Pride Of Nation
Monday, September 12, 2011
Go get ’em, my boy
Safee, 27, will begin a two-week trial with Welsh football club Cardiff City today. Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan owns the English Division Two club.
Safee has also been offered a trial by English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers, who are owned by AirAsia supremo Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.
Djokovic defeats Nadal in four sets to win first US Open title
Last year, Novak Djokovic made his second career run to the US Open final, overcoming a two-set deficit in his first round match, defeating five-time champion Roger Federer in the semifinals in five sets and then played a solid final against Rafael Nadal, despite a loss.
Since then he has not made any major changes to his game, but wins and more experience like those, changed his mental approach to facing other top players. He is hitting shots he did not in the past few years, and with more aggression and confidence, and made a change in his diet in the offseason to being gluten-free.
The result has been one of the greatest years in the history of tennis, which Djokovic made even greater Monday.
Djokovic battled back problems but used his superior return game, defense and speed to play with confidence to defeat the 10-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1, to win his first career US Open crown and fourth Grand Slam title in a match featuring spectacular shot-making and many unbelievable rallies. With the win, he pushed his record on the year to an amazing 64-2 and 6-0 over Nadal. He also had a 43-match win streak stemming from last year's Davis Cup final until his loss to Federer in this year in the French Open semifinals.
With the win he also became just the sixth man in the Open Era to win three Grand Slam titles in the same year, after winning both the Australian Open and Wimbledon (over Nadal) earlier this season.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Barca win race to sign Sanchez
Is He The Next Cristiano Ronaldo?....
Lin Dan Walk Over?
Accepted?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Preview on Badminton Asia Championships 2011
CHINA SET TO DOMINATE THE 2011 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
China has entered its strongest lineup for the Asian Championships, starting at the Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium in Chengdu on Tuesday 19th April. The Chinese team represents the ‘who’s who’ of international badminton.
The official list of participants, released by Badminton Asian Confederation, confirms that the Chinese team will be led by their impeccable Olympic Champion himself, Lin Dan. Its supporting cast in the Men Singles will include Chen Long, Chen Jin, Du Pengyu and Bao Chunlai, every one a household name in international badminton.
Facing this powerful force will be the likes of Boonsak Ponsana and Nguyen Tian Minh, two players clearly not in the same league of the Chinese. The Thai and the Vietnamese national champions have occasionally picked up a title or two but they have never been considered candidates for major awards.
Malaysian World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has opted to stay away from the Chinese mainland as also Indonesian and Korean Singles players. This is unfortunate considering that the Asian Championships is the foremost badminton competition on the continent.
If the Men Singles look lopsided, the ladies event has six Chinese players among the top 8 seeds. Their line-up is absolutely intimidating with the 3 Wangs – Shixian, Yihan and Xin leading the pack. Their back-up stars include Liu Xin, Jiang Yangjiao and the defending champion Li Xuerui, ranked at four, five and six at Chengdu.
Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin and Japan’s Eriko Hirose, who are 7th and 8th seeded, are not expected to cause much of a ripple. India’s Saina Nehwal, probably the only player capable of putting on a show against the Chinese, has decided to give this Championship a miss.
China also heads the seeding in the Men’s Doubles with Yun Cai and Fu Haifeng. But here the Chinese pair may have a fight on its hands against the likes of Indonesia’s Markis Kido & Hendra Setiawan and Lee Sheng Mu & Fang Chieh Min of Chinese Taipei.
China has also sent a couple of back-up pairs in the event their top seeds falter. These are Chai Biao & Guo Zhengdong and Xu Chen & Zhang Nan. Also in the fray would be Indonesia’s Hendra Aprida & Chandra Yulianto and Korea’s Lee Yong Dae & Shin Baek Choel.
Chinese girls will still be the ones to beat in the Ladies Doubles. They will have three pairs including Yu Yang & Wang Xiaoli and Tian Qing & Zhao Yunlei. But the going may not be all that easy against the new emerging force of women badminton, - Taipei and Japan.
Taipei’s Cheng Wen Hsing & Chien Yu Chin are top seeded while the Japanese pairing of Matsuo Shizuka & Naito Mami are at 7. There also lurks an unlikely source from which a new champion may emerge - Thailand’s Kunchala and Duanganong. The Thai girls have been pretty consistent to earn a 4th seeding at this Championship.
China has entered four pairs in the Mixed Doubles with Zhang Nan & Zhao Yunlee and Tao Jiaming & Qing Tian leading the charge as the top and 3rd seeds. Exciting challenge could come from Thailand’s Sudket & Saralee and Songphon & Kunchala.
Lin Dan and Li Xuerui will be the only defending champions participating at the Chengdu Championship.
Last year’s champions
Men Singles : Lin Dan (CHN)
Women Singles: Li Xuerui (CHN)
Men Doubles : Cho Gun Woo/ & Yeon Seong Yoo (KOR)
Women Doubles: Pan Pan & Qing Tian (CHN)
Mixed Doubles : Chan Peng Soon & Goh Liu Ying (MAS)
China has entered its strongest lineup for the Asian Championships, starting at the Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium in Chengdu on Tuesday 19th April. The Chinese team represents the ‘who’s who’ of international badminton.
The official list of participants, released by Badminton Asian Confederation, confirms that the Chinese team will be led by their impeccable Olympic Champion himself, Lin Dan. Its supporting cast in the Men Singles will include Chen Long, Chen Jin, Du Pengyu and Bao Chunlai, every one a household name in international badminton.
Facing this powerful force will be the likes of Boonsak Ponsana and Nguyen Tian Minh, two players clearly not in the same league of the Chinese. The Thai and the Vietnamese national champions have occasionally picked up a title or two but they have never been considered candidates for major awards.
Malaysian World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has opted to stay away from the Chinese mainland as also Indonesian and Korean Singles players. This is unfortunate considering that the Asian Championships is the foremost badminton competition on the continent.
If the Men Singles look lopsided, the ladies event has six Chinese players among the top 8 seeds. Their line-up is absolutely intimidating with the 3 Wangs – Shixian, Yihan and Xin leading the pack. Their back-up stars include Liu Xin, Jiang Yangjiao and the defending champion Li Xuerui, ranked at four, five and six at Chengdu.
Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin and Japan’s Eriko Hirose, who are 7th and 8th seeded, are not expected to cause much of a ripple. India’s Saina Nehwal, probably the only player capable of putting on a show against the Chinese, has decided to give this Championship a miss.
China also heads the seeding in the Men’s Doubles with Yun Cai and Fu Haifeng. But here the Chinese pair may have a fight on its hands against the likes of Indonesia’s Markis Kido & Hendra Setiawan and Lee Sheng Mu & Fang Chieh Min of Chinese Taipei.
China has also sent a couple of back-up pairs in the event their top seeds falter. These are Chai Biao & Guo Zhengdong and Xu Chen & Zhang Nan. Also in the fray would be Indonesia’s Hendra Aprida & Chandra Yulianto and Korea’s Lee Yong Dae & Shin Baek Choel.
Chinese girls will still be the ones to beat in the Ladies Doubles. They will have three pairs including Yu Yang & Wang Xiaoli and Tian Qing & Zhao Yunlei. But the going may not be all that easy against the new emerging force of women badminton, - Taipei and Japan.
Taipei’s Cheng Wen Hsing & Chien Yu Chin are top seeded while the Japanese pairing of Matsuo Shizuka & Naito Mami are at 7. There also lurks an unlikely source from which a new champion may emerge - Thailand’s Kunchala and Duanganong. The Thai girls have been pretty consistent to earn a 4th seeding at this Championship.
China has entered four pairs in the Mixed Doubles with Zhang Nan & Zhao Yunlee and Tao Jiaming & Qing Tian leading the charge as the top and 3rd seeds. Exciting challenge could come from Thailand’s Sudket & Saralee and Songphon & Kunchala.
Lin Dan and Li Xuerui will be the only defending champions participating at the Chengdu Championship.
Last year’s champions
Men Singles : Lin Dan (CHN)
Women Singles: Li Xuerui (CHN)
Men Doubles : Cho Gun Woo/ & Yeon Seong Yoo (KOR)
Women Doubles: Pan Pan & Qing Tian (CHN)
Mixed Doubles : Chan Peng Soon & Goh Liu Ying (MAS)
Jazeman secures two podium finishes on opening weekend
Malaysia’s Jazeman Jaafar enjoyed a superb start to his second season in the British F3 championships with two podium finishes in the opening weekend at the Monza circuit in Italy.
He was second in the first race followed by fifth and third-place finishes in the next two races. The strong performances put him in second place in the drivers’ championship standings on 33 points.
All the three races were won by Jazeman’s team-mates at Carlin. Brazilian Felipe Nasr won the first and third races while Briton Rupert Svendsen-Cook was the winner in the second.
Jazeman, who is the only Malaysian to win the Formula BMW Asia series, is pleased with his efforts on the track that is home to the Italian F1 Grand Prix. “It’s been an excellent start to the season for me. "We had a very strong weekend and were solid right from the start,” he said. “Carlin did a great job with the set-up work. “We this excellent team behind me, we produced a string of good results.
“Of course I want to win but consistent strong points finishes are key.
“I had to be patient and I didn’t want to take too many risks and jeopardise this in only the first event. I managed to reap the rewards and just can’t wait for Round 2 at Oulton Park this weekend.”
He was second in the first race followed by fifth and third-place finishes in the next two races. The strong performances put him in second place in the drivers’ championship standings on 33 points.
All the three races were won by Jazeman’s team-mates at Carlin. Brazilian Felipe Nasr won the first and third races while Briton Rupert Svendsen-Cook was the winner in the second.
“Of course I want to win but consistent strong points finishes are key.
“I had to be patient and I didn’t want to take too many risks and jeopardise this in only the first event. I managed to reap the rewards and just can’t wait for Round 2 at Oulton Park this weekend.”
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Anugerah Sukan Negara 2010
Olahragawan Kebangsaan - Mohd Azizulhasni Awang
Olahragawati Kebangsaan - Datuk Nicol Ann David
Pasukan Lelaki Kebangsaan - Skuad Hoki Negara
Pasukan Wanita Kebangsaan - Skuad Squasy
Olahragawan Paralimpik Kebangsaan - Zul Amirul Sidi Abdullah (Renang)
Olahragawati Paralimpik Kebangsaan - Nabilah Ahmad Sharif (Badminton)
Jurulatih Lelaki Kebangsaan - Stephen Van Huizen, Tai Ben Hai (Hoki)
Jurulatih Wanita Kebangsaan - Tiada
Anugerah Kepimpinan Sukan - Prof Datuk AR W. Y. Chin (Snuker & Billiard)
Anugerah Tokoh Sukan - Tiada
Anugerah Khas - Datuk Lim Tiong Kiat (Badminton) , Datuk Nashatar Singh Sidhu (Olahraga).
Sunday, March 13, 2011
KLHC V SAPURA FINAL
As expected, KL Hockey Club and Sapura made it through to the final, though in contrasting styles in the second leg of the Malaysian Hockey League semis played at Tun Razak Stadium yesterday evening.
An exciting finals is on the cards as KLHC are out to nail their first overall title as KLHC while Sapura will be out to prove that experience counts and their players are not over the hill as yet.
But one player that will be with divided loyalty is S. Shanker who played for Sapura last year and is now donning KLHC colours.
More of the finals later as we analyse the exit of TNB and YNS.
The exit of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, though it may come as a surprise to many, was to be expected as soon as they lost the services of defender cum penalty corner specialists Mohd Amin Abdul Rahim.
In his place was young upstart, Faisal Saari, who failed to deliver despite TNB being awarde seven penalty corners and a penalty stroke in the match.
What is baffling is why TNB opted not to use one of its set-pieces when they were awarded the penalty corners, especially when they were left chasing the game after Rehan Butt scored in the second half.
And why was the task of taking the penalty stroke not given to an experienced player in the likes of Mahinder Singh, Tajol Rosli MOhammad or even M. Kaliswaran as a cool head was needed at that crucial stage.
It was a poor stroke by any standards and although Davids James Kettle saved the attempt, any keeper would have as the stroke lacked power and was direct.
So in reality TNB have themselves to blame for the exit as they had so many chances to kill off the semis, especially in the first leg where they led 2-0 only to draw 2-2.
The turning point of this semis was the save on the goal line in the first leg when TNB led 2-0 and that third goal would have killed off the game as well as semis.
For YNS, their decision to play open hockey in the opening minutes was the key factor as they were punished as early as the second minute. And it was obvious by having too many cooks in the kitchen, in this case the coaching, was proof that all's not well in YNS.
An exciting finals is on the cards as KLHC are out to nail their first overall title as KLHC while Sapura will be out to prove that experience counts and their players are not over the hill as yet.
But one player that will be with divided loyalty is S. Shanker who played for Sapura last year and is now donning KLHC colours.
More of the finals later as we analyse the exit of TNB and YNS.
The exit of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, though it may come as a surprise to many, was to be expected as soon as they lost the services of defender cum penalty corner specialists Mohd Amin Abdul Rahim.
In his place was young upstart, Faisal Saari, who failed to deliver despite TNB being awarde seven penalty corners and a penalty stroke in the match.
What is baffling is why TNB opted not to use one of its set-pieces when they were awarded the penalty corners, especially when they were left chasing the game after Rehan Butt scored in the second half.
And why was the task of taking the penalty stroke not given to an experienced player in the likes of Mahinder Singh, Tajol Rosli MOhammad or even M. Kaliswaran as a cool head was needed at that crucial stage.
It was a poor stroke by any standards and although Davids James Kettle saved the attempt, any keeper would have as the stroke lacked power and was direct.
So in reality TNB have themselves to blame for the exit as they had so many chances to kill off the semis, especially in the first leg where they led 2-0 only to draw 2-2.
The turning point of this semis was the save on the goal line in the first leg when TNB led 2-0 and that third goal would have killed off the game as well as semis.
For YNS, their decision to play open hockey in the opening minutes was the key factor as they were punished as early as the second minute. And it was obvious by having too many cooks in the kitchen, in this case the coaching, was proof that all's not well in YNS.
SOHRABI AND TABRIZ CONQUER JELAJAH MALAYSIA 2011 IN STYLE
NILAI (13 March 2011) – Mehdi Sobrahi and his Tabriz Petrochemical conquered the Jelajah Malaysia 2011 in style when they won the overall individual general classification as well as the taking the best ranked team crown this year.
The Iranian outfit which has been lurking in the background over the last few stages finally flexed their muscle today and attacked the whole day long throughout the 175km ride.
And Mehdi could not have emerged as the more deserving champion than having last year’s winner David McCann of Giant Kenda come in second behind him on the stage with a blistering time of 3:59:44.
“I had always maintained from the start that the Jelajah Malaysia this year is up for grabs for anyone who wants it,” said Sohrabi.
“But my team worked hard today, they really worked for me. After the second sprint (at Sepang), I just went for it. When I looked back at the peloton, the yellow jersey (Vidal Celis of Le Tua Cycling) was very quiet and did not follow.
“There were several of us in front and we worked together including McCann all the way to the finish.”
With Mehdi also confirming his win of the blue jersey for the best ranked Asian rider, the best-ranked Malaysian for the 100PLUS white jersey went to Amir Mustafa Rusli of the Police team.
“I tried to go for the blue jersey but Mehdi was just too strong,” said Amir, who will be joining Drapac for the Tour of Taiwan next.
“He broke away after the second sprint which was really a long way off, some 70km to go to the finish which is rare for anyone to do.”
The two wins that Muhammad Adiq Husainie scored at both Cat. 3 climb in Ampang and Semenyih ensured that he took over the red jersey for king of the mountain from Aisan’s Kenichi Suzuki.
“The target was the red jersey for sure. I had wanted to maintain my top six position from last year but I had several punctures this time round. So I had to refocus on the red jersey instead,” added Adiq.
“The two wins at the two climbs made all the difference and that was my aim this morning.”
The jelajah Malaysia could have been a different story this year with the newly formed Terengganu Cycling team learning some valuable lessons along the way.
They, who had been so strong at the start would have realised that the Jelajah Malaysia is a long stage race and they will need the staying power to last through to the end even though at one time, they had four jerseys in their hands.
“We learned a lot that is for sure,” added Mohd Hariff Salleh, who won the sprinters’ green jersey for the first time in his career.
“I switched from track cycling to road race and I need some adjustments. I am a little tired and perhaps we worked a little too hard at the start this time round.”
STAGE SIX RESULTS1. Mehdi Sohrabi (Tabriz Petrochemical) 3:59:442. David McCann (Giant Kenda) 3:59:463. Ioannis Tamouridis (SP Tableware) 4:01:104. David Kopp (Team Eddy Merckx) 4:01:155. Jesse Anthony (Kelly Benefit) 4:03:10
FINAL INDIVIDUAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION1. Mehdi Sohrabi (Tabriz Petrochemical) 23:07:312. David McCann (Giant Kenda) 23:08:003. Ioannis Tamouridis (SP Tableware) 23:09:114. David Kopp (Team Eddy Merckx) 23:09:245. Vidal Celis (Le Tua) 23:11:14 0:03:43
FINAL TEAM GENERAL CLASSIFICATION1. TABRIZ PETROCHEMICAL TEAM 69:31:052. GIANT KENDA CYCLING TEAM 69:31:163. TEAM EDDY MERCKX - INDELAND 69:32:424. MARMANDE 47-F2P 69:34:455. SP TABLEWARE PRO TEAM 69:35:12
FINAL ASIAN JERSEY CLASSIFICATION1. Mehdi Sohrabi (Tabriz Petrochemical) 23:07:312. Kazuhiro Mori (Aisan) 23:11:293. Muradjan Halmuratov (Uzbekistan) 23:11:294. Amir Mustafa Rusli (Police) 23:11:325. Toots Oledan (Seven Eleven) 23:11:32
FINAL 100PLUS MALAYSIAN JERSEY CLASSIFICATION1. Amir Mustafa Rusli (Police) 23:11:322. Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (Terengganu Cycling team) 23:11:353. Yusrizal Usoff (Terengganu Cycling team) 23:13:384. Loh Sea Keong (Kuala Lumpur) 23:13:485. Khairul Naim Azhar (Sabah) 23:16:15
FINAL GREEN JERSEY CLASSIFICATION
1. Mohd Hariff Salleh (Terengganu Cycling team) 66 points2. Ioannis Tamouridis (SP Tableware) 653. Anuar Manan (Terengganu Cycling team) 624. David Kopp (Team Eddy Merckx) 565. Mehdi Sohrabi (Tabriz Petrochemical) 48
1. Mohd Hariff Salleh (Terengganu Cycling team) 66 points2. Ioannis Tamouridis (SP Tableware) 653. Anuar Manan (Terengganu Cycling team) 624. David Kopp (Team Eddy Merckx) 565. Mehdi Sohrabi (Tabriz Petrochemical) 48
FINAL RED JERSEY CLASSIFICATION1. Muhammad Adiq Husainie Othan (Malaysia) 12 points2. Mark John Lexer Galedo (Seven Eleven) 93. Kenichi Suzuki (Aisan) 84. Kazuhiro Miro (Aisan) 65. Jesse Anthony (Kelly Benefit) 6
Crackling Danes give Europe its only title
Once again the match of the day, and possibly of the week, was the men's doubles. The ambience crackled, the rallies were often a blur, and the outcome, in which a nation of a mere five million people won another of imany All-England titles, was a bit of a fairytale.
Denmark has a long history of great deeds in this tournament and Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen added spectacularly to them.
Last year they had four match points in the final but couldn't get over the line. This time they not only achieved atonement, they managed one with a fantastic twist.
Boe and Mogensen were a game and 11-14 down to Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, the former world number one pair from Malaysia, and then 17-18 down before levelling at a game all.
They were in even bigger trouble in the final game - 11-16 down, apparently being outsmarted by a pair who had won a sensational match the previous day against Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, China's world champions.
Faced with these deficits, Boe and Mogensen each time made amazing fightbacks - though nothing was quite as remarkable as their final surge.
This brought them six points up to 17-16, two more points from 17-17 to 19-17, and two more from 19-18 to the finish, and during these phases they began to look unstoppable.
Boe was outstanding at the net, and once Mogensen start to get smashes downwards from the back, the nimble left-hander picked off any suspect returns with kill after kill in the forecourt.
The Malaysians had previously had a phase where they tried to initiate flat mid-court rallies and little net exchanges, and sometimes that worked.
But having been in the driving seat for so much of the match they lost their tactical way. And as the match boiled up to its hectic finish, the Danish adrenaline was so high it was impossible to resist.
"Losing like that last year was a big disappointment, and to come back this way – well it's such a fantastic feeling," said Mogensen.
It certainly looked appeared so, for at the end the Danes darted around in circles as though chasing mosquitos and then rolled to the ground where they lay like corpses.
"It's unbelievable. You can't describe the feeling. You should try it for yourself," Mogensen said.
By contrast the women's doubles was an anti-climax, except perhaps for China's Yu Yang who won the title last year with Du Jing and came back to retain it, with a new partner, Wang Xiaoli.
They overwhelmed Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa 21-2, 21-9 and look as though they may well go on to prove themselves the best combo in the world.
The Japanese came through in the half in which their compatriots Miyyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsana had been seeded to reach the final, but started nervously and were never allowed to settle.
But they had achieved something which had not been done by anyone from their nation in more than 30 years, and got a great hand when they received their medal.
No Thai player had reached an All-England final for almost 50 years; Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam found this piece of history hard to live up to in the mixed doubles as well.
They were beaten 21-13, 21-9 by Xu Chen and Ma Jin, which gave China its third title, and the result never looked in doubt.
Saralee once headed the shuttle back over the net in comic frustration at her inability to hit it where she wished, and Sudket, who had been so good in the quarter-final defeat of Tao Jiaming and Tian Qing, the fifth-seeded Chinese pair, could not replicate his best form either.
Sudket also brought the match to a bizarre finish, not attempting to strike Ma Lin's low serve on match point at all, but letting it land in, already walking towards the net to shake hands as he did so.
Ma meanwhile looked well pleased with the steep smashes and threatening presence of the tall Xu. Well she might: her partnership with him could go on to be as good as the one with Zheng Bo with which she won the world title in Paris last August.
Denmark has a long history of great deeds in this tournament and Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen added spectacularly to them.
Last year they had four match points in the final but couldn't get over the line. This time they not only achieved atonement, they managed one with a fantastic twist.
Boe and Mogensen were a game and 11-14 down to Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, the former world number one pair from Malaysia, and then 17-18 down before levelling at a game all.They were in even bigger trouble in the final game - 11-16 down, apparently being outsmarted by a pair who had won a sensational match the previous day against Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, China's world champions.
Faced with these deficits, Boe and Mogensen each time made amazing fightbacks - though nothing was quite as remarkable as their final surge.
This brought them six points up to 17-16, two more points from 17-17 to 19-17, and two more from 19-18 to the finish, and during these phases they began to look unstoppable.
Boe was outstanding at the net, and once Mogensen start to get smashes downwards from the back, the nimble left-hander picked off any suspect returns with kill after kill in the forecourt.
The Malaysians had previously had a phase where they tried to initiate flat mid-court rallies and little net exchanges, and sometimes that worked.
But having been in the driving seat for so much of the match they lost their tactical way. And as the match boiled up to its hectic finish, the Danish adrenaline was so high it was impossible to resist."Losing like that last year was a big disappointment, and to come back this way – well it's such a fantastic feeling," said Mogensen.
It certainly looked appeared so, for at the end the Danes darted around in circles as though chasing mosquitos and then rolled to the ground where they lay like corpses.
"It's unbelievable. You can't describe the feeling. You should try it for yourself," Mogensen said.
By contrast the women's doubles was an anti-climax, except perhaps for China's Yu Yang who won the title last year with Du Jing and came back to retain it, with a new partner, Wang Xiaoli.
They overwhelmed Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa 21-2, 21-9 and look as though they may well go on to prove themselves the best combo in the world.
The Japanese came through in the half in which their compatriots Miyyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsana had been seeded to reach the final, but started nervously and were never allowed to settle.But they had achieved something which had not been done by anyone from their nation in more than 30 years, and got a great hand when they received their medal.
No Thai player had reached an All-England final for almost 50 years; Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam found this piece of history hard to live up to in the mixed doubles as well.
They were beaten 21-13, 21-9 by Xu Chen and Ma Jin, which gave China its third title, and the result never looked in doubt.
Saralee once headed the shuttle back over the net in comic frustration at her inability to hit it where she wished, and Sudket, who had been so good in the quarter-final defeat of Tao Jiaming and Tian Qing, the fifth-seeded Chinese pair, could not replicate his best form either.Sudket also brought the match to a bizarre finish, not attempting to strike Ma Lin's low serve on match point at all, but letting it land in, already walking towards the net to shake hands as he did so.
Ma meanwhile looked well pleased with the steep smashes and threatening presence of the tall Xu. Well she might: her partnership with him could go on to be as good as the one with Zheng Bo with which she won the world title in Paris last August.
Lee gets the better of Lin Dan
Lee Chong Wei successfully defended his All-England Open men's singles title when he beat his greatest rival, Lin Dan, the Olympic champion from China, by 21-17, 21-17 in the final.
The top-seeded Malaysian's triumph came as a surprise to many people, for Lin had beaten Lee in three games the month before last at the world's first million dollar tournament, the Korean Open.
That was the Chinese legend's 15th success in 22 encounters with Lee, and he had seemed back to somewhere near his best after an abdominal injury.
But this time Lin rarely tried the fierce airborne attacks for which he has become famous, and Lee's superb movement and excellent shuttle control in the resulting game of cat-and-mouse proved marginally superior.
"I played safe today – I didn't go for the points at all," Lee said. "But I was mentally strong this time."
He immediately got a call from the prime minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, who told him "good job".
It became evident that Lee might score a famous victory soon after the interval in the first game, when he surged from 11-10 to 17-10 and looked well in control at 18-12.
Some of the rallies were flat and fast, but many of them involve probing clears, lifts and drops, and clever manoeuvring. It was not till the second game that Lin tried to apply much force with his overhead.
However he got back to 17-18 thanks to wonderful accuracy and consistency, and at that moment it seemed that Lee might be wobbling mentally.
But Lin unaccountably tried a clipped drop which fell too short and found the net, and that reduced the psychological pressure on his edgy opponent immensely.
Lee concluded that game with a squall of smashes and hurtled to a lead of 8-2 in the second game. It was then that Lin tried a few of his once-famous aerial bombardments, getting ceilingwards and levering the shuttle down more steeply.
But they were intermittent efforts, and gradually the match slipped back into its cagey patterns once Lin had got back on even terms.
From 17-all Lee made his final push. A disguised return and smash got him the lead again, an overhead drop got him to 19-17, and an amazing block winner from point blank range got him to match point which he converted when Lin was pressured into switching a net shot across court and narrowly wide.
"It didn't work out as well as I thought," said Lin. "I made more errors than usual."
The defeat means Lin failed to achieve a fifth All-England Open title, which would have been a unique achievement in the open era.
The next All-England, five months before the 2012 Olympics, will be his last before his retirement.
The top-seeded Malaysian's triumph came as a surprise to many people, for Lin had beaten Lee in three games the month before last at the world's first million dollar tournament, the Korean Open.
That was the Chinese legend's 15th success in 22 encounters with Lee, and he had seemed back to somewhere near his best after an abdominal injury.But this time Lin rarely tried the fierce airborne attacks for which he has become famous, and Lee's superb movement and excellent shuttle control in the resulting game of cat-and-mouse proved marginally superior.
"I played safe today – I didn't go for the points at all," Lee said. "But I was mentally strong this time."
He immediately got a call from the prime minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, who told him "good job".
It became evident that Lee might score a famous victory soon after the interval in the first game, when he surged from 11-10 to 17-10 and looked well in control at 18-12.
Some of the rallies were flat and fast, but many of them involve probing clears, lifts and drops, and clever manoeuvring. It was not till the second game that Lin tried to apply much force with his overhead.
However he got back to 17-18 thanks to wonderful accuracy and consistency, and at that moment it seemed that Lee might be wobbling mentally.But Lin unaccountably tried a clipped drop which fell too short and found the net, and that reduced the psychological pressure on his edgy opponent immensely.
Lee concluded that game with a squall of smashes and hurtled to a lead of 8-2 in the second game. It was then that Lin tried a few of his once-famous aerial bombardments, getting ceilingwards and levering the shuttle down more steeply.
But they were intermittent efforts, and gradually the match slipped back into its cagey patterns once Lin had got back on even terms.
From 17-all Lee made his final push. A disguised return and smash got him the lead again, an overhead drop got him to 19-17, and an amazing block winner from point blank range got him to match point which he converted when Lin was pressured into switching a net shot across court and narrowly wide.
"It didn't work out as well as I thought," said Lin. "I made more errors than usual."The defeat means Lin failed to achieve a fifth All-England Open title, which would have been a unique achievement in the open era.
The next All-England, five months before the 2012 Olympics, will be his last before his retirement.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
HARIFF ROMPS INTO FOUR JERSEYS AT THE END OF STAGE THREE
KUALA ROMPIN (10 March 2011) – On a day when the rain provided relief from the sweltering heat, Mohd Hariff Salleh of the Terengganu Cycling Team, created the biggest news in the Jelajah Malaysia in years when he romped to take four jerseys at the end of Stage Three from Kluang to Kuala Rompin.
“In spite of the rain, I am of course satisfied with how things turned out – winning four jerseys on the day is very good indeed,” said the beaming 23-year-old who completed today’s stage with a time of 3:29:54.
With Ioannis Tamourdis of team SP Tableware in romping form to take the stage ahead of another bunch finish, the 158km ride was made a little easier with the pouring rain all along the long and winding route.
Hariff, who has been working in tandem with team-mate and Malaysian sprint King Anuar Manan all throughout the first two stages, was again in the chase at the front to eventually finish the stage on second with Anuar on third.
That was enough for Hariff to win the bonus points and allowed him to take over the tour leader yellow jersey, the sprinters’ green jersey, the best Asian rider blue jersey and also the 100PLUS white jersey for the best ranked Malaysian rider.
“In spite of the rain, I am of course satisfied with how things turned out – winning four jerseys on the day is very good indeed,” said the beaming 23-year-old who completed today’s stage with a time of 3:29:54.
“But my team was a little tired today as we had to do a lot of work to keep Mehdi (Sohrabi, the previous tour leader in the yellow jersey) in control.
“The plan was to take the stage today but under the circumstances, we can’t complain. We hope that we can win a stage before the tour ends this year.”
There were a lot more attacking today by the Malaysian teams at the start although it was not until after halfway through the stage near the town of Mersing that seven riders actually made a real break away.
And the seven included current tour leader Mehdi, last year’s champion David McCann (Giant Kenda) and also Mart Ojavee (Champion System), Luc Heganeurs (Team Eddy Merckx-Indelan), Shinpei Fukuda (Aisan) and Kenichi Suzuki (Aisan).
But the peloton was not about to be caught out and they worked hand in hand driving the train forward to eventually pulled up with the seven after the third sprint at Teluk Gading.
With the bunch taking several turns before crossing the line in what was the biggest reception thus far here in Kuala Rompin, it was Tamourdis who took the stage by inches over Hariff.
“It rained for much of the day but it was better to be wet than to ride under the very hot sun,” said Tamourdis afterwards.
“The race here has been very good for me in preparation for the Track World Championship (In Holland) next week and I’m very happy to take my first stage win this year.”
It was not only Mehdi who lost his shirt on the day where the King of the Mountain’s red jersey also changed hands with Kenichi Suzuki of the Aisan team taking over from Daniel Westmahelmann (Team Eddy Merckx-Indeland).
The first Cat. 4 climb at Kahang made all the difference for Kenichi, who was just a point adrift of Westmahelmann after stage two yesterday.
“If there are tougher climbs, then I’m confident that I can keep the red jersey until the end of the race. But whatever it is, I will still be in the red jersey tomorrow because there’s no climb on Stage Four,” he quipped.
Tomorrow will see the peloton having some recuperation with Stage Four being a shorter 89.5km ride from Kuala Rompin to Pekan.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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