Latest Badminton News and Articles

Clark and Robertson see their winning run ended (pic)

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Category: Badminton News

Published: 19 June 2009

Written by BadmintonPlanet.com Hits: 553

ANTHONY Clark and Nathan Robertson have been beaten in the second round of the Indonesian Open.

DISAPPOINTMENT: After their breakthrough win in Singapore, Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark were beaten in Indonesia

The English champion, who won the recent Singapore Open, went down 21-16, 24-22 in a close-fought 39 minute encounter with Joko Riyadi and Luluk Hadiyanto.

The defeat came on the day they learned their win over the Olympic and world champions last week had lifted them into the top ten of the world rankings.

England's Robert Blair and Scotland's Imogen Bankier reached the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles with a battling display against eight seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam.

Blair and Bankier won 21-19, 11-21, 21-11 in 53 minutes and now face Olympic champions and second seeds Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung of Korea.

Bankier had high hopes of a second quarter-final place but she and Donna Kellogg went down to sixth seeds Zhang Yawen and Zhao Tingting of China 21-11, 21-10.

Elsewhere, Robertson and Jenny Wallwork failed to reach the mixed doubles quarters, losing 21-15, 21-16 to Han Sang Hoon and Jang Ye Na.

In the new world rankings Rajiv Ouseph rises to a career best number 26 while Susan Hughes is the top ranked British woman at world number 29.

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Chong Wei, three pairs in last eight (pic)

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Category: Badminton News

Published: 19 June 2009

Written by BadmintonPlanet.com Hits: 945

WORLD No 1 Lee Chong Wei advanced to the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open after ousting compatriot Hafiz Hashim while three Malaysian pairs also stayed in the hunt in Jakarta yesterday.

Chong Wei, the top seed, secured a 21-7, 19-21, 21-7 win over Hafiz in 36 minutes to remain on course for his second Indonesia Open crown. He won the title in 2007.

Hafiz hardly gave any resistance in the first game as Chong Wei scored a 21-7 win in just eight minutes. However, thing got better for Hafiz in the second game when he raced to a surprise 8-2 lead and forced a decider with a close 21-19 win.

But Chong Wei shifted gears in the third game and raced to a 21-7 victory to foil Hafiz's attempt of an upset.

Zulfadli makes the grade for Asian Juniors team

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Category: Badminton News

Published: 19 June 2009

Written by BadmintonPlanet.com Hits: 952

KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Zulfadli Zulkifliwill have a place in the squad for the Asian Junior Championships but Misbun Ramdan Misbun’s hope to make a first appearance is still in doubt.

Zulfadli and Ramdan are the two players not in the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) stable fighting for places in the team for the championships, which will be held at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara from July 12-19.

The Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) chief coach, Sun Chenhua, said that in a meeting among the junior coaches yesterday, it was decided that the 16-year-old Zulfadli was good for a place in the team.

He said that Zulfadli had justified his position after going through three stages of the selection process conducted by the BAM over the last four months.

Zulfadli, who is funded by KLRC Bhd, showed his ability to more than match the BJSS players during a two-week centralised training stint.

He emerged tops in round-robin matches against the BJSS players and in the final selection process, he proved to be just as fit as the others.

In the recent 100Plus National Junior Circuit Grand Finals in Seremban, Zulfadli emerged as the boys’ Under-16 champion.

Chong Wei takes three games to tame compatriot Hafiz in second round

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Category: Badminton News

Published: 19 June 2009

Written by BadmintonPlanet.com Hits: 468

PETALING JAYA: It was expected to be a smooth ride into the quarter-finals of the Indonesian Open for world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei. But he had to work extra time to make it in Jakarta yesterday.

The top seeded Chong Wei had to recover from a second-game defeat to beat compatriot Mohd Hafiz Hashim 21-7, 19-21, 21-7. He will take on South Korean Park Sung-hwan today for a place in the semi-finals. Sung-hwan advanced with a 21-16, 21-17 win over Indonesian Simon santso.

It all appeared to be a stroll in the park for Chong Wei when he bulldozed Hafiz to win the first game. But the lanky Hafiz had other plans in the second game. He raced to a 7-1 lead and kept piling on the pressure on Chong Wei to force a rubber.

But the fight Hafiz appeared to be capable of throwing in all fizzled out and he surrendered meekly.

National chief coach Rashid Sidek said that Chong Wei lost control in the second game.

Chinese team puts high hopes on Lin Dan to win Indonesia Open 2009

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Category: Badminton News

Published: 17 June 2009

Written by BadmintonPlanet.com Hits: 496

JAKARTA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese team set high expectations on its Men's single shuttler Lin Dan to win Djarum Indonesia Open 2009 super series after he skipped the previous super series held in Singapore, a Chinese team official said here on Wednesday.

"Yes, we expect Lin Dan to seize the championship here," Xia Xuanze, the Chinese team Men's single coach told a press conference after the victory of Lin Dan against his Indonesian contender Andre Kurniawan Tedjono in straight two games 21-13, 22-20 here.

Xia said that Chinese team has its own strategy to face the international badminton championships throughout this year.

In the fifth super series Singapore Open 2009, Chinese maverick men's single shuttler Bao Chunlai seized the championship. He now absent in the sixth super series tournament that provides 250,000 U.S. dollars of rewards.