Stephan The Man » BWF Super Series

All England Super Series 2010, What A Qualifier!

Stephan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:09:00 +0000

I was watching the All England 2010 Qualifying matches yesterday and paid special attention to one of our IBA players, Christian Lind Thomsen (Denmark). He played two awesome matches to get himself into the main draw. However I was told of a youtube video that captured the last few moments of his qualification victory. I think it is really worth watching:)

Lee Chong Wei Stops Taufik Indonesia Open Super Series 2009

Stephan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:16:13 +0000

I really believed this match was going to be a 50/50 match. On Taufik’s (Indonesia) side I could not ignore that he had won 7 Indonesian Opens which basically means he is unstopable on his home turf. On the other side Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), he is number one on the road and he was just mashing up his oppenents along the way to the finals.
I was not able to witness the match since I was on a plane back to Europe but I can imagine how it went down. Taufik needs a few combinations to happen in order to win. First he needs quick points, he is unlikely to beat the big boys with his fitness. He wants to be the one attacking, since it is his biggest strength. Lastly he needs to win the net, this allows him to attack and get cheap points.
I believe that Chong Wei was able to stay away from all of this by always pushing the shuttle in the court and not allowing Taufik to play tight net. I also think that Chong Wei’s pace was probably always a little too high and kept Taufik under pressure which does not allow him to attack.
If this is more or less what happened then I am not surprised to see that Chong Wei trounced Taufik in the finals 21-9 21-14.
So this is the end of an awsome tournament I will be off to the U.S Open in a few weeks but before that I will be heading to Winnipeg,Canada, for a national training camp. I look forward to training over in Canada with the boys and having a blast.
See you all on another continent

Taufik Going for 8 at Indonesia Open Super Series 2009

Stephan — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:54:59 +0000

Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) claimed his spot in the Indonesia Open by beating his compatriot Soni Dwi Kuncoro in two straight sets 21-17 21-14. It seems that Taufik is the absolut KING of this tournament…from what i can see he has won 7 Indonesia Open titles which makes him the player who has won this tournament the most.
But this year Taufik will be facing a formidable foe in the finals…Chong Wei LEE (Malaysia), he is the number one ranked player in the world and he has been just dusting players all tournament. Perhaps its because he lost early last week and has something to prove, whatever it is, its working.
I look forward to Todays match between the two…both players have their work cut out for them.. Taufik has to face a man of fire and Chong Wei has to face the man who is unable to lose Indonesia Open…even if he tried.

To follow the match please click on the link below
DRAW

Incredible Quarter Final Matches Indonesian Open Super Series 2009

Stephan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:17:36 +0000

I have to say I had an AMAZING time watching the quarter finals yesterday. Three out of the 4 matches were incredible, but the most exciting ones were Soni Dwi Kuncoro (Indonesia) vs Yan Kit CHAN (Hong Kong) and Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) vs Peter Gade (Denmark). These two matches made the crowd E lectric.. it was almost deafening every time an Indonesian player won a point.
The first of the two matches was Soni Dwi and Yan Kit. These two players are so strong physically and are like bulls on the court. It was one diving save after the other and incredible attacking strokes. Yan Kit showed a lot of strength in the first game by staying with Soni as much as possible and then pulling away in the end to take it 21-18. However in the next two games Soni Dwi was just getting one too many over the net and was lethal with his cross court forehand smash. Which means that Soni Dwi won the match 18-21 21-17 21-10.
The second match between Taufik and Peter Gade was even more breath taking. I was able to speak with Peter Gade hours before his match and I asked him to make sure that he makes it a crowd pleasing game…He did not disappoint This was a battle of owning the net and flats, flats and more flats. Taufik took the first game 21-19, it was very close all the way through. The second game Peter took quite a big lead and then it looked like Taufik saved his energy for the third and final game. He sure needed it. The third game was tight all the way through. It was sooo nerve wrecking, Taufik had two match points at 20-18 which Peter Gade managed to save. But then Taufik took the next two points with the final rally being one of the best rallies of the match. The crowd went crazy and you could see that Taufik was VERY happy and relieved

I am leaving back for Europe today so I will not be able to watch the semi finals and finals, but I will be watching online I have also taken some video footage of the crowd and will upload it as soon as i have time.
To follow the matches please click on the link below
DRAW

2 Day Catch Up For Indonesian Open Super Series 2009

Stephan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:39:10 +0000

I have to apologize for not being able to write the last few days. I unfortunately ate a hot pepper a few nights ago and it was the worst choice of my life. I got food poisoning and was in bed to almost two days! That means I was not able to watch any matches…however since I am in Indonesia and Indonesians love badminton I was able to catch Taufik HIDAYAT (Indonesia) and Boonsak Ponsana (Thailand) on the television. Now if you read my updates from last week you will know that I am a Boonsak fan, however since we are in Indonesia and the crowds LOVE cheering for their own I have to admit I was hoping for Taufik to go through. Indonesian players have basically owned this tournament for the past twenty years and the crowd goes nuts when they win. I would like to see that.
The match between Taufik and Boonsak was three sets and from what I could see it was Taukif trying to always win the net and get Boonsak to lift. By doing this Taufik is using his biggest weapon…his smash….and also his net. It seemed like Boonsak’s tactic was to neutralize Taufik as much as possible and then counter whenever he got the chance. In the end it was Taufik who took the match 21-17 19-21 21-10.
I will be watching the quarter finals today and hoping to see the Indonesian players please the crowd by winning.
I will also stay away from the hot peppers…
To follow the draw please click on the link below
DRAW

No More Sridhar For Me Indonesia Open Super Series 2009

Stephan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:28:43 +0000

That’s it I am through playing this guy! This “3rd time is a charm” expression is none sense. So once again I played Anup Sridhar (India) and once again he punished me once again. He is VERY difficult to play and it seems the more he plays me the more comfortable he is with me….unfortunately its not the other way around. So I am giving credit where credit is due, he is a formidable opponent and I have to go back to the workshop and sharpen my skills if I am to big this guy.
There are going to be a lot of great first round matches and as always I look forward to watching and writing about them:)

To follow the draw please click on the link below
DRAW

Bao Wins Singapore Super Series 2009

Stephan — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:58:22 +0000

My boy Boonsak Ponsana was SOOO close to taking the title this year of the Singapore Super Series 2009. It was Bao Chunlai (China) who ruled this day. Bao if fast and very precise. His ability to take the net and the use his steep smashes with incredible precision is a deadly combination. Boonsak did his best to fight the chinese player off but it was Bao who was simply too good. However I must say both players gave us quite a show, 3 sets, 1 hour match, all guts and one man to take the glory.
I have to say congratulations to the man of the week…Bao Chunlai.

Lets see what happens in next weeks Indonesian Open Super Series 2009. Can the same players reign supreme or will the top seeds make it past the second round. We shall see!
To view the Indonesian Open Super Series 2009 Draw please click on the link below.
DRAW

Semi Finals Singapore Super Series 2009

Stephan — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:57:50 +0000

The magic continues in Singapore as Boonsak Ponsana makes his way into the finals! Like I said I am a Boonsak (what a name) fan:) Today he faced off against Sung Hwan PARK (Korea) and I have to admit I was worried. Boonsak lost the first game 21-19 and was down at the start of the second…the way Park was been playing I was sure that he would also take the second game. But my man Boonsak was tough as nails and was just playing every little trick in the book to either sucker some mistakes out of Park or wait for a good opportunity to win the rally. Whatever it was it worked because Boonsak then came roaring back and took the second game 21-18 and left Park in the dust while claiming the third game 21-13. At a boy Boonsak.
The other semi finals was two chinese, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin. Normaly I would say that it should be an exciting game but I am never sure whether the outcome of the matches are decided before hand or not. So I rather just say that Bao Chunlai beat Chen Jin in two straight 21-19 21-18 and leave it at that.

Tomorrow I will be pulling for my Boonsak all the way. It should be great and let the best man win!

Quarter Finals Results Aviva Singapore Super Series 2009

Stephan — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:40:02 +0000

The world seemed to come back in order as most of the matches ended the way I had expected them to….so I guess my world came back in order:) Bao Chunlai (China), Sung Hwan PARK (Korea) and Boonsak PONSANA (Thailand) all made quick work of their opponents…I have to say I really enjoy watching Boonsak playing, I think he is a very cool playing with style.
However the match of the day by far was Chen Jin (China) vs Jan O Jorgensen (Denmark). This match was a thriller all the way through. You have two players who are super fit, consistent and playing to the death:) Both players won their respective sets by playing on side of the court, from what I remember it is the side you are playing against the wind. This makes it easier to punch the shuttle to the back of the court and make very few mistakes since the shuttle almost always stays in. But the third game they each had half a set on the “good” side. Both players playing very safe by hitting it to the safest places. Jan was up for the most part of the first half of the third. I thought that the Dane was going to win since he was the one playing with more variation and taking his chances at the right times. However Chen Jin was ULTRA steady and even when Jan was playing great shots at the right times the Chinese player just got it back. The point that I will always remember was at 18-19 Jan hit a shot to the deep back corner and then waited for the return at the net….which he got! Jan took the shuttle very high and playing a quick net shot…but Chen Jin, slipped, recovered, and almost went into the splits to just get the shot over the net! The rally continued and Chen Jin eventualy won the point and then the match. In the end the score was 15-21 21-17 21-18 for Chen Jin.
Today’s match up will be interesting between Sung Hwan PARK (Korea) and Boonsak Ponsana (Thailand).
To follow the matches on live scoring please click on the link below
DRAW

BIG Upsets in Singapore Super Series 2009

Stephan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:51:25 +0000

Stop the press…I don’t know what’s going on here. I just witnessed some of the most exciting stuff ever! The two top seeds in the tournament are out in the second round. First it was Tien Minh NGUYEN (Vietnam) who played a brilliant match against Chong Wei LEE (Malaysia). The Vietnamese is fast and furious and can play this flat game like its nobodies business. I also believe that he is very fit so he can keep up his tempo for quite some time. That is usualy the problem when playing Chong Wei LEE, his tempo is too high and a very long period of time. But Nguyen stuck in there and kept pluging away and being a thorn in the top seeds side. In the end Nguyen won 24-22 20-22 21-19.
Then there was Anup Sridhar (India) against Peter Gade (Denmark). The tall Indian is a very difficult opponent to play. He is steady, clever and attacks well. I believe that Anup used his control of the court well so that he is neutralizing the Dane as much as possible. Patience is key, especialy in windy conditions, you have to keep pumping it into the same corner to avoid mistakes but also to try and pressure. Often rallies can look the same because both players always play the same shots in order to avoid the wind taking the shuttle out of the court. Anup did this better than most so far (believe me I know:). In the end his control was too much and won the match 21-19 16-21 21-13.
The matches that I was looking out for were straight forward matches and got overshadowed by the big upsets. Sony Dwi KUNCORO (Indonesia) won 21-15 21-15 against Yu Hsing HSIEH (Chinese Taipei) and Bao Chunlai (China) beat Choong Hann WONG (Malaysia) 21-16 21-17.
I would like to make some predictions for the Quarter Finals but I feel that right now it would be like trying to win the lottery! So I predict the unpredictable, more upsets? Or perhaps none?
We will see!
To follow the draw please click on the link below
DRAW