Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Indian tennis finds new torchbearer in Somdev

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New Delhi: Emergence of a new men’s singles hope in Somdev Devvarman and resurgence of an injury-ravaged Sania Mirza were the highlights of a memorable 2010 for Indian tennis, which ended with the promise of more success in the coming season.
The country can now look upon Somdev to be the sport’s torchbearer in men’s singles while the doubles scene also brightens up with the estranged pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi reuniting next year — ending a nine-year separation on the ATP circuit.
But if there was one star to be picked for the year, it has to be Somdev. The lad from Assam had a dream run, impressing with his gritty performances everywhere he competed.
Being in and out of the top-100 ranking, Somdev reached a career high of 94 this October and justified his growing stature at the international arena.
He ended the year on a perfect note, thrashing top seed and much higher-ranked Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan to become the first Indian to win a tennis singles gold medal at the Asian Games.
The victory also made the 25-year-old one of the most celebrated Indian athletes in the Asian Games as he bagged another gold in the men’s doubles along with Sanam Singh, besides the team bronze.
In fact, the Indian tennis players had a good outing at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where besides bagging two golds, they added a silver in the mixed doubles (Sania Mirza and Vishnu Vardhan) and bronze in both the women’s singles (Sania) and men’s team event.
It was major improvement from the rather indifferent performance in the Commonwealth Games where they could managed only a gold, apart from a silver and a bronze.
Somdev again was star with the lone gold against his name after beating Greg Jones of Australia in men’s singles.
Sania had to be content with silver in women’s singles and a bronze — partnering with Rushmi Chakravarthi – in women’s doubles. It was nonetheless a turnaround of fortunes for the Hyderabadi, who had been battling poor form and a career-threatening wrist injury for better part of the year. The year, in fact, turned out to be special for the 24-year-old in more ways than one. The most prominent of these moments came in her personal life when she got married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in April.
But ever the controversy’s favourite child, even tying the knot was not a smooth affair for the feisty star.
The build-up to one of the most high-profile cross-border weddings had all the makings of a Bollywood potboiler complete with an other woman which kept news channels busy with sordid details of her alleged first marriage with the cricketer.
Malik first denied it, then declared himself victim of a cyber fraud before finally divorcing the woman he allegedly married over phone to tie the knot with Sania.
After marriage, Sania took a break, recovered from the nagging wrist ailment and came back a fitter player.
Besides giving India four medals at the CWG and Asiad, she also bagged her first title in 17 months just before bidding goodbye to the year.
Currently ranked 141 in the world, Sania beat 80th ranked Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia in the final of the USD 75,000 13th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai.
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Monday, November 22, 2010

Asian Games: Date Krumm still has Grand Slam dreams

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Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan hits a return shot to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia at the semifinal tennis match at the Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan hits a return shot to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia at the semifinal tennis match at the Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
GUANGZHOU, China (Kyodo) -- At age 40, Kimiko Date Krumm has climbed to No. 46 in today's world of power tennis, and she still wants to make an impact in Grand Slam tournaments.
"Just like any other tennis player, I want to come up with good results in Grand Slam events," Date Krumm said Sunday after a semifinal loss to China's Peng Shuai at the Asian Games.
"This year I won one match at the French Open, but I lost in the first round in the other three Grand Slam events, partly because I had to face seeded players. But next year I'll try to perform better."
Date Krumm was nowhere in the WTA rankings when she came out of retirement in April 2008 -- 12 years after she called time on her career.
But she has surprised the world by outperforming much younger players and upsetting some of the game's top players such as Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina.
She even won the Korea Open in September 2009 on the eve of her 39th birthday, making her the second-oldest woman in tennis history after Billie Jean King to capture a WTA Tour singles title. King won at Birmingham in 1983 at 39 years and 7 months.
The Asian Games in Guangzhou, southern China, marked the end of her 2010 season.
"I struggled with muscle spasms in my legs last year, but I didn't this year. It's a big confidence boost," said the former world No. 4 player. "I'll continue my challenge into next year on the WTA Tour.
"I don't know how long I can stay active. Every day I'll try not to get injured. I'll just have to see if I can get through another long, tough season, and I'll go from there."
Date Krumm was attempting to win her first singles title since she won 16 years ago in Hiroshima, but home favorite Peng took advantage of her shaky serving to win 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2.
In the past Grand Slam events, she reached the semifinals in the 1994 Australian Open, the 1995 French Open and the 1996 Wimbledon Championships.
(Mainichi Japan) November 22, 2010
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Asiad: Somdev wins gold in tennis singles

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India's [  ] Somdev Devvarman [  ] scripted history, when he became the first Indian to win a gold at the Asian Games, beating Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the gold medal in Guangzhou on Tuesday.
It was a clinical performance by Somdev, as he didn't allow the Uzbekistan player to settle in.
With the win, Somdev added to his gold medal tally, which he had earlier won in the doubles category with Sanam Singh on Monday.
Somdev gold medal feat assumes significance as India landed here without star players like Leander Paes [  ] and Mahesh Bhupathi [  ], who opted to play in World Tour Finals in London [  ].
Somdev DevvarmanRohan Bopanna [ ] is also missing from the Indian line-up though he had failed to qualify for the World Tour Finals.
Somdev, a gold medallist at Commonwealth Games [  ], was truely India's flag bearer in the men's singles. Before him, no Indian had managed to enter men's singles final and India had won only three bronze medals in men's singles in Asian Games.
Leander Paes had won it in 1994 in Hiroshima Games and Mahesh Bhupathi and Prahlad Srinath had won it during 1998 Games in Bangkok.

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Tennis players earn Taiwan's eighth gold at Asian Games

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Guangzhou, China, Nov. 22 (CNA) Yang Tsung-hua and Chan Yung-jan came from behind to beat an Indian duo in the mixed doubles final of the Asian Games tennis competition in Guangzhou on Monday, bringing Taiwan's gold medal count at the games to eight.

The second seeds defeated sixth-seeded Sania Mirza and Vishnu Vardhan 4-6, 6-1, 10-2 in just over an hour, giving Chan her second gold medal of the day after having also won the top prize in the women's doubles with Chuang Chia-jung.

The first set was relatively close, but the Indians were able to convert two of their three break points while Yang and Chan could only win one of their seven break opportunities.

But the Taiwanese pair tightened up their play in the second set, not yielding a break point while breaking the Indians' serve twice. That carried over to the super-tiebreaker, where the Taiwanese kept up the pressure on their opponents and never seemed in trouble.

Taiwan's tennis players have done well at the Asian Games, earning three golds, two silvers and one bronze.

In the women's doubles finals held earlier in the day Chan and Chuang beat compatriots Chang Kai-chen and Hsieh Su-wei to win the gold.

With two golds and one silver, Chan, ranked 110th in the world in singles, emerged as the bigger winner of the Taiwanese tennis players. She will collect NT$7.5 million from the government for her three medals.

As an incentive for Taiwan's athletes to do well at the Asian Games, the government will award cash prize to medal winners, awarding gold medal winners NT$3 million (US$98,700) , silver medal winners NT$1.5 million and bronze medal winners NT$900,000.

Chan helped Taiwan win a silver medal in the team competition on Nov. 16. (By Bear Lee) enditem/ls

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Asian Games: Somdev takes centrestage as India maintain 8th spot on table

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Sanam Singh & Somdev Devvarman
Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Krishan Singh of India during the men's doubles tennis match of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou on November 22, 2010. (AFP Photo)
GUANGZHOU: Tennis star Somdev Devvarman took centre stage by fetching a gold medal in doubles event and also becoming the first Indian to reach the final in men's singles as India clinched three medals to maintain their 8th position on the tenth day of competitions in the 16th Asian Games on Monday.

Somdev teamed up with Sanam Singh to claim the title in the men's doubles event and inched closer to a historic singles gold by moving into the final on what turned out to be a fruitful day for him.

Sania Mirza and Vishnu Vardhan had to be content with a silver in mixed doubles while the men's archery team comprising Rahul Banerjee, Mangal Singh Champia and Jayanta Talukdar bagged a bronze in the team event.

With the addition of three more medals, India's medal tally climbed to six gold, 12 silver and 18 bronze to maintain their 8th position on a day which saw the athletes drawing blank.

Hosts China continued to reign supreme and consolidated their position atop the medal table with a stupendous haul of 154-77-73 while South Korea (61-51-66) and Japan (32-59-67) were in the second and third.

Five-time world champion MC Mary Kom (51kg) and Kavita Goyat (75kg) assured India of at least two bronze medals in women's boxing by advancing to the semifinals with contrasting wins. Santosh Kumar also advanced to the semifinals in the men's section.

After launching their campaign in spectacular fashion by fetching two gold medals, the athletes returned empty-handed on Monday while the grapplers, who accounted for two bronze medals on Sunday, came a cropper in Greco Roman competitions.

The women's hockey team went down to China 1-2 in their last league match but were still in contention for a bronze medal.

The day clearly belonged to Somdev as he pipped Japan's Tatasuma Ito 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 in the semifinals to set up the summit-clash with top seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

Later, he and Sanam Singh combined superbly to win first gold medal for India in the tennis event in this edition of the Games as the sixth seed pair shocked second seed Chinese Gong Maoxin and Li Zhe 6-3, 6-7(4), 10-8 in the final.

However, gold eluded Sania yet again as she and Vishnu Vardhan, seeded sixth, lost the mixed doubles final 6-4, 1-6, 2-10 to second seed Taipei pair of Chan Yung Jan and Yang Tsung Hua.

Somdev and Sanam's gold medal feat assumes significance as India landed here without star doubles pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, gold medallists of the last edition at Doha in 2006, who opted to play in World Tour Finals in London. Rohan Bopanna is also missing from the Indian line-up though he had failed to qualify for the World Tour Finals.

Before Somdev, no Indian had managed to enter men's singles final and India had won only three bronze medals in men's singles in Asian Games. Leander Paes had won it in 1994 in Hiroshima Games and Mahesh Bhupathi and Prahlad Srinath had won it during 1998 Games in Bangkok.

In the showpiece athletics event, medal prospects Mandeep Kaur and Manjeet Kaur finished disappointing fourth and fifth with below-par performances in women's 400m final.

One-lap racer Mandeep Kaur, the leading timer in Asia this season and drawn on the outside lane seven, led the field till the back stretch before flagging behind to finish fourth in 52.99 secs.

National record holder Manjeet, gold medallist in 2002 at Busan and silver medallist four years later in Doha, finished a poor fifth in 53.27, two seconds below her personal best.

In women's hammer throw, national record holder Hardeep Kaur started with a foul attempt before attaining her best effort of the day, 60.54m in her third attempt, to finish fourth.

Sprinters Mohammed Najeeb Qureshi and Krishnakumar Rane both failed to advance to the men's 100m final after finishing fourth in the semifinals.

Spearheaded by Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa, Indian men's and women's racqueters came out with a heartening performance to end the day on an unbeaten note in the squash team events.

Indian men blanked Japan 3-0 in their opening encounter of the day and then went on to secure their third straight preliminary league victory in the event, thrashing Saudi Arabia with an identical scoreline.

In the women's section, Chinappa, Dipika Pallikal and Anaka Alankamony ripped apart the challenge of Chinese racqueters 3-0 in the first outing. They then secured a victory over arch-rivals Pakistan.

India slumped to a 1-2 defeat at the hands of defending champions China in their last round-robin match but still qualified for the bronze medal play-off game against Japan in women's hockey competitions.

With three wins and as many defeats, the Surinder Kaur-led side finished its round-robin league proceedings at fourth position with nine points and will get a chance to defend its bronze medal, which they earned four years ago in Doha.

The Indian trio of Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Mangal Singh Champia fought through challenging conditions to clinch the men's team bronze after beating Chinese Taipei in the Archery competition.

Like the women, the Indian men defeated Chinese Taipei but with a more comprehensive 220-216 margin as compared to the women's 218-217 victory in the bronze medal play-off.

Incidentally, both men and women lost to world's top archers from South Korea in the semifinals before clinching the bronze medal.

The Indians scored 28 and 29 for a total of 57 in the first set of six arrows, 56 (29 and 27) in the second set and flagged a bit to get 53 (26 and 27) in the third and 54 in the fourth and last set (27 and 27). They shot a total of eight 10s and bulls eyes.

In chess, Indian women drubbed Mongolia to climb to the joint top position while their male counterparts slipped to the fourth spot with a shocking defeat at the hands of lower-rated Philippines after the fifth round.

In rugby, despite suffering heavy defeats in all three league matches, the Indian men's team qualified for the quarter finals as only nine teams are in the fray.

India, who were thrashed 43-5 by Korea in the opening pool B match yesterday, were today drubbed 61-0 by China and 42-12 by sub-continental rivals Sri Lanka to finish at the bottom of the group.

Yet, they qualified for the quarter finals and will play the winners of pool B at the University Town stadium on Tuesday.

The women performed no better, and were steamrolled by Japan 31-0 for their second straight preliminary league defeat after being thumped 50-0 by Kazakhstan.

Indian cyclists continued to cut a sorry figure at the Games with the duo of Sombir and Atul Yadav finishing 27th and 32nd respectively in the men's Individual Road Race on Monday.

In the 180km race, comprising nine laps of 20km each, Sombir clocked 4:15:15.42 and managed an average speed of 42.310. Atul was further down after clocking 4:15:59.39 at an average speed of 42.189.

India swamped Bangladesh 34-20 in their opening encounter as women's kabaddi made its Asian Games debut.

Indian women spikers suffered their third successive defeat in the Asian Games, going down 0-3 to Chinese Taipei in their last preliminary Group B match at the Guangwai Gymnasium.



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Asiad: India win men's doubles tennis gold

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Guangzhou: India won their sixth gold at the Asian Games when the tennis duo of Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh won the men's doubles gold by beating Gong M and Li Z of China 6-3, 6-7, 10-8 on Monday.
After losing the second set, Devvarman and Sanam came back brilliantly in the super tie-breaker to win it 10-8.
Earlier, Sania Mirza and Vishnu Vardhan had to rest content with a silver medal in the mixed doubles event of tennis competitions following a 6-4, 1-6, 0-1 loss to Chinese Taipei's Yung Jan Chan and Tsung Hua Yang.
Asiad: India win men's doubles tennis gold
Sania had won a gold with Leander Paes in the mixed doubles in the previous edition of the Asiad at Doha.
She won a bronze in the singles event here.
(with inputs from IANS)
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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Somdev sails into Asian Games final

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Guangzhou: India's Somdev Devvarman entered the men's singles final defeating fourth-seeded Japanese Tatsuma Ito 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 in the Asian Games tennis here on Monday.
The Indian played a power-packed game from the backcourt and also rushed to the net hitting some crisp volleys.
Somdev plays top seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the final for the gold medal. Istomin outclassed third-seeded Japanese Go Soeda 6-1, 6-0.
Somdev sails into Asian Games final
Somdev Devvarman along with his partner Sanam are already in the men' doubles final.
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ASIAN GAMES – Super Dan closes the loop

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afa9201
Lin Dan finally got his hands on the last title that had eluded him until now – the Asian Games individual gold medal. He has now become one of the most complete and decorated badminton shuttlers of all times.
By Raphael Sachetat, live from Guangzhou. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)
Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, Asian Champion, three-time All England champion, and now, Asian Games gold medallist:  Lin Dan (pictured left) has it all. He finally got his hand on the last piece missing the collection on Sunday in a packed Tian He Sports Center, against Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
Both shuttlers had been very cautious about pre-match interviews, each saying his future opponent was the best and that they’d just try their best. But of course, the build-up toward this confrontation was evident for everyone. Between the reigning Olympic champion and the recent Commonwealth champion and moreover world number one.
It was made even more tense given that Lin Dan had bowed to the Malaysian in Japan in September, when both players had reached a very high level of play.  Lin Dan couldn’t blame a bad day in Tokyo as it was just Chong Wei (pictured right) who was better. Of course, that was a Super Series and not exactly at the top of the great Chinese players to-do list. At stake this time was the title that has eluded him, the title Lin Dan wants to be crowned Asian Games champion. So, things were different. But Lin Dan also had in the back of his head that Chong Wei was in a confident mood after that Tokyo win and his good run in Guangzhou, edging out the world Champion Chen Jin in the semi final was sure to have had the Malaysian mentally ready for the fight. The stage was set for the real rematch of the Olympic final and that’s what it was. Similar pressure, similar conditions and the same host country.
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And for the first game, it looked like it was going to be the same story again. Lin Dan, much sharper – but somehow quieter between points – made his usual “one Dan show” while Chong Wei seemed overwhelmed by his opponent’s attacks. Lin took the first game 21-14, but the second game was to go the other way. The Malaysian, keeping patient and forbidding himself to attack, led Lin Dan to commit some mistakes and led throughout the game until he put all things back to square at one game all with a 21-15 victory.
The public now had what they had paid for, a real match and not a badminton lesson given by Lin Dan even if they were hoping for a happy ‘home grown hero’ ending. Lin Dan came back on court faster than ever in the deciding game, even showing some emotion and clenched fists after important points. Some rallies were just incredible, and in spite of leading from the front and opening up a gap of 5 points, the Chinese didn’t let down his guard and chased down every point and one in particular lasted forever. Lin saved the shuttle from hitting the ground on numerous occasions before finally ending the rally to break the resolve of Chong Wei. That rally typified the whole match, were Chong Wei was playing patient and clever but in the end Lin’s will and desire made the difference. Not longer afterward, Lin Dan was celebrating, taking his shirt off just like the good old days, sending his shoes in the crowd, a Lin Dan trademark though this time, not the ones he was wearing but another pair.
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“This is what badminton is about and the sport comes out as a winner of such matches,” said a delighted Lin Dan. “Whoever won or lose, won’t matter, but we made the show today, and I was just lucky to have been able to win, yet I still respect Lee Chong Wei very much,” said Lin Dan in a press conference where Chong Wei was missing.
When the usual question popped up about his future potential wedding to Xie Xingfang, the champion was elusive but responded with humour: “It’s funny.  Before the competition I was feeling under pressure, and I can now feel relaxed, but your questions about Xie Xingfang now put me under pressure again,” said Lin Dan. “This is a question I need to think about carefully as it is important and I intend to think about it seriously when the time comes. And you’ll be the first ones to know,” he added.
Golden retirement
Before the big clash of the evening, the 4th individual gold medal was at stake in the mixed doubles event, with two pairs that had never met before: All England champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei facing Korea’s Shin Baek Cheol and Lee Hyo Jung (pictured below right). The latter had limited herself to women’s doubles in Doha as she was then recovering from a back injury and there was no chance of her career extending to the next edition, which will be in Incheon, Korea. This was her chance to grab one the titles she had hoped for after her Olympic gold quest, which had been fulfilled already with Lee Yong Dae. And, as was evident from the announcement she made after the match, it was clear she had hoped to finish her career on a high note.
afa8743
The first game was very close, with a very tactical part played by the Koreans, who were in the lead most of the time thanks to some clever attacks on Zhang Nan. Both teams stayed neck-and-neck for most of the game when the suspense peaked at 19-19. Shin Baek Cheol then hit an ideally placed smash which touched Zhao’s shoulder, giving the Koreans a first game point.  Shin didn’t waver, unlike the previous evening, and the first one was the good one, ending the game 21-19 for Koreans.
The second game saw the Koreans take the lead quite early, with some very inspired play by Lee Hyo Jung, who placed their opponents ideally before her partner killed the shuttle, resulting in an 11-7  lead for Lee and Shin. An incredible point at 12-8 saw the Koreans defend for twenty attacks from the Chinese before a magic return from Lee gave them one opportunity to attack. After that, it was a one-sided match, with the Chinese unable to finish the points thanks to amazing defense by the Koreans. One point after the other, the crowd was silenced except for that small Korean party of players cheering in the stands. The last shuttle was called out and Shin Baek Cheol was on the ground, probably not believing what had happened.
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“I had a dream on the way here to Guangzhou, in the plane, but I didn’t want to talk about it until know as I was afraid it would shatter my dream, but I dreamt that a dolphin came and talked to me, and these words helped me win this gold medal,” said Shin Baek Cheol shyly while his compatriot Lee Hyo Jung was laughing.
But when asked whether this new duo was to stay together until London, the Korean reporter’s question found an astonishing answer.  “I would like to retire and go on on with my life,” said the tall, smiling Lee Hyo Jung. “I’ve achieved a lot and it is now time for me to spend time doing other things I cherish, including going to graduate school.”
For Shin Baek Cheol, this medal is worth 2 years of his life, which he won’t have to spend in the Korean military as he will be exempt as an Asian Games gold medallist.
This will be the end of the road for both Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Kyung Won, who had announced to Badzine already she was to quit after Guangzhou.
For Zhao Yunlei, it was all about going back to work. “We didn’t play well today. We’ll have to look it all over again and see what we did wrong so that we can progress,” said Zhao.
Zhang, meanwhile, was even tougher on himself: “I just did a really bad job today.”
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Thursday, November 18, 2010

ASIAN GAMES IND. Day 2 – Liliyana: “We want gold”

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afa9860
Liliyana Natsir and Tontowi Ahmad stroked impressively for their first match in Guangzhou, for the first round of the mixed doubles individual event. In no time, they had sent packing Commonwealth Games gold medallist Koo Kien Keat along with his younger partner Woon Khe Wei.
By Raphael Sachetat, live from Guangzhou. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)
The announcements from the local government that tickets would be put back on sale – after supposedly sold out venues were found to be half empty – paid off.  The second day of the individual event saw a large crowd gather in the newly decorated Tian He Stadium early on Wednesday morning.  Oddly enough, there were more people than during the finals of the team events when China was playing.  Liliyana Natsir and Tontowi Ahmad got to play in front of a very strong crowd, which was obviously disappointed by the performance of Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat and Woon Khe Wei but which was encouraging them on the few occasions that they were scoring.
Liliyana and Tontowi, on the other hand, were scoring one point after the other, very sharp at the net for her, hitting very hard from the back for him, resulting in a quick 21-10, 21-9 success.
“We were very well prepared for this match and this overall competition. We took control very early over the match and things went smoothly for us,” said a delighted Liliyana after the match. “And we could see that, even if Koo was hitting strong, his partner was struggling at the net,” she added.
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For Koo Kien Keat, the important part still lies ahead – in the men’s doubles, where he and Tan Boon Heong have a title to defend.
“I’m not a professional mixed doubles partner and I didn’t have specific training in this category, nor have I prepared especially to meet these opponents. I just want to prepare for tonight’s match on men’s doubles and prepare for it mentally,” said the Malaysian.
“He’s more powerful than Nova”
Of course, the question popped whether Liliyana Natsir was disappointed by not playing with Nova Widianto for these Asian Games. “Yes, when I first heard that I was to partner someone else for the Asian Games, I was a bit concerned. But then, we started playing together with Tontowi, and we got good results from the start, which was encouraging,” said Liliyana. Encouraging indeed as the duo played three Grand Prix Gold tournaments prior to these Asian Games and scooped 2 golds and one silver – in Macau, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei respectively – with very good wins over tough opponents such as Gunawan/Marissa and even Olympic Champions Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung.
The reason for this success? “I think that Tontowi is very strong mentally, and of course, he is younger and very powerful. Nova was powerful too but not as powerful as before in the latest tournaments we were playing, even if we were still world number one,” said Liliyana.
“Now, the coaches haven’t said anything about our future. We’ll take it as it comes and it will all depend on our results. Of course, a good result here at the Asian Games would be important for us. We will take one match at the time, but in my mind, I have come here for the gold,” she added. They will next take on Chinese Taipei’s Chen and Cheng – a pair they beat last time they met.
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Sony out!
If Indonesia welcomed this mixed doubles win, hopes were partly shattered in the men’s singles, where Sony Dwi Kuncoro was sent packing by Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, quite unknown to the general public but who had great support from the local crowd.  The youngster enjoyed some easy mistakes from Sony – obviously still not at his best – and lobs that were not high enough to prevent him from smashing. It was a close call until midway through the third game, when the Taiwanese moved into a higher gear to get 6 match points. He was to close it up on his 4th one, for a final 21-13, 14-21, 21-17 success.
“I’m certainly really excited. I’ve been training for such a long time for this moment. It feels like winning a big match. I didn’t feel any pressure even if Sony was higher ranked than me, and the pressure was all his. I think it was his injuries that affected his performance,” said Chou, who is world number 66 with a career high in last year’s China Open when he reached the quarter-finals.
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Talk of the day -- Taiwan wins 1st Asian Games gold in China

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Taiwan defeated Japan in the finals of the men's soft tennis team event Sunday to win the country's first gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, ending Taiwan's gold drought at any major sporting event held in China since the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing.

The following are excerpts from the local media coverage of the event:

United Daily News:

Taiwan's soft tennis players Lin Ting-chung and Liu Chia-lun pulled off an upset win over their Japanese opponents in the men's team event Sunday, giving the country its first gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games.

In the first of three matches that made up the tie, the Taiwanese duo of Yang Sheng-fa and Li Chia-hung lost to Koji Kobayashi and Hidenori Shinohara 5-2, but Kuo Chia-wei managed to defeat his Japanese rival Keiya Nakamoto 4-3 in the following singles to even things up.

In the final doubles that would decide the gold medal, Lin and Liu dropped the first three sets in the best-of-nine match, but pulled off a dramatic comeback and won the final set to take the match 5-4.

The team broke a curse that had hung over the heads of Taiwanese athletes for 20 years. No local athlete had won a gold medal at any major sporting event in China over the past two decades, spanning the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, the 2001 Beijing Summer Universiade and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Consequently, Taiwan's Olympic flag had never been hoisted and its national flag anthem never played at a medal presentation ceremony in China until Sunday.

Many Taiwanese reporters covering the event were excited to the point of shedding tears as they witnessed the award ceremony.

Because of China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan, the Taiwanese delegation has had to take part in major international sporting events, including the Olympic Games and Asian Games, under the designation of "Chinese Taipei" instead of the country's official national title of "Republic of China." The ROC's national flag and national anthem have also been barred from those occasions. (Nov. 15, 2010). China Times:

Taiwanese athletes performed well Sunday on the second day of the Asian Games, winning one gold, two silver and four bronze medals to help move Taiwan into sixth place among 45 competing nations and areas in the overall medal standings.

Besides clinching the gold medal in the men's soft tennis team event, Taiwan also took home a silver medal in the women's soft tennis team event the same day.

Meanwhile, swimmer Cheng Wan-jung won bronze in the women's 400-meter individual medley, bagging Taiwan's first Asian Games swimming medal since the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. She is also scheduled to compete in the 200-meter butterfly event Monday.

In judo, Wang Chin-fang won silver in the women's under-63 kg. competition, Taiwan's best judo result at the Asian Games in 12 years.

Taiwan's other medal winners on Sunday were Tseng Han-chieh, who took bronze in the men's judo under-90 kg. event, and Lee Wen-jung, who captured bronze in the women's Wushu (martial arts) competition.

The women's billiards squad won bronze in the team snooker competition.
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

ASIAN GAMES Team SF – Happy Birthday Kunchala!

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The second session of the badminton team semi-finals at the Guangzhou Asian Games saw some surprises with the victory of Thailand’s ladies over Indonesia on Kunchala Voravichitchaikul’s birthday, China white-washed Indonesia’s men’s team in spite of some tough good resistance.
Raphael Sachetat, live from Guangzhou.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)
The evening started with a rather unusual ceremony: before the evening session and the second half of the semi-finals, Kunchala Voravichitchaikul was called on court and handed over a small present while the whole stadium was singing “Happy Birthday”.  It was a unique moment for the Thai woman, who was turning 26, but the best was to come: as a wonderful birthday present, she was to deliver the winning point to send her team off to the Asian Games women’s team final.
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Once again, it was Salakjit Ponsana who delivered the crucial first point, this time against Adriayanti Firdasari. The tiny Thai played her usual tiring game, making her opponent run the four corners and soon she had given Thailand the best start thanks to an even score in the three games 21-17, 17-21, 21-17.
Polii and Jauhari put the tie back to square but another singles player, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, put back Thailand in the lead, convincingly beating Maria Febe Kusumastuti in straight games 21-12, 21-15.  The “Think Pink” wave hit once again in the second doubles where the trick of having the more experienced Kunchala and Saralee worked wonders again. The two friends took one game to get going against Indonesia’s own scratch pair of Maheswari and Bernadet but managed to clinched both the second and third games, making a dream come true for Kunchala, on her birthday.
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The majority of spectators had left after the Chinese had finished playing, but nevertheless, the Thais were on for a joyful party on the court even after the lights had been switched off, enjoying this historical result.
China on a roll
After the girls in the afternoon, it was the boys turn to shine in the evening session with 5 matches worth finals of any Super Series.  Only 3 were to be  played, however, as China was clearly a cut above on Sunday.
First, Taufik Hidayat (pictured) and Lin Dan fought with ups and downs in the quality of the game, but there were times when both shuttlers showed their best level, with amazing rallies – in the first part of the first game, and then again towards the end of the match, where Lin Dan saved 2 game points to come back from 18-20 to finally beat Taufik 21-13, 23-21.  It was a symbolic victory for the Chinese legend, who had been deprived of the Asian Games gold medal last time by Taufik, in Doha in 2006.
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Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (pictured) also were troubled – they even lost the second game – against Kido and Setiawan, but the rematch of the Olympic final saw a different winner this time as Cai and Fu put a lot more pressure in the third game to take it away 23-21, 14-21, 21-10.
“They played very aggressively in the second game at the front of the court, and we tried to match them there, which was a mistake” said Fu Haifeng.  “We fell for it but we were able to think again in the decider and play from the rear court again and take an early attack.”
Chen Jin just had to finish it up with an impressive victory from the World Champion 21-11, 21-15, leading China to a final clash against the Koreans – where once against the third men’s singles could be an interesting battle.  China is the clear favourite on paper, but Lin Dan’s recent loss to Park Sung Hwan in Paris and Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung’s penchant for beating Cai and Fu will make it an interesting tie.
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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Taiwanese men's soft tennis team wins gold at Asian Games

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Guangzhou, China, Nov. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's soft tennis players Lin Ting-chung and Liu Chia-lun pulled off an upset win over their Japanese opponents in the men's team event Sunday, giving the country its first gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games.

In the first match, Chinese Taipei pair Yang Sheng-fa and Li Chia-hung lost to their Japanese opponents Koji Kobayashi and Hidenon Shinohara 2-5, but Kuo Chia-wei managed to defeat his Japanese rival Keiya Nakamoto 4-3 in the following match.

During the final match, the Lin-Liu pair went down to their Japanese rivals Shigeo Nakahori and Tsuneo Takagawa in the first set, but managed to stage an upset in the later stages of the match to score a final 5-4 victory.

The gold was Taiwan's first of the Asian Games that opened a day earlier in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Earlier in the day, the Taiwanese women's soft tennis players won silver in the team event after losing to Japan 1-2.

Also Sunday, Taiwanese judo athletes Wang Chin-fang took silver in the 63-kg women's event and Zeng Han-chieh garnered a bronze in the 90-kg men's event, while Lee Wen-jung won bronze in women's Wushu (martial arts) and swimmer Cheng Wan-jung also bagged a bronze in the 400-meter individual medley.

On the first day of the games, cyclist Hsiao Mei-yu took bronze in the women's 500-meter time trial event and Chen Wei-ling also won bronze in the 48-kg women's weightlifting event. (By Oscar Wu and Sofia Wu) ENDITEM/J
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Sania ready for singles, mixed doubles events in Asian Games

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Indian tennis player Sania Mirza, who pulled out of the women's team championship due to throat and ear infection and is under medication, will take part in the singles and mixed doubles individual events in the Asian Games here.

According to a team official, Sania and Poojashree Venkatesh will be the two Indian singles entries for women and Somdev Devvarman and Karan Rastogi would play in the men's singles.

In mixed doubles, Sania, ranked 166th in singles in the world, will partner Vishnuwardhan.

Sanam Singh would partner Somdev while Rastogi would combine forces with Vishnuvardhan in men's doubles.

    In women's doubles, the likely combination is Rushmi Chakravarthi with Poojashree and Nirupama Sanjeev with Tara Iyer.

    Sania, who started practicing since Saturday, was forced to watch from the sidelines as the 2006 silver medal winners India lost 3-0 to Indonesia in the first round of the team event.

    Disappointed at not being able to lead the Indian challenge, Sania told reporters at the Aoti Tennis Centre that it would not have been fair on her part in keeping out a fitter person.

    "I was disappointed but I felt it was not fair to keep out a fitter person and I play and then lose as I am still feeling very weak because of the medication that includes 1500 gms of anti-biotics daily for ten days and I have been taking it over the last seven days," she said.

    Sania said while the infection seems to have decreased but for a constant buzz in her ear, the weakness has not gone.

    "I have started practicing since yesterday and wanted to have a good session today," said the Hyderabad-born player, who has come here with her mother.

    Sania said the infection had started from her throat and spread to the ear and she still feels some pain under the ear.

    "I think I picked it up while playing in Luxemburg. I had gone to two doctors at home and am taking medication."

    Sania said, in her absence, Poojashree handled the pressure well in the team championship.

    "Poojashree really played well. In the Asian Games, the competition is quite stiff. I had good support last time in Doha from Shikha (Uberoi) and we did not need to use our doubles teams till the finals as we went through with 2-0 margin," she said.

    Sania, who had a career-high ranking of 29 a few years ago before injuries upset her progress, said she loved to have played in three individual events which is not permissible as per the rules.

    "I wanted to play in three events, but the rules do not permit me to do so."

    Meanwhile, the US-based player Nirupama said it was a "nightmare" to get tickets for the events in the Asian Games, reminiscent of last month's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

    "It's five times worse. I wanted my husband and daughter to come and see the matches today but no tickets were available. Yesterday too that was the situation officially but only 20 persons saw us playing (against Indonesia) in the stands," she said.

    "There are also no booths to sell the tickets near the stadium," she said.

    Nirupama also bemoaned the absence of Sania in on Saturday's tie against Indonesia.

    "If Sania had been there we would have sailed through. I had to fill in, though I am more comfortable in doubles now," she said.



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    Saturday, November 13, 2010

    Double success for Thailand

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    Thais were heroes of the day with two upsets in both the men’s and women’s team competition at the Guangzhou Asian Games.  Salakjit Ponsana led her team-mates to victory over Japan while her brother Boonsak and his friends made it historical for Thailand, ending a 30-year unbeaten record against Malaysia.
    By Raphael Sachetat, live from Guangzhou. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)
    It might have been the last match and the Tian He stadium might have been deserted by most of its spectators – China having beaten Hong Kong in no time 3-0 – there was a lot of noise coming from the stands. The whole Thailand team was cheering for its 20-year-old rookie Avihingsanon, who was about to conclude the biggest upset of the day: Thailand was 2-2 against Malaysia in the overall tie, with one game up for their team-mate against another rookie – Darren Liew who, however had much more pressure to cope with, Malaysia being expected to reach the semi-final stage.
    From the body language of the two players, the outcome was clear. Liew’s shoulders were down while his opponent had his head up, all fired up after each point, helped by the loud cheer and dancing from his team mates. In straight games, it was all over, 21-16, 21-16 for the Thai, putting Malaysia to shame.
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    Boonsak Ponsana had led his team on the right path. The Thai wonder, having failed to beat Chong Wei in 7 of their previous 8 meetings, was clearly on top of his game, even if both shuttlers had things to worry about. Ponsana had had a sore neck for the past few days while Chong Wei mentioned a fever to one of the local reporters. Nevertheless, it was the Thai who showed more fighting spirit towards the end of the game, to clinch the first point 9-21, 21-10, 21-19.
    Koo and Tan delivered a very solid performance to put back Malaysia in the tie before Hafiz took the lead for Malaysia over Saensomboonsuk. The second surprise, however, saw Mak and Tan unable to wrap it up for Malaysia, losing in a close three games tie to Isara and Jongjit before Avihingsason nailed it for Thailand and saw Boonsak jump barefoot on top of his head, soon joined by the rest of the team.
    “It’s a major surprise for us,” said coach Songphol. “We never expected to be able to beat Malaysia, who were one of the favourites. We were very lucky. And when Boonsak won his match, we begun to think we had a chance after all,” added the coach.
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    “We shouldn’t have lost to Thailand. I’m not happy,” said Misbun Sidek, the singles coach for Malaysia. “It’s been a long time since we lost to Malaysia and we were hoping for Lee Chong Wei to win his match. We could have then won 3/0. We lost our momentum in the strategy today and Chong Wei’s loss affected the players emotionally.”
    Women winners too
    This stunning upset over Malaysia didn’t come on its own, as the Thai girls had created somehow an upset just as big by beating former Uber Cup silver medallists Japan. And it started a similar way for Thailand with an upset from Salakjit Ponsana over Eriko Hirose. The win in itself wasn’t so surprising- Ponsana had, after all, been a semi-finalist in the most recent Super Series in France. The surprise came with the score of 21-7, 21-18: quite disappointing for Hirose, who has assured already her spot in the Super Series Finals thanks to a great season.
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    Logically, Maeda and Suetsuna made it one all, but it wasn’t enough as Porntip Buranaprasertsuk beat Ai Goto and the second Thai pair – much more experienced than the better ranked Amitrai/Aroonkesorn – Voravichitchaikul and Thoungthongkam took it home against a scratch pair of Shiota/Fujii. The former one had been preferred to Fujii’s usual partner Kakiiwa. Yet the chemistry didn’t work and it was Thailand who stunned Japan 3-1 to scoop their ticket for the semi-finals.
    “It was unexpected for us to play against Reiko Shiota, but somehow, it was good because she may be very good with her strokes, yet she lacks power and that suited our game today. We now hope to get a medal for the Thai people now,” said Saralee Thoungthongkam.

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    Friday, November 12, 2010

    Saina begins Asian Games with impressive win

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    Guangzhou, Nov 13: Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal started her campaign at the 16th Asian Games on a strong note by clinching an impressive 30-minute victory over Indonesia's Adriyanti Firdasari 21-16 21-17 in the first women's singles match.


    Fresh off her golden performance at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, the Indian handled her opponent very well at the net. She hit 16 winners as against nine of Firdasari.


    However, on an upsetting note for India, Saina's male counterpart, Arvind Bhat, lost his singles match of the men's team event. Bhat fell to Yu Hsing Hsieh 26-28 21-15 13-21 after a 52 minute battle.

    The Chinese Taipei player dished out 22 smash winners against 25 of the Indian.

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    Thursday, October 28, 2010

    China's tennis team prepare for Asian Games

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    BEIJING - OCTOBER 10: (L-R) Hsieh Su-Wei of T...Image by Getty Images via @daylife




    Some of the spotlight at the Asian Games will fall on Chinese tennis. The veteran players are improving, but with the withdrawal of Zheng Jie, Chinese youngsters need to assume more responsibility at Guangzhou next month.
    Peng Shuai was one of the first Chinese tennis athletes to get on the professional road. She was the earliest to find a coach, and among the first to arrange her competition schedule through the coach instead of with the national team. Peng was considered China's future star when she was 14 years old, and she competed at the Asian Games at a very early age.
    "My first time to take part in Asian Games was when I was 15 years old. But there was a cramp in my leg. I appeared at the last Asian Games, but I didn't show up on court."
    Many Chinese fans consider Peng Shuai the tennis team leader, especially after she beat Amelie Mauresmo and Martina Hingis at the 2008 China Tennis Open. But the veteran says she's not at ease, with the Guangzhou Asian Games just ahead.
    "I feel very happy to play in Guangzhou, but I am also under a lot of pressure."
    Peng Shuai turned pro first, but the female player with the best performance on this road is Li Na. She's currently the most famous Chinese player in international tennis, and success at the Asian Games is her top goal.
    "This will be my last Asian Games. I'm honored to be part of the games, and I do hope we can put on a good performance."
    Li Na's departure from the Games after Guangzhou means the new generation of Chinese tennis players must catch up, and shoulder more responsibility as soon as possible.
    "I think they are good. Group matches involve four people and I can't play all the matches by myself. So I need work together with these youngsters to be at our best."
    The young players performed well at the recently-finished China tennis grand prix. There's no doubt they will be the future of the sport in China.
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    Saina seeded second in Asian Games singles

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    MUMBAI: India's best bet in badminton, Saina Nehwal, is seeded second and given a first round bye in the women's singles at next month's Asian Games in Guangzhou, but faces a tough task in the quarterfinals.

    The badminton competitions, in which seven gold medals are at stake, would be held from November 13-21.

    Saina, currently the world no. 3 behind top ranked Chinese Xin Wang and Yihan Wang, is expected to get past either Lydia Cheah of Malaysia or Vietnam's Thi Trang Vu, who are to clash in round one.

    The 20-year-old Indian star, who made it to the Beijing Olympic Games quarterfinals two years ago, has beaten Lydia when they met in the final of the Chinese Taipei Open in 2008.

    Saina's rising stature and her recent form going into the Asian Games on the back of the Commmonwealth Games gold should stand her in good stead if she is to face the 21-year-old Malaysian girl.

    The Vietnamese is, however, an unknown commodity for the Indian medal hope as the two have never met before in an international competition at the senior level.

    A victory in round two would pilot the Hyderabad-based Indian world junior champion straight into a potentially dangerous clash with Hong Kong's World no. 12 Pui Yin Yip, seeded sixth.

    They have a 1-1 head-to-head record till now, with the Haryana-born Saina having conquered Pui in straight games last year in the French Open after having lost to the Hong Kong girl in the 2007 Swiss Open.

    In the semifinals, Saina is drawn to meet Chinese world no. 5 Shixian Wang, the third seed, a rival to whom she had lost in this year's world championship.

    As many as eight players in the world's top 20, including world no. 1 Xin Wang, have entered the singles contest in which India's other competitor, Aditi Mutatkar (world no. 39) would be up against Thilini Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka in the first round.

    A victory in the opener would pit Aditi against formidable Eriko Hirose of Japan, the fourth seed and world no. 8, for a place in the last eight.

    In men's singles, India's P Kashyap will have to overcome world no. 9 Tien Minh Nguyen, seeded fifth, in the first round while national champion Chetan Anand, ranked 18th in the world, is to line up against world no. 4 Jin Chen of China, the third seed.

    Twelve of the world's top 20 ranked shuttlers, including world no. 1 and 3 Chong Wei Lee (Malaysia) and Dan Lin (China) are to vie for the medals, making it a top drawer competition.

    Saina would also spearhead the country's women in the ten-team competition in which unseeded India are to face Indonesia in the first round with the winners entering the last eight.

    China and Japan have been seeded one and two.


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    Wednesday, October 27, 2010

    Indian tennis needs a miracle

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    So the big fight over which teams will get cleared for the Guangzhou Asian Games turned out to be a damp squib as the sports ministry decided this was not the time for bullying the sports federations! Just imagine, 36 disciplines and close to 650 athletes have been cleared, and when one mentions names of disciplines like sepaktakraw, wushu, softball tennis, triathlon, ten pin bowling, rugby and handball, you could start imagining another gold rush. Agreed, the Commonwealth Games hangover persists.
    Even as medal-winning athletes are being felicitated by various states, their employers and also some corporate houses wanting to cash in on the publicity, the serious athletes have begun training. Take for instance shooting.
    Days after the closing ceremony, marksmen like Gagan Narang, Manavjit Sandhu and Abhinav Bindra have started focusing again on the big challenge ahead. At the same time, you have a Saina Nehwal back in Hyderabad enjoying all the attention.
    However, that has not stopped her from the hard grind back on the courts, despite the fact that she has been handed a fairly easy draw at the Asian Games. The other day, one of the babus in the sports ministry was actually apologetic when I asked him why teams for some of the sports where India has hardly done anything of note had been cleared.
    His explanation was simple - that when crores of rupees can be spent on a balloon (the hyped CWG aerostat), what's wrong if India sends sports teams for 'exposure'? I honestly believe the majority of Indian sporting teams should no longer be referred to as groups going out on fun trips abroad. Gone are the days when India competed just for the 'spirit of competition'.
    If there is any message from the CWG, it is that Indian athletes are dead serious about what they do and the government should continue supporting them in a big way. Yet, one sport where we look very shaky despite the hype is tennis. It is no secret that it required some convincing for Somdev Devvarman to agree to play in the Asian Games and not lose sleep over the ATP ranking points he will lose by going to Guangzhou.


    Here are some cold facts which not many know. At a time when people lampoon the central and Delhi government agencies for fraud, inflated tenders, poor construction quality and corruption, athletes actually gained from the CWG.
    Somdev, for instance, got close to Rs 18 lakh from the sports ministry for his two-year preparation in the lead up to the CWG. His golden effort at the Games guarantees him Rs 20 lakh and insiders now confirm that he will also be getting almost $6,000 per month for his training from now on.
    Somdev's seeming reluctance to go for the Asian Games stems from the fact that his seniors - Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and possibly Rohan Bopanna too - will skip Guangzhou. After the shaky performance of Leander and Mahesh in New Delhi, it's clear they are now not the force they were.
    When they won the gold in the Doha Asian Games in 2006, all hell broke loose as they were lambasting each other in front of TV cameras!
    At least now, you can be sure no such drama will take place in Guangzhou. My point is, if the doubles stars are focusing on the year-end ATP doubles meet in London, did they come to the CWG just because they got paid close to Rs 15 lakh each as 'preparation costs' by the government?
    Leander has told people that the year-end doubles meet is something he has never won and he wants to focus on it. The same for Mahesh as well, while Rohan has had an incredible run with Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi in doubles this year. The replacements for these big boys are just not there and it exposes the depth in Indian men's tennis.
    Perhaps, just as Somdev emerged from American collegiate tennis, we need to pray for some more miracles. It would seem that India will lose tennis medals in the Asian Games. However, I do not think we need to really cry over it.
    If Indian tennis does not end up doing as badly as the sepaktakraw and handball and wushu events, I would be more than happy. At the same time, let's be realistic once again in assessing the medal prospects in Guangzhou.
    Barring chess, the cueists and kabaddi, the rest of the competitors will find the competition very challenging. Oh yes, even the Indian football team has been cleared!

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