We were building up our house, me and my boy-friend, and we had a lot of stuff to decide on all this time. And just before Christmas we moved in," she said.

Because she is often recognised in the streets in Copenhagen, Rasmussen will wisely reveal only that their house is in Fredenborg, just north of the Danish capital. But about her emotions she was more forthcoming.

"It all gave me a feeling of being relaxed," she said.

"I also was able to let go of myself and play my best. Because when badminton becomes everything in my little world up here," she said, pointing in jest to her head.

"It gives me pressure."

"But when I feel I can have a perfect life, and a perfect family, all those things make badminton a smaller thing. That was maybe why I played my best after Christmas."

The influential boy-friend is Martin Baun, who is also the Danish team physio, and therefore around to lend support much of the time.

"He's been asking questions, maybe that I haven't been asked before, and asking some questions which hurt," Rasmussen volunteered bravely. "But they help me get better."

She also has a better understanding of why she wins against some of the Chinese players.

"Lu Lan is a very good player, and rarely loses to anyone much lower, but in a final maybe doesn't have the same confidence," Ramussen reckoned.

"She's the most stable player and I have a lot of fights with her, but the last three times I was the winner, so that's fine by me," she said, smiling.

"Zhu Lin didn't show much confidence since the Olympics, maybe because she was disappointed," Rasmussen claims.

"She can play higher than Lu Lan but she can play quite a bit lower too. But she can play like the world champion she is.

Even though Rasmussen beat Wang Chen both in Malaysia and Korea, she still emphasised the Hong Kong player's good points.

"She has fine movement, and is very clever on court as well," she says.

"But it's like she plays when she's in the mood. If she isn't, she doesn't play that well. Maybe the injuries are her biggest enemy now".

Rasmussen will also have to cope with two other Chinese, Zhou Mi and Xie Xingfang, both of whom have won the All-England title before.

"But I see them all as players I am even with," she says. "If I play my best it is difficult for them to play me with the right tactics."

How did she come to compete so well with such great players?

Among the many answers are a recovery from a long-lasting achilles injury, a new scoring system which suited her, increased confidence, and greater professionalism in diet, training, schedule, and psychology.

"I have always had a strong attack; it has always been a big part of my game. But it just had to come together, you know," she explained.

"I used to make a lot of mistakes and I was not that good at running on court, and maybe mentally I was not that strong against the best players," she admitted.

Inevitably she finds herself saddled with comparisons with her former team mate, Camilla Martin, the 2002 All-England champion, and 1999 world champion.

"I have just a few titles and she has won 15 or more," Rasmussen emphasises. "This has nothing to do with Camilla. She is one of a kind. I want to be just Tine and show that Danish women's singles is still on top."

Inevitably too, expectations have escalated. "She is our Chinese killer," Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, a Danish coaches, once memorably said, without meaning offence to the world's best badminton nation. "But she is one against many Chinese. China will always be the favourites."

Fancied pair Koo-Tan can’t afford to rest on their laurels

One of the early men’s doubles favourites Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong cannot afford to take forty winks in the All-England even in the absence of two key pairs.

A number of scratch combinations and rising young pairs will be lurking dangerously to scalp them in Birmingham.

On Monday, the organisers confirmed the withdrawal of the Olympic and world champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia due to the former’s knee injury.

The Indonesian top seeds have been replaced by qualifiers Kasper Faust Henriksen-Christian John Skovgaard in the main draw.

The men’s doubles event had also lost some of its glitter earlier when South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung announced that they will not defend the title because of the latter’s obligation to serve under the country’s military programme.

In their absence, 2007 champions Kien Keat-Boon Heong and 2005 winners Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng of China will start as favourites.

Denmark will have two strong pairs — second seeds Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen and Mathias Boe-Carsten Morgensen — in the pack to challenge for the title.

The others expected to give a good account of themselves are Malaysia’s Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and England’s Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson.

But one cannot underestimate the scratch partnerships of Yong-dae-Shin Baek-cheol and Indonesians Candra Wijaya-Joko Riyadi.

Yong-dae-Baek-cheol in winning the German Open last Sunday showed that they have the ability to spike the early favourites.

Candra-Joko are playing in their first international tournament and Indonesia can count on the experience of the former to make the pair strong challengers.

In the Malaysian Open in January, Candra teamed up with Luluk Hadiyanto for the first time and they reached the quarter-finals.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong are expected to meet Candra-Joko in the second round.

Said Kien Keat: “It will not be easy to play against a pair we have not played against before. But we are well prepared and it is our hope to do well in our third outing in the All-England.”

Indonesia will also be banking on two younger pairs — Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano and Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan — to ruffle some feathers.

The Koreans, in a bid to add more depth to the men’s doubles, have in the competition three other upcoming pairs — Han Sang-hoon-Hwang Ji-man, Cho Gun-woo-Ko Sung-hyun and Kwon Yi-goo-Yoo Yeon-seong.

(Source: thestar.com.my)

Yong-dae and Baek-cheol among the pairs to watch in Birmingham

South Korean scratch pair of Lee Yong-dae-Shin Baek-cheol have put themselves among the pairs to watch in the All-England after making a point in the just concluded German Open.

In Mulheim, Yong-dae-Baek-cheol, who are playing in an international tournament as a pair for the first time, claimed the men’s doubles title beating Japanese Kenichi Hayakawa-Kenta Kazuno 21-13, 21-16 in the final last Sunday.

Yong-dae is with Baek-cheol because his regular partner, Jung Jae-sung, is not available because of his obligation to serve under the national military programme. Yong-dae-Jae-sung won the All-England title last year.

With Yong-dae-Baek-cheol’s recent exploits, they are seen as the dark horses to emerge as the All-England champions.

They are in the same half of the draw as Malaysia’s Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and England’s Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson.

The absence of top seeds and Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia have further opened up the race to reach the final from this half of the draw. Yong-dae-Baek-cheol could be up against Zakry-Fairuzizuan in the semi-finals.

(Source: thestar.com.my)

Results Quarterfinal German Open GP ’09

Results Quarterfinal German Open GP ’09
All China To Semifinal, Malaysia Out of Luck

The absent of China’s team at Malaysia SS and Korea SS in the beginning of this year to follow centralization of training finally showed the results. At their first international tourney this year, China’s players in B team successfully create many upset in the quarterfinals and progressed to semifinals. In contrary, Malaysia’s players following Denmark step without any envoy in the next round.

Men’s Doubles

The new collaboration, Lee Yong Dae/Shin Bae Cheol (5) opened quarterfinals match against Japan’s pair, Naoki Kawamae/Shoji Sato. In the first game, Lee/Shin came with their aggressively smash attack and net play before ended it 21-14. But in the second game, the Japanese looks more solid and aggressive to force rubber set 21-12. Naoki/Shoji had lead 4-0 and 6-3 in the third but with his experience, Lee Yong Dae manage to tie up Japan’s pair at 6-all and alter their position into 13-9. Although the Japanese try to equal the score 11-14 and 13-16, Lee/Shin didn’t give any chance for them to evolve their match and shut the chance with 21-15.

These two Korean still have their edge in the semifinals round to take final ticket from seeded #2, Robert Blair/Chris Adcock. England’s pair should work hard to eliminate Malaysia’s Mak Hee Cun/Tan Wee Kiong, 21-16, 11-21, 21-19.

Feud between senior players Flandy Limpele/Halim Haryanto against Tony Gunawan/Howard Bach is another interesting match on the court 3. Gunawan/Bach who playing solid in front of the net and less of errors closed first set 23-21 after loosing their 2 match point. In the second, Flandy/Halim showed of their dignity with huge gap 12-6 and 17-9. America’s pair could manage their point and nigh the score 16-20 but it seems too late because Flandy/Halim firstly ended this set 21-16.

Flandy/Halim renascent their score 11-12 after went down 3-9 in the decider match. But eventually this set goes to experience pair, Gunawan/Bach who keeps their lead 15-11, 18-13 and 20-14 before winning it 21-16.

In the next round, America’s pair will face new raising star, Japan’s Kenichi Kayakawa/Kenta Kezuno. After 30 minutes thrilling match against new Malaysia combination, Gan Teik Chai/Tan Bin Shen, Kenichi/Kenta ends their journey 21-18, 21-16.

Mixed Doubles

Although he lost with Halim in Men’s Doubles category, Flandy still has his chance with Russia’s Anastasia Russkikh. In the afternoon match against 7th seed, Han Sang Hoon/Kim Min Jung, this Indonesia-Russia pair had went down 12-15 in the first set before took it 21-18. The Korean leads huge gap 14-6, 16-7 in the second and forced into decider set 21-13. Final game looks belong to Han/Kim when they’re executed Limpele/Russkikh 14-9 and 15-11. But with their solidifying heart, Limpele/Russkikh took 4 consecutive points and tied up the score 15-all, 17-all before winning the match 21-17.

In the semifinal match, Flandy/Anastasia will battle against China’s Xu Chen/Zhao Yunlei (5). This runners up China Open SS stanched Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun/Ha Jung Eun 21-12, 21-15 for 27 minutes match.

The other semifinals match will be held between Olympic semifinalis, Lee Yong Dae/Lee Hyo Jung (1) and China’s Zheng Bo/Ma Jin. Duo Lee has no essential problems to crash England’s Chris Adcock/Gabrielle White (6), 23-21, 21-16. Meanwhile, Zheng Bo/Ma Jin who destroys semifinalist Korea SS 2009, Diju/Jwala (4) in straight set. Leading 12-8 after toilet break, the Chinese ran away and took first set 21-17. In the second game, Zheng/Ma constantly keep their huge lead from 8-1 to 12-5 and 17-9 before shut the door with 21-12.

Men’s Singles

China’s team secured one place in the final after Gong Weijie and Chen Long makes their great impression over two seed players and progressed to the next round. The winner World Junior Championships 2007, Chen Long creates one of the big upset when he stop Malaysia’s senior player, Wong Choong Hann (3) in third set match. Loosing so easy 9-21 in the first after making so many errors, Chen find his own game in the second set when he fallen behind 1-6 and 4-7. Surely he grabs 6 consecutive points and taking the lead 10-7.

Wong comeback with his game 14-11 but once again Chen fight to attack with his smash until the end of set 18-16 and 19-17 to force rubber set 21-19. The miracles happen to Choong Hann when he stuck 2-13 and 5-15 but then make it 16-17 with his magic. In the critical points, Runners up China Open SS 2007 ran out of gas and surrender to Chen, 17-21.

Semifinalist German Open 2008, Gong Weijie also makes upset when he beat India’s Chetan Anand (2) for almost one hours match. Gong leading 17-13 in the first but then lost 19-21. Chetan almost ended this match in second set when he founds the way out 19-20 after dwindle 15-20. But Gong firstly closed this set 21-19 and forced the rubber. Lost from his focus and power, Anand couldn’t leveled Gong in the decider. His placing and netting secure some points but not sufficient to close the gap 6-16 into 10-20 and ended with 12-21

Eric Pang (7) is the only player in this category to prevent All Chinese Final match as he stops Korea’s, Hong Ji Hoon 21-8, 21-14 on yesterday’s match. But his task is not easy because he has to eliminate favorite winner, Bao Chunlai (1) who dusted Andrew Smith (5), 21-11, 14-21, 21-7.

Women’s Singles

Zhu Lin (1) and Wang Yihan (6) also opened the chance for All China Final in the ladies event. After erased Elizabeth Cann’s dream to semifinal stage 21-8, 21-17, the winner of Indonesia SS 2008, Zhu Lin will against Netherland’s Judith Meulendijks for final ticket. Judith finally stopped the journey of raising star, Bae Youn Joo in 51 minutes rubber set match. Bae Youn Joo seems gonna be lost easily in the second after surrender 15-21 in the first set. Her tenacious in the second changes everything since she takes the lead 13-5, 14-6 and 19-14.

As experiencing player, Judith almost closed Bae’s chance when she grabs 5 consecutive points to make it 19-all and anticipate Bae’s first match point into 20-all. Bae’s luck finally ended this set 22-20. In the third, Bae ran out of luck when Judith gave no chance for her and stir her game. Leading with 12-4 and 17-7, Judith took this set 21-11.

In the other hand, Wang Yihan will meet homeland’s hope as the second seeded, Xu Huaiwen. Wang breezed Korea’s Hwang Hye Youn (4), 21-13, 21-10 when Xu Huaiwen frustrated Japanese youngster, Sayaka Sato 21-10, 21-10.

Women’s Doubles

Two Russian pair, Anastasia Russkikh/Ekaterina Ananina (7) and Valeria Sorokina/Nina Vislova (5) failed to prevent Asia’s domination in this sector. Russkikh/Ananina lost from China’s Pan Pan/Tian Qing, 21-14, 21-14. But their nation should be proud with Sorokina and Vislova after took second set from world #3, Lee Hyo Jung/Lee Kyung Won (1).

Fallen behind 13-21 in the first, Russia’s pair came with their aggressive attack in the second. Also with some errors in return from Korea’s pair, they’re taking huge lead 13-6 and 16-10 before ensure this set 21-18. Everything were going to be different in the third. Russia couldn’t fight with their own way and surrender 15-21.

To keep their crown as defending champion this year, Duo Lee probably have to pass two Chinese pair, Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei (6) and Pan Pan/Tian Qing in the next two round if their compatriot’s Ha Jung Eun/Kim Min Jung (2) unsuccessful to struck down Pan/Tian on their semifinals match.

Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei goes to semifinals after winning over Japan’s Fujii Mizuki/Reika Kakiiwa, 21-14, 21-8 when Korean ladies, Ha/Kim threw out Singapore’s Yao Lei/Shinta Mulia Sari (6) 21-16, 21-13.

Results Day 3 German Open GP ’09

The Danish team came with their 2nd level of players to this tournament, now out of luck without any shuttler in the quarterfinals round. Hans Kristian Vittingus (12) as the last envoy of Danish player, lost from seeded #2, Chetan Anand in the third round. Meanwhile, all of China players have better luck to advance the next round.

Men’s Singles

The first upset of Day 3 German Open Grand Prix 2009 opened by the world #54 from Korea, Hong Ji Hoon who destroys seeded #12 the winner of Swedish International Challenge 2009, Jan O Jorgensen in rubber set, 22-20, 21-23, 21-19 for the longest match more than one hours. Both players have equal skills but Jorgensen has less of luck at the end of first and third set. Hoon finally took his quarterfinal ticket after beating another seeded from Japan, Kenichi Tago (4) , 21-14, 11-21, 22-20 in the third round.

The other Japanese shuttler, Sho Sasaki (6) take an advantage from his junior, Kazushi Yamada in the second but considerably lost from China’s, Gong Weijie 15-21, 18-21 in the third round.The England’s Rajiv Ouseph still make his impresses in the second round when he stopped the winner KLRC Australia Open 2008, Tan Chun Seang, 21-18, 17-21, 21-15 but then surrender so easily from the Chinese youngster, world #213, Chen Long 12-21, 14-21.

The last shuttler from Denmark in Men’s Singles event, Hans Kristian Vittingus (16) might progressed to the third round after beating his junior, Kasper Ispin but have no luck over India’s Chetan Anand (seeded #2) in the last match of day 3. Vittingus could leveled Anand’s attractive game in the 2nd set 21-18 after went down 14-21 in the first. But he lost his focus and power in the third set and blew his chance to the quarterfinal 12-21.

Women’s Doubles

The upset from women’s doubles created by Japanese ladies, Mizuki Fujii/Reika Kakiwa who crashed seeded #8 from Singapore, Yu Yan Vanessa/Fan Frances Liu 21-19, 18-21, 21-12. Fujii/Kakiwa had less experienced but they could manage their errors and play effectively with their placing in front of net.

Seeded #2, Ha Jung Eun/Kim Min Jung from Korea have to play rubber to stop Japan’s pair, Shizuka Matsuo/Mami Naito, 18-21, 21-12, 21-15 when their youngster, Jang Ye Na/Kim Mi Young not strong enough to face Singapore’s Yao Lei/Shinta Mulia Sari (6) and lost their game 19-21, 11-21.

Another interesting match represented by host ‘new collaboration’ pair, Birgit Overzier/Sandra Marinello. Although they have to face two Chinese, Pan Pan/Tian Qing, both of them plays so relax without any scarify. The China thumb down 18-21 in the first set after making so many mistakes when the Germany came with their attack and netting, But in the next two set, both of players plas effectively with less of errors and beautifully placing and netting. Pan/Qing changes their strategy in the last two set and plays aggressively before took it 21-10, 21-19.

Men’s Doubles

Three senior players originally from Indonesia, Halim Haryanto, Flandy Limpele and Tony Gunawan still have their clinging edge. Halim/Flandy continued to quarterfinals after stop England’s 1st seeded, Richard Eidestedt/Andrew Ellis 21-10, 21-17. In the other match, Tony Gunawan who partnering with Howard Bach breezed Danish pair, Mikkel Delbo/Rasmus Bonde 21-13, 21-16. But unfortunately in the next round, both of these pairs should against each other to wrest semifinal ticket.

Another upset in this sector created by Japanese pair, Naoki Kawamae/Shoji Sato who dust off seeded 4 from Denmark, Simon Mollyhus/Anders Kristiansen, 21-14, 21-15. Park Joo Boong also succeeded to carry his new pair, Kenichi Hayakawa/Kenta Kazuno who advanced to quarterfinal after beating Malaysian, Chang Pen Soon/Mohd Razif, 21-23, 21-15, 21-18.

Women’s Singles

Elizabeth Cann leads three upset to Japanese ladies who started from Megumi Taruno, 22-20, 21-14. Bae Youn Joo who plays very great in the previous round and breezed Juliane Schenk now continue her dignity over Masayo Nojirino 24-22, 9-21, 19-15. Masayo stop her game after get injury in the third set. A giant killer, Ai Goto seems lost her spells and surrender to Wang Yihan (6) in easily match 13-21, 7-21.

The Netherland, Judith Meulendijks having no problems to stop Bulgaria’s rising star, Petya Nedelcheva 21-19, 21-10 when Xu Huaiwen as the second seed have to fight 64 minutes to eliminate Singapore’s Xing Aiying, 19-21, 21-15, 21-14.

Mixed Doubles

Two Chinese pair Zheng Bo/Ma Jin and Xu Chen/Zhao Yunlei progressed to quarterfinals after both of them make impresses European pair, Mikkel Delbo/Mie Schjoett (8) 23-21, 21-9 and Kristof Hopp/Birgit Overzier, 21-15, 21-11.

Flandy Limpele who partnering with Anastasia Rushkikh also advanced to quarterfinals after took their winning from Japan’s Noriyasu/Shizuka but his partner, Halim Haryanto who duets with Peng Yun lost from India’s Diju/Jwala (seeded #4), 21-10, 21-12.

The new Malaysia collaboration, Mohd Razif/Woon Khe Wei not having their good luck to make an upset over Korean, Ko Sung Hyun/Ha Jung Eun and get lost in the rubber game 21-19, 13-21, 8-21.

(Fey, www.bulutangkismania.wordpress.com)