Hong Kong Open First Round Selected Results

First Round, Wednesday (11/11) Selected Results:

All mixed doubles first round matches were played on Tuesday (11/10).

Men's Doubles
1-Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (INA) def. Fang Chieh-Min/Lee Sheng-Mu (TPE) 23-21, 21-19
Chan Chong Ming/Chew Choon Eng (MAS) def. Songpol Anukritayawan/Sudket Prapakamol 23-21, 22-20
8-Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah (MAS) def. Chen Zhiben/Shen Ye (CHN) 21-12, 21-13
Rian Sukmawan/Yonathan Dasuki (INA) def. Chen Hung-Ling/Lin Yu-Lang (TPE) 21-9, 21-19
Cho Gun-woo/Shin Baek-cheol (KOR) def. Candra Wijaya/Flandy Limpele (INA) 21-19, 18-21, 21-16
2-Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong (MAS) def. Howard Bach/Tony Gunawan (USA) 21-19, 21-16


Men's Singles
Hu Yun (CHN) def. 4-Chen Jin (CHN) 22-20, 11-7 retired
Bao Chunlai (CHN) def. Arvind Bhat (IND) 19-21, 21-11, 21-16
Kenichi Tago (JPN) def. Wong Choong Hann (MAS) 16-21, 21-19, 21-14
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (THA) def. Sony Dwi Kuncoro (INA) 21-13, 19-21, 21-16
Dionysius Rumbaka (INA) def. Boonsak Ponsana (THA) 22-20, 21-19

Women's Singles
2-Zhou Mi (HKG) def. Fransisca Ratnasari (INA) 21-19, 21-18
4-Tine Rasmussen (DEN) def. Wong Mew Choo (MAS) 21-15, 21-19
Yao Jie (NED) def. 8-Saina Nehwal (IND) 21-16, 21-12
Salakjit Ponsana (THA) def. Maria Kristin (INA) 16-21, 21-18, 23-21
5-Pi Hongyan (FRA) def. Sayaka Sato (JPN) 21-17, 21-12

Women's Doubles
5-Ha Jung-eun/Lee Kyung-won (KOR) def. Chang Yun-Hsin/Chou Chia-Chi 21-11, 23-21
Duanganong Aroonkesorn/Kuchala Worawichitchaikul (THA) def. Jenny Wallwork/Gabrielle White (ENG) 21-18, 11-21, 22-20

Cesc Will Celebrate One Year Captaincy on November 25

Cesc points after scoring Arsenal's third goal to Wolverhampton

Cesc Fabregas insists that the responsibility of captaining Arsenal has not changed him at all.

The Spanish midfielder was just 21 when he was handed the armband by Arsene Wenger last year and will celebrate the anniversary of his first game as skipper on November 25.

A serious knee injury diluted his influence last season but Cesc has led by example this term. He tops Arsenal's scoring charts with nine goals and has helped the team to second place in the Premier League and to within a point of the Champions League knockout stages.

Cesc appears to have taken the captaincy in his stride and the 22-year-old believes his teammates have made the job easier for him.

"The captaincy hasn't changed me at all," he said.

"My teammates have done a great job for me as well, to be honest. They showed me they believe and help me with everything. There has never been any trouble so I am very happy with how things are going."

This time last year Arsenal's team spirit was questioned during the final days of William Gallas' captaincy but Cesc insists he leads a united dressing room.

"The issue with William is gone for us," said Cesc.

"We don't think about it anymore and are happy with the way things are going at the moment. The dressing room has alaways been really together and kept believing.

"Even if we didn't win anything last year, we were really close and in all the competitions right until the end. So the mood in the dressing room is always really positive."

picture by yahoo.com

arsenal.com

Lee Yong-dae Is Back

Hong Kong (11/10) - Korean doubles player Lee Yong-dae won in his first appearance after a two-month absence due to injury. He played with Lee Hyo-jung in mixed doubles first round. The world number one pair overcame Thailand's Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thungthongkam in straight sets, 23-21 and 21-13.

The 2008 Olympic gold medalists will take on Fran Kurniawan and Pia Zebadiah of Indonesia. Other Korean mixed doubles pairs, Ko Sung-hyun/Ha Jung-eun and Shin Baek-cheol/Kim Min-jung also progress to the second round. Ko Sung-hyun and Ha Jung-eun beat Koo Kien Keat/Wong Pei Tty in a tough match, 21-18, 17-21, and 21-19, while Shin Baek-cheol and Kim Min-jung easily won over Albertus Njoto/Chan Hung Yung. 21-11 and 21-15.

Lee Yong-dae, pairing with Jung Jae-sung in the men's doubles, did not need to play a first round match because their opponent, Guo Zhendong and Xu Chen, withdrew. In the second round, Yong-dae and Jae-sung will face Hirokatsu Hashimoto and Noriyasu Hirata of Japan.

Lin Dan Withdraws

Three times world champion and four times Hong Kong Open winner, Lin Dan, withdrew from Hong Kong Open due to an ankle injury. His absence will make the race of men's singles title more competitive. His place is taken by lucky qualifier Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand. Tanongsak will play Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the first round.

Besides Lin Dan, China's number one mixed doubles pair Zheng Bo and Ma Jin, seeded 2, also withdrew, giving Henry Tam and Donna Haliday of New Zealand a free second-round berth. Men's doubles world champions, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, also withdrew.

internationalbadminton

Federer Eases to the Final

Federer waves his hand as he arrives on the court for his semi-final match



Basel (11/7) - Roger Federer overpowered compatriot Marco Chiudinelli to set up final clash with Serbian Novak Djokovic at Davidoff Swiss Indoors.

The world number one, who has won this title for the past three years, was troubled by his sometime doubles partner but Federer was better in the class that he won the tie-break in the first set and and then broke early in the second on his way to a 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 victory.


Federer serves

Federer, 28, created 42 winner and 4 aces compared to Chiudinelli's 36 winner and only one ace.


Roger celebrates his win

Meanwhile, second-seeded Djokovic battled hard to defeat Radek Stepanek 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, and 6-2, to book his place in the final. Roger celebrates his win

Djokovic's record against Federer reads only four win from 13 meetings, although they are level from four matches this year.



pictures by reuters and espnstar

espnstar
davidoffswissindoors

Arsenal Sends Warning to Premier League Current Top Two

Arsenal temporarily goes up to second place in Premier League standings after a 4-1 win in Wolverhampton's Molineux Stadium, extending its unbeatable run in the last 13 matches.

The home side put the Gunners under pressure for the first twenty minutes, yet their ineffectual ball-clearance nestled two goals into their own net.

First, Ronald Zubar poked Cesc Fabregas' corner kick into his own net in the 28th minute. Then, only seven minutes later, Jody Craddock headed Eduardo's flipping shot past his own goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey.



In the additional time, Fabregas continued Robin van Persie's assist to make it 3-0.

In the 65th minute, Andrei Arshavin gunned his fourth goal in the Premier League this season from quite a distance. His ball passed a crowd of Wolverhampton players in front of the goal before piercing Hennessey's net. Arshavin was then replaced by Samir Nasri in the 74th minute.


Jody Craddock climbs over Andrei Arshavin - reuters.com

Wolves gained a consolation goal from Craddock in the 88th, marring Arsenal's hope for a clean sheet.

Though the Gunners obtained three points from their 4-1 victory, Fabregas and the manager Arsene Wenger voiced their disappointment of conceding a goal.



The Arsenal captain told ESPN, "It was disappointing to concede from a set-piece like that. They played well. We were not at our best but still managed to score four."

Likewise, Wenger said, "We conceded a goal, but overall it was a good performance. They made a strong start - but once we got ahead, we controlled it.

"I'm pleased, because we had the Champions League game in midweek and we won today 4-1.

"Our belief is there; we want to give our best in every game. We have great potential and we can go from strength to strength."

This win gives a warning to the current Premier League top two, Chelsea and Manchester United, which clash on Sunday. Robin van Persie admitted that Arsenal hoped for a draw,even though it means Arsenal will remain in the third position with 25 points (Chelsea has 27 points already, and Manchester United 25), because they are benefitted by having a game in hand.

Wenger's statement seemed to confirm van Persie: "We were already out of it (the title race) last year. Two years ago, we were very close to winning it, and people forget that. And last year we were out very early because in 14 games we had lost five. Now it is very different. We are in a strong position because we have a game in hand. Let’s keep strength in our belief, keep humility, and enjoy our game."

arsenal.com

espnstar

Lin Dan Gives China Third French Open 2009 Title

Paris (11/1) - Lin Dan triumph at Paris after an easy 21-6, 21-15 win over Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat.

Top seed Lin Dan never let Taufik even equalize his score in the first set. He left Taufik 10-6 and progressed to win 21-6. In the second set, Taufik gave Lin Dan a better fight. But the four times All England winner showed his greatness when he led 18-15 and won the second set 21-15.
Even though Taufik played his best such as backhand smash and net play, it was not enough to overcome the three times world champion.

"I played very well today and I'm very happy with my performance," said Lin Dan after he won his first French Open title. "I expected more from Taufik, but he looked a little off the pace, which may have been a result of his tough match against Peter Gade yesterday. Now I will continue to train haird and be ready for the Worlds here in this stadium next year."

Lin Dan's win makes China have more title than Indonesia's 2 titles.

Easy Final Matches

The final matches went easily that most of them were won in 0nly two matches.

China won their other 2 titles from women's matches. Third seed Wang Yihan subdued top seed Wang Lin 21-9 and 21-12. Women's doubles second-seeded pair Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei lost to compatriot Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli 13-21, 8-21.

Indonesia grabbed men's and mixed doubles titles mixed doubles' second seeds, Nova Widhianto and Lilyana Natsir, vanquished their teammates Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Vita Marissa 21-7 and 21-7 to end their 10 months drought.

Markis and Hendra Are Better

2007 world champions and world number one men's doubles of Indonesia, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, were better now than the only non-Chinese or non-Indonesian finalists, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong. The Malaysians could not continue their success of winning Denmark Open last week.

In the only three-set match of the day, defending champions beat Kien Keat and Boon Heong 15-21, 21-15, and 21-14 in only 39 minutes. A minute longer than Lin Dan's match.

Even if Kien Keat and Boon Heong showed some greatness, as Kien Keat sitting on the floor at one point, sending back two smashes then winning the rally, they could not claim the title.


badzine

Lin Dan Achieves French Open Final

Four times All England champion Lin Dan advances into French Open final with a 21-19, 23-21 win over countryman Chen Jin in a 36-minute match. He will take on Taufik Hidayat in the final. The Indonesian defeated Peter Gade 22-20, 21-14.

Indonesia ensure a title from mixed doubles as their two pairs have a final clash. Nova Widhianto/Lilyana Natsir worked hard to surpass Olympic bronze medalist He Hanbin/Yu Yang 25-27, 21-14, and 21-17 in an hour and 17 minutes. It was the longest match of the day. On the other hand, seventh-seeded Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Vita Marissa gained a straight-set victory over Tao Jiaming/Zhang Yawen 22-20, 21-17.

In the men's doubles, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan seal a final spot through a 21-19, 21-17 win over Sun Junjie/Tao Jiaming. The world number one pair who are looking for their first European title of this year will meet last week Denmark Open champions, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong.

Kien Keat and Boon Heong played a repeated match against Carsten Mogensen and Mathias Boe of Denmark, whom they overcame in Denmark Open final last week. The same result occured as the second seeds ousted Mogensen and Boe in straight sets, 21-18 and 21-19.

China will certainly bring home two women's titles. In the singles, third seed Wang Yihan will challenge top seed Wang Lin after shuttering France's last hope, Pi Hongyan, 21-13 and 21-11. Wang Lin surmounted other European Chinese-born player, Yao Jie, 22-20 and 21-8.

In the women's doubles, Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei walk straight to the final without a match after Yu Yang and Du Jing withdrew. Their next opponents will be Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli who eliminated Indonesian Greysia Polii/Nitya Krishinda comfortably 21-4 and 21-18.

Arsenal Remain Supreme in North London Derby

London (10/31) - Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs have always been rivals in North London, even if Arsenal is included in the Big Four of English Premier League, and Tottenham is not. Now they encountered each other in the Emirates Stadium.

Tottenham has never beaten the Gunners since 1993, and today was no exception. Robin van Persie struck twice, seeming to celebrate the recent birth of his second daughter Dina Layla, while Cesc Fabregas' middle goal added to his goal tally of five.

Van Persie shot right on the target in the 43th minute, while Fabregas doubled Arsenal's lead only 11 seconds later. Straight from Tottenham's kick-off, the skipper won the ball and headed straight for the Spurs goal. He evaded three challenges and rifled a shot into the corner.



Then in the 60th minute, van Persie made it 3-0.



This win marked the comeback of goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, who was absent for more than a month. It was also his first Premier League clean sheet of the season.

arsenal.com

Four Top-seeded Players in Men's Singles Semi-final

Paris (10/30) - All four top-seeded men's singles player reach French Super Series semi-final, including 2008 Olympic gold medalist and three times world champion, Lin Dan. In the quarter-final, the top seed overpowered Denmark's Joachim Persson in straight sets, 21-19 and 21-16, to meet compatriot third seed, Chen Jin.

The other semi-final contenders are second-seeded Peter Gade and Indonesian Taufik Hidayat. Gade beat Bao Chunlai of China in a tough match, 21-15, 14-21, and 21-13.

In the women's singles, Wang Lin, seeded 1, struggled hard to win over India's Sania Mirza 15-21, 21-11, and 21-15. She will take on Yao Jie of the Netherlands in the semi-final. Meanwhile, local favorite Pi Hongyan stopped qualifer Olga Konon's journey after a 25-23, 21-9 triumph. She will face third-seeded Wang Yihan who downed Lu Lan 21-17 and 23-21.

Indonesians Triumph

World number one men's doubles pair Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan eased to the semi-final as they humbled Malaysia's Zakry Abdul Latif and Fairuzizuan Tazari easily, 21-11 and 21-17. The Indonesians will compete against Chinese Tao Jiaming/Sun Junjie to win a final ticket.

However, Markis/Hendra's success is not followed by their teammates, Mohammad Ahsan and Bona Septano, who were defeated by Carsten Mogensen/Mathias Boe in a tough battle, 18-21, 21-12, 15-21. The Danish pair will face Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in the semi-final.

In the mixed doubles, Indonesia put two pairs in the semi-finals. 2005 and 2007 world champion Nova Widhianto and Lilyana Natsir strove toughly to conquer Diju Valiyaveetel/Jwala Gutta 6-21, 22-20, and 21-10 while Hendra Aprida Gunawan/Vita Marissa progressed to the semi-final with a comfortable 21-18, 21-9 victory over Kristof Hopp and Anastasia Russkikh.

Women's doubles selected results:

5-Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli (CHN) def. 1-Wong Pei Tty/Chin Eei Hui (MAS) 19-21, 21-19, 21-17

2-Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei (CHN) def. Jenny Wallwork/Gabrielle White (ENG) 21-17, 21-17

Serena to Sony Ericsson Championships Semi-final

Serena reacts after defeating Elena Dementieva in Sony Ericsson Championships round robin match - reuters.com

Serena Williams continued to show why she will end the year as number one as she beat Elena Dementieva in Doha.

The win sealed her place in the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Williams needed to show resilience after falling a break down in the first set but then won seven games on the spin and never looked back from there - although she needed three match-points to finish it off.

"It was definitely a match I had to be really focused for, because she's a really good player," Williams told www.wtatour.com.

"She's one of those late bloomers who tends to get better and better as every year goes on in her career. I was probably playing the fittest girl on tour."

As well as booking a place in the last four for Williams, who will finish the year as number one after current leader Dinara Safina was forced to withdraw through injury yesterday, the result also gave her sister Venus a chance of progressing.

Venus made the most of that opportunity by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 in this evening's late match.

The second qualifying place from the Maroon Group will now be decided by tomorrow's match between Dementieva and Kuznetsova.

espnstar

French Super Series Quarter-final Fixtures

Men's Singles
1-Lin Dan (CHN) vs. 6-Joachim Persson (DEN)
3-Chen Jin (CHN) vs. Hu Yun (HKG)
Chen Long (CHN) vs. 4-Taufik Hidayat (INA)
Bao Chunlai (CHN) vs. 2-Peter Gade (DEN)

Men's Doubles
1-Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (INA) vs. 5-Zakry Abdul Latif/Fairuzizuan Tazari (MAS)
Sun Junjie/Tao Jiaming (CHN) vs. 8-Guo Zhendong/Xu Chen (CHN)
Bona Septano/Mohammad Ahsan (INA) vs. 3-Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (DEN)
7-Anthony Clark/Nathan Robertson (ENG) vs. 2-Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong (MAS)

Mixed Doubles
2-Nova Widhianto/Lilyana Natsir (INA) vs. 6-Diju Valiyaveetil/Jwala Gutta (IND)
4-Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna Pedersen (DEN) vs. 5-He Hanbin/Yu Yang (CHN)
8-Tao Jiaming/Zhang Yawen (CHN) vs. Koo Kien Keat/Wong Pei Tty (MAS)
7-Hendra Aprida Gunawan/Vita Marissa (INA) vs. Kristof Hopp (GER)/Anastasia Russkikh (RUS)

Women's Doubles
2-Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei (CHN) vs. Jenny Wallwork/Gabrielle White (ENG)
3-Yu Yang/Du Jing (CHN) vs. 7-Pan Pan/Zhang Yawen (CHN)
4-Lena Frier-Kristiansen/Kamilla Rytter-Juhl (DEN) vs. 8-Nitya Krishinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii (INA)
1-Wong Pei Tty/Chin Eei Hui (MAS) vs. 5-Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli (CHN)

Women's Singles
1-Wang Lin (CHN) vs. 8-Saina Nehwal (IND)
Yao Jie (NED) vs. Adriyanti Firdasari (INA)
7-Lu Lan (CHN) vs. 3-Wang Yihan (CHN)
5-Pi Hongyan (FRA) vs. Olga Konon (POL)

Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool in Carling Cup

Lukasz Fabianski saves a shot

London (10/28) - Arsenal cruised past Liverpool 2-1 to join Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspurs, Aston Villa, and Portsmouth in English League Cup quarter-finals.



For once, Wenger's Carling Cup XI was more experienced than the team they were facing. Samir Nasri (broken leg) and Lukasz Fabianski (knee) were playing their first games of the season after medium-term injuries. Eduardo and Bendtner were also given a start after recent spells on the sidelines. Mikael Silvestre, Fran Merida, Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey had spent a lot of the season on the bench for the first team so they needed competition. Kerrea Gilbert was now a "veteran youngster" - if the term exists - so the most interesting inclusion was Craig Eastmond. The 18-year-old was mainly known as a right back in the Reserves. Tonight he was deputising for Alex Song as Arsenal's holding midfielder.


Liverpool's starting line-up was littered with players who had been on the fringes of their first-team - Andriy Voronin, Babel, Insua and David Ngog. The only regular was captain Kuyt. However Rafa Benitez did name the likes of Yossi Benayoun, Pepe Reina, Andrea Dossena and debutant Alberto Aquilani on the bench.





Fran Merida scores Arsenal's first goal

At the 19th minute, Arsenal gained the lead as 19-year-old Fran Merida got the ball on the right and cut inside to unleash a thunderbolt shot at the Liverpool goal. The ball clipped the inside of the post and hit the back of the net.

Liverpool equalized just 7 minutes later through a strike from 25 yards by Emiliano Insua. Fabianski had no chance and could only watch as the ball was lifted over him, the dip timed perfectly to drop into the back of the net.


Bendtner celebrates his goal with Eduardo

Five minutes in the second half, the Gunners got the better of the Reds again. Merida played the ball to Bendtner on the edge of the area. The Dane controlled the ball and goes past Skrtel to fire into the roof of the net.

Arsenal maintain their 100 per cent record at Emirates this season and progress to the Carling Cup Quarter-Final with a 2-1 win over Liverpool.



source and pictures by arsenal.com