VICTOR KOREA OPEN SF - Coming Soon: Worlds

VICTOR KOREA OPEN SF - Coming Soon: Worlds - The Sequel

Korea-China matchups took centre stage at the semi-final stage of the 2010 Victor Korea Open. China won two of the three but the spectators got what they came for when Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung (pictured) showed them both thrill and victory.

By Don Hearn, Badzine Correspondent, live in Seoul. Photos: Yves Lacroix, BadmintonPhoto (live)

It was an afternoon where nearly half the competitors were playing in their first ever Super Series semi-final. Not the least of these was the young pair of Zhang Nan and Chai Biao, but like several other semi-final rookies this weekend, their fairy tale ended a day earlier than they would have liked.

Jung Jae Sung / Lee Yong Dae spent much of the first game on the ropes but a string of seven points put them up 18-14 and they never looked back. As usual, Lee Yong Dae tried to spend most of the match at the front and his precision net play kept the shuttle dropping short, denying the Chinese the smashing opportunities they were hoping for.

Meanwhile, the ranks of the partisan Seoul crowd swelled as the match went on and ecstatic cheering went up with every one of Jung Jae Sung’s punishing smashes and each of the Chinese pair’s increasingly frequent errors.

With the Koreans leading 15-13, the Chinese suddenly decided to test Lee Yong Dae’s drop shot returning ability but the tactic failed and the Koreans took the attack and forced an error. It was two errors by the Koreans that cost them their first two match points but they won the next two flat, fast exchanges to take the match 21-16, 22-20 and book their place in their home final for the third time in four years.

“We were caught a little off guard at the beginning because their defense was so good when we were on the attack,” said Jung Jae Sung afterward. “Tomorrow we will probably be playing Fu/Cai and it’s always tough because their playing style is so similar to ours. Whoever starts scoring first is likely going to have the advantage but ultimately it’s going to be the team that makes the fewest errors.”

“I think I did okay with the tournament schedule last year partly because I had my military training and didn’t get back to competing until about May. But Yong Dae has had a lot of troubles with his elbow recently, especially since he has been playing mixed as well.”

“Fu/Cai are without a doubt the toughest team for us to play, or anyone, likely. They are just so fast and so strong.”

Cheng but no Chens in the Finals

The women’s doubles went according to seed, to the chagrin of the Korean spectators. Lee Kyung Won / Ha Jung Eun had no answer to the solid game of top seeds Cheng Shu / Zhao Yunlei. Jung Kyung Eun / Yoo Hyun Young fared much better against Mizuki Fujii / Reika Kakiiwa, taking the first game but then they spent the next two lagging behind and just couldn’t push ahead to get the advantage back.

The men’s singles is also on seed and will, in fact, see a repeat of last year’s final. Lee Chong Wei (pictured above) continued to steamroll through the field, beating former world #2 Chen Jin with unforeseen ease. Peter Gade again had to work for his ticket to advance but he still managed to deny Chen Long his first Super Series finals appearance.

“I think I won because I was patient and played safe throughout,” explained Lee Chong Wei. “I didn’t play any risky shots.

“Tomorrow is definitely going to be the toughest match. Peter is an excellent player. He will likely fight very aggressively for another title.

“I had a good five weeks of rest after the Super Series Finals so it’s enough to be ready to play these two Super Series events. I have won some Super Series titles but not the Korean one so maybe tomorrow is the day.”

Mixed doubles will be an all-China affair as neither He/Yu nor Zhang/Tao had to spend much more than half an hour on court to book their tickets to the finals. Women’s singles looked at one point as if it might be an all-Korean affair but Kim Moon Hi blew a 19-14 lead in the second game and allowed China’s Wang Shixian (pictured) to win in two.

In the last match of the day, the fairy-tale run of unranked Yoshiteru Hirobe / Hiroyuki Endo (pictured) of Japan came to its expected end when they met the World Champions Fu Haifeng / Cai Yun. The Japanese pair fought valiantly but ultimately the favourites prevailed 21-15 21-14, setting up a repeat of the World Championship final for Sunday in Seoul.

For complete semi-final results from the 2010 Victor Korea Open Super Series, CLICK HERE

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