London 2012: The biggest controversies

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Olympic Games tend to generate controversies and London 2012 was no exception.

Cycling
Philip Hindes admitted to deliberately crashing before propelling Great Britain to team pursuit glory but the IOC and International Cycling Union said the gold medal would stand. The 19-year-old's admission appeared to be naive but not a contravention of the rules. Hindes fell after making a wobbly start in qualifying before picking himself up to help Britain to two world record rides as Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny successfully defended their title.
Hindes: I crashed on purpose
Badminton
The Olympic badminton competition was hit by a match-fixing scandal when eight players were kicked out for deliberately trying to lose. Two Chinese players, four from South Korea and two from Indonesia all tried to fix their matches to manipulate the women's draw in front of angry fans. All four pairs had already qualified for the last eight and were trying to avoid meeting the favourites.
Four badminton pairs disqualified
Hidayat shocked by badminton fiasco
Yu quits after Olympic scandal
IOC to investigate badminton coaches
Swimming
Rumblings over the remarkable performance of Chinese teenager Ye Shiwen changed to overt suspicion when a leading American coach described her world-record breaking race as "disturbing". John Leonard, the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association questioned how the 16-year-old (below), who took five seconds off her personal best and more than a second off the world record in the 400m individual medley. The IOC insisted there was no reason to question her performances.
Doubts cast on Ye Shiwen's exploits
FINA hit out against Ye allegations
Phelps believes in new swim star Ye
Ye gains support over suspicions
Fencing
South Korean fencer Shin Lam thought she was through to the final of the women's epee when, to her horror and that of her coach Shim Jaesung, the clock was reset from zero to one second. When the action resumed German Britta Heidemann scored a do-or-die hit that gave her a place in the final against Ukraine's Yana Shemyakana. Shin broke down in tears and refused to leave the piste for two hours before eventually conceding defeat.

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Team effort wins Singapore bronze

Getty Images / Getty Images Europe

Singapore have won the bronze medal in the Women's Team Table Tennis event after sweeping past South Korea 3-0.

Feng Tianwei got the Singaporeans off to the perfect start with a 3-1 win over defensive expert Kim Kyungah (11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11).
Team-mate Li Jiawei then took Singapore one step closer to an Olympic medal after getting the better of Seok Hajung in four sets (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8).
This put the Singaporean team up 2-0 with the doubles to come.
And the Singapore pair of Yuegu Wang and Li Jiawei showed no mercy to the Koreans who brought in Dang Yeseo to partner Seok Hajung as they took the first two games in just over ten minutes (11-9, 11-6).
The Koreans responded by taking the third game 11-6, but the Singaporeans were not to be denied and they put together a steady run of points to ease to the deciding game 11-5.
This is Singapore's second medal at the London 2012 Olympics following Feng Tianwei's bronze in the women's singles.
It is also the first time Singapore has won two medals at a single Olympic Games.

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Lin Dan denies Lee Chong Wei gold glory

Getty Images / Michael Regan

The great Lin Dan successfully defended his Olympic crown with another thrilling victory over arch-rival Lee Chong Wei in the London 2012 men's singles final.

Other Badminton stories
China complete badminton sweep
China overcome Japan to claim gold
Top seeds stroll to doubles gold
Li wins gold in all Chinese final
In a performance that surely ends debate over whether he is the greatest player ever, the Chinese superstar dug deep in a compelling third game to win 15-21 21-10 21-19.
Malaysia's world number one Lee played a full part in an epic contest but was unable to avenge his defeats in the finals at Beijing 2008 and last year's World Championships.
Lin's victory, completed in 79 energy-sapping minutes, made him the first man to retain an Olympic singles title and kept China on course for a clean sweep of badminton golds.
Some of the rallies were extraordinary with both players fully committed in defence and attack.
Lee, who in any other era might have won a handful of major titles, started superbly in his quest to finally get the better of Lin on the grandest stage.
But some unforced errors crept into his game early in the second set and allowed Lin to take the match into a decider.
Lee eked out an 8-5 lead and thought he had taken the next point but a line judge was overruled on close call and the score became 8-6.
Lin quickly pulled level and the pair traded points until the Chinese snatched victory on his first match point and set off on a lap of honour.

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Olympic bronze for India's Saina

AFP

India's badminton queen Saina Nehwal won a bronze medal in the women's badminton singles after her Chinese opponent withdrew due to injury.

By Espnstar.com
Saina earned India its third medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games under fortuitous circumstances as her opponent and world number two Xin Wang of China conceded the third-place play off match due to a knee injury after winning the first game.

The fourth seeded Indian had saved four game points in a dramatic fightback and was 18-20 when left-handed Xin twisted her knee while going for an acrobatic smash from the baseline and took on-court treatment for the injury.

However, she was back on the court after wrapping her left knee in bandage and immediately attacked Saina's serve to win the point and the game.
But after winning the first point in the second game, Xin could not continue and was wincing in pain before shaking hands with Saina to concede the match and the bronze medal to the 22-year-old Indian.

Saina thus became the first Indian badminton player to win a medal at the Olympic Games. She had reached the quarterfinals in Beijing Games four years ago and lost in the semifinals on Friday to gain a chance to play for the bronze on Saturday at the Wembley Arena.

This was the second day running that India have won a medal, following pistol shooter Vijay Kumar's silver medal on Friday.
Earlier, chants of 'India, India' welcomed Saina as she entered the Wembley Arena, carrying a billion hope of winning a medal for her country.

Up against Xin, Saina approached the match with a lot of confidence and quickly opened up a narrow 3-0 lead, but the Chinese used her drops and cross court smashes to dictate the pace of the rallies and narrow the gap.

Saina's unforced errors also didn't help her cause and in a jiffy, Xin was leading 11-6 at the interval.

Xin was better prepared against the Indian as she pushed the shuttle at all the four corners of the court and also covered the ground well. Saina tried to engage Xin at the net but she played at her hands to concede a few points.

The Chinese, who had beaten Saina four times in the past on six occasions, exploited her rival's front court area and notched up points with ease at one point. Saina tried to play the shuttle deep but most of the time, she ended up hitting wide and long.

Xin moved into the game point at 20-14 with an angled drop but Saina was not ready to let it go so easily as she used her sharp drops and cross court half smashes to save four game points.

But at 18-21, Xin strained her knee and walked off the court. She was attended by the tournament doctor but after a chat with her coach and a scrap bandage wrapped around her left knee, she walked back into the court and took the first game with a drop shot immediately.

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China overcome Japan to claim gold

Michael Regan / Getty Images

China ended the controversial Olympics women's doubles competition with gold as their second-best pair Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei held their nerve in the final.

The second seeds made a powerful start against Japan's Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa but needed four match points to complete a 21-10 25-23 victory at Wembley Arena.
The event had been completely overshadowed this week by the expulsion of China's world number ones Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang and three other pairs in a match-fixing scandal.
Wang and Yu tried to lose their final group match in an attempt to avoid being in the same half of the knockout draw as Tian and Zhao.
It will never be known if Tian and Zhao could have won gold if faced by Wang and Yu but the nerves did appear to get to them as they scented victory against the fourth seeds.
Whereas they seemed a class apart in the first game, errors crept in in the second and the Japanese grew in confidence.
The umpire appeared unimpressed with some possible delaying tactics by the Chinese, who fell 12-9 and 15-12 behind, but they rediscovered their composure to set up what proved a thrilling climax.
The Japanese did earn a game point themselves in an exhausting 36-minute second game but it was Tian and Zhao who came out on top.
The gold medal was China's second of the day after Li Xuerui's success in the women's singles and kept the country on course for all five at the tournament.

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Russian pair claim badminton bronze

Michael Regan / Getty Images

Russia's Valeria Sorokina and Nina Visolova, one of the pairs reprieved after the Olympic badminton match-fixing scandal, claimed a bronze medal.

The pair were far too strong for the Canadians Alex Bruce and Michele Li, easing to a 21-9 21-10 win in the women's doubles third-place play-off at Wembley Arena.
The world number 18s were detained for just 27 minutes as they beat the pair ranked 27th for the second time in the tournament to earn a place on the podium.
Sorokina and Vislova remarkably lost three matches during the tournament but earned a second chance after China's Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang and South Koreans Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na were expelled from their qualifying group.
The match proved an anti-climax for the crowd after a thrilling men's doubles semi-final between Denmark's Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen and South Korea's Chung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae.
After a high-quality exhibition, it was the third-seeded Danes who prevailed after coming from behind to win 17-21 21-18 22-20 against the third seeds in 83 minutes.
They will now have the chance to claim only Europe's second Olympic badminton gold when they take on China's top seeds Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.
The Chinese pair kept their country on course for a possible clean sweep of golds in the tournament with a 21-9 21-19 defeat of Malaysia's Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong.

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Top seeds stroll to doubles gold

Michael Regan / Getty Images

China made badminton headlines for the right reasons as Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei produced a world-class performance to claim Olympic gold at Wembley Arena.

The top seeds were far too strong for their compatriots and second seeds Xu Chen and Ma Jin as they powered to what could prove the first of five golds in the sport for the Asian powerhouse.
Their 21-11 21-17 victory showed the best of Chinese badminton two days after one of their mixed doubles pairs was expelled from the London 2012 competition in a match-fixing row.
It was a result which rarely seemed in doubt as the world champions Zhang and Zhao got off to a superb start, racing into a 12-5 lead.
Zhao, despite apparent trouble from a knee injury, rarely relinquished control at the net while Zhang set up plenty of winners.
Their opponents could not impose themselves and were frequently forced into errors.
Zhang and Zhao led 8-0 in the second game and only had a brief wobble two points from victory as Xu and Ma won four in succession.
Zhao played down the significance of their victory in light of this week's scandal.
She said: "Everybody is doing their best to achieve their best performances.
"I have been training very hard in preparation for this gold medal and this is just the start of our careers."
The bronze medal was won earlier in the day by Danish pair Joachim Fischer and Christinna Pedersen, who beat Indonesia's Tonowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir.
Fourth seeds Fischer and Pedersen earned some consolation after their semi-final defeat to Zhang and Zhao by outplaying third seeds Ahmad and Natsir to win 21-12 21-12.
Fischer, who smashed a racket after losing out on a place in the gold medal match, celebrated exuberantly and gave away his racket and shirt.
The result meant that for the first time in Olympic history Indonesia had failed to pick up a badminton medal. At all Games since the sport was introduced in 1992, the country had won at least one gold.
Ahmad said: "There has been too much pressure on from home and from the media.
"I failed to cope with the expectation and under-performed."
The men's singles final on Sunday will be a repeat of the Beijing showpiece of four years ago between all-time greats and arch-rivals Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan.
Defending champion Lin had little trouble seeing off South Korea's Lee Hyun-il.
The world number two won 11 of the first 12 points of the match and 12 of the last 14 as he powered past the ineffective seventh seed to win 21-12 21-10.
Malaysia's top seed Lee was made to work much harder by third seed Chen Long and looked more impressive for it as he won 21-13 21-14.
Despite his superb display, Lee, who came into the tournament with doubts over his fitness after an ankle injury, said: "I didn't expect to win because my preparation has only been 50%.
"I said to myself, 'I have nothing to lose,' but when I saw it was 11-4 in the first game I realised I had to win this match and that's why I played more confidently."
Lee and Lin produced a stunning spectacle when they met in the final of the World Championships at the same venue last year.
Lin survived match point to win and will again be favourite despite Lee's long-established status at the top of the world rankings.
The Malaysian, a perennial runner-up to Lin, will also carry the pressure of bidding to win his country's first Olympic gold in any sport.
The first women's semi-final proved a disappointing spectacle as top seed Wang Yihan made easy work of India's fourth seed Saina Newhal, winning 21-13 21-13 in 42 minutes.
Wang was joined in the final by fellow Chinese Li Xuerui, who beat another compatriot in Wang Xin.
Third seed Li, a late selection by China for the tournament, continued her impressive progress with a 22-20 21-18 success over the second seed.

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Saina bows out of Olympic semis

AFP

Saina Nehwal's golden dreams were over when Wang Yihan of China defeated her in straight sets in the semi-finals of the women's singles badminton event.

However, the Hyderabad girl remains in contention for a bronze medal in the play-off scheduled for Saturday.
Up against the top seeded Chinese, Saina committed too many unforced errors to see her dreams of winning a gold medal crashing after slumping to a 13-21 13-21 defeat in the semifinal tie which lasted for 42 minutes at the Wembley Arena here.

The fourth seeded Indian will next take on the loser of the other semifinal match between Xin Wang and Li Xuerui in the bronze medal play off tomorrow.

There was very little margin for error for Saina as Yihan was sharper, more accurate and also used her powerful smashes to outwit the Indian here.

The 22-year-old committed too many unforced errors to lag 6-11 at the interval in the first game. Although Saina tried to come back with the help of some brilliant net play, the Chinese employed some immaculate placements and powerful smashes to lead 1-0.

In the second game, Saina tried to match her superior rival and did trouble her to enjoy a one-point lead at the break. But the Chinese world champion soon started forcing Saina to commit errors and moved ahead.

Yihan anticipated the shots and was better prepared and, with Saina hitting wide and long, the Chinese had no problem in cementing her place in the finals.

This was Yihan's sixth victory over Saina in as many encounters.

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Arch-rivals set for dream badminton final

Michael Regan / Getty Images

The men's singles final on Sunday will be a repeat of the Beijing showpiece of four years ago between all-time greats and arch-rivals Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan.

Defending champion Lin had little trouble seeing off South Korea's Lee Hyun-il.
The world number two won 11 of the first 12 points of the match and 12 of the last 14 as he powered past the ineffective seventh seed to win 21-12 21-10.
Malaysia's top seed Lee was made to work much harder by third seed Chen Long and looked more impressive for it as he won 21-13 21-14.
Lee and Lin produced a stunning spectacle when they met in the final of the World Championships at the same venue last year.
Lin survived match point to win and will again be favourite despite Lee's long-established status at the top of the world rankings.
The Malaysian, a perennial runner-up to Lin, will also carry the pressure of bidding to win his country's first Olympic gold in any sport.
The first women's semi-final proved a disappointing spectacle as top seed Wang Yihan made easy work of India's fourth seed Saina Newhal, winning 21-13 21-13 in 42 minutes.
Wang was joined in the final by fellow Chinese Li Xuerui, who beat another compatriot in Wang Xin.
Third seed Li, a late selection by China for the tournament, continued her impressive progress with a 22-20 21-18 success over the second seed.

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Saina shuttles into Olympic semifinal

AFP

Saina Nehwal became the first Indian shuttler to reach the semifinals of the Olympics after notching up a hard-fought victory over Tine Baun of Denmark in the quarterfinals.

Fourth-seeded Saina edged past fifth seed Tine 21-15, 22-20 in a 39-minute match at the Wembley Arena to set up a clash with the current world No. 1 and world champion, Yihan Wang of China, in the semifinals, whom she hasn't beaten once in her last five encounters.

With this win, Saina bettered her quarterfinal finish at the Beijing Games four years ago and also exorcised the demons of that painful defeat to Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia.

The world No 5 Indian had to toil hard against the two-time All England champion Tine, who matched her strokes but was a tad erratic, which proved to be her bane in the quarterfinal match.

Saina was very precise with her strokes, while Tine was erratic initially and it allowed the Indian to lead 11-7 at the break.

After the breather, Saina slowly mixed her strokes to move into the game point at 20-12 with a short smash but she committed some unforced errors and a few judgemental mistakes on her part allowed the Dane to save three game points. Saina finally pocketed the first game with a smash which Tine netted.

In the second game, Tine opened up a slender 3-0 lead and extended it to 10-7 but Saina reeled off four straight points to lead 11-10 at the break once again.

Saina tried to exploit the length of the court and started combining lifts and clears with drops and net-shots but Tine was up for the job as she caught up with Saina at 15-15 and even managed to earn three game points at 20-17.

But Super Saina was not the one to take it lying low as she executed a cross court smash to move to 18-20.

She also pocketed the next point when her stroke was judged 'in' by the line-umpire, much to the chagrin of Tine, who thought it was out and was celebrating her comeback by pumping her fists.

After that, Tine committed three unforced errors to hand Saina the match as the Indian burst into celebration.

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Saina, Kashyap make Indonesia Open SF

AFP

Saina Nehwal recorded her third win to make the semi-finals, while P Kashyap also continued his rampaging run to enter the last four stage of the Indonesian Super Series in Jakarta on Friday.

In a marathon battle that lasted an energy-sapping one hour and 37 minutes, world no. 5 Saina saw off Shixian Wang 21-17 21-23 21-19 in the women's singles at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium to inch closer to her third title.

She will meet world no. 10 Korean, Ji Hyun Sung, who she had beaten thrice before, on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Kashyap cruised into the semi-finals with a 21-15 21-14 victory over Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the men's singles competition. He will next take on seventh seed Simon Santoso of Indonesia.

In a see-saw battle, Saina and Shixian both found it difficult to control the shuttle as drift played a role. Both succumbed to a lot of unforced errors before Saina got back her bearing and went into the break at 11-10.

After the break, the smashes were out of the closet and both traded points to move neck and neck till 16-16. But Saina kept her patience and went into the lead by pushing the shuttle at the back court.

She played a wonderful drop, to which Shixian had no answer. The Chinese hit the shuttle out and found the net a couple of times to award the game point to Saina.

Shixian saved a game point before Saina pocketed the game with a cross court smash after a long long rally.

In the second game, Saina pushed her opponent to the limits and opened up a 8-4 lead.

The fitness of both the players were tested to the brink, but with Shixian's game crumbling, Saina went into the break at 11-6 and then led 17-13.

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Badminton: US despair for England

Commonwealth silver medallists Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork have followed Rajiv Ouseph in making early exits in the US Open.

Ouseph, the defending champion, lost in in Orange County on Tuesday, with the mixed doubles pair of Robertson and Wallwork slumping to a 21-17 21-18 loss to Japanese duo Shoji Sato and Shizuka Matsuo.
There were further disappointments for England as China's Zihan Qiu and Bao Yixin overcame Marcus Ellis and Heather Olver 21-17 21-19 in the mixed doubles, while American seventh seeds Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan saw off Anthony Clark and Chris Langridge 22-20 21-13 in the men's doubles second round.

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Badminton league a shot in the arm

In a move set to transform the sport in the country, the Badminton Association of India has given the go-ahead for the ambitious Indian Badminton League.

The Maharashtra Badminton Association had proposed the idea and the BAI stamped its approval in an executive meeting held in Lucknow.

The phenomenal success of the MBA model has propmpted the Maharashtra authorities to mull bidding for the national league. The inaugural MBA was held in May in Pune..

"Everyone knows MBL was a hit. It gave new dimension as far as badminton in state is concerned. Now, we want to do it for the entire country. We have the confidence that we can host it on large scale. The game and its players deserve a top-class league," MBA president Pradeep Gandhe told TOI on Friday.

The former India player hinted the inaugural edition will be held early next year in January-February. "The dates and venues have not been finalized yet. In a month, we will be able to give more information about it. It's a huge task but we are optimistic," Gandhe added.

The league is likely to be held in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. It wcould also seek the help of Pune District Badminton Association as they have the experience of hosting the MBL.

World No. 6 Saina Nehwal could not be more ecstatic at the latest development.

"It is a very good step. The national league will be a huge boost for all the players. The money, which they will earn by playing in the league, can be utilized for participation in international tournaments. They will also gain vital experience which will improve their confidence to face tougher challenges," she said on Friday.

For years, Indian shuttlers have had difficulty in making a living out of this profession. The players are not even paid when they win a national-level tournament.
According to sources, top-ranked national players will get a minimum of Rs one lakh. Players like Saina and India No 1 in men's section, P Kashyap, might get around Rs 7-8 lakh.

Saina added that she would be very happy to play in the league.

"But it depends on my international schedule. If my programme is not clashing with league, I will love to play with the national players. I haven't played in the domestic tournaments in the last three years so it gives me a wonderful opportunity to know different players from across the country," she said.

National champion Aditi Mutatkar has also welcomed the league but said that it should not spell the end for the MBL.

"There is no doubt it will be a major step. As we have seen, the MBL has done wonders to the game with Maharashtra unearthing several new talents. I am sure the national league will throw exciting players too. Both MBL and national league should co-exist," said Mutatkar.

"It is the best thing to happen for us. The game has been changing rapidly in India. First, it was MBL and now the National League. I would love to be part of the league as it gives me another platform to showcase my talent," said Arundhati Pantawane, India No. 2.

The National Games champion played in the MBL in May at Pune and helped her team, Inspiring Eagles, finish second.

"The experience of playing in the MBL and Swedish League will definitely help me. One has to be involved fully in every aspect and encourage each other as it is a team event. The more you gel with your teammates better the result," said Pantawane, who spent seven months in Stockholm as a professional player for Taby Club.

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IPL model grips Badminton

Badminton fans have something to cheer about as an IPL-style league took off in Pune.

The Amanora Maharashtra Badminton League will have six teams, who bid from among 79 players.
The amount of money being pumped into this league cannot be compared to cricket but is quite a lot going by badminton standards. The maximum bid of a whopping Rs 81,000 atttracted by doubles player Jishnu Sanyal. Jishnu attracted the bid from Fabulous Falcons, owned by Jain Irrigation, Jalgaon.
The league will be held only on Saturdays and Sundays, and will begin on May 7 at WIE Sports Complex, Pune. It’s the brainchild of the Haveli Taluka Badminton Association, and is supported by the associations of Thane and Pune, under the aegis of the state association.
Pune’s national champion Aditi Mutatkar and Arundhati Pantwane shared the highest bid for the women — Rs 55,000 each.
National champ Mutatkar was amazed when told she had won a bid for Rs 55,000. “It’s a big surprise,” she said. “I never thought this would happen during my career. It will have huge significance. It can attract juniors. This shows that people are coming forward to support badminton. The money might go up the next year, and perhaps this will even evolve into a national league.”
Aditi was bought by Sensational Skylarks (Builders Combine and Radiant Sports Management, Pune), while Arundhati was picked up by Inspiring Eagles (Pratham Motors, Pune).
Each team had a maximum amount of Rs 2.5 lakh to spend. Players were divided into ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories, depending on their level of performance. The base price for ‘A’ category was Rs 30,000 for ‘B’ category Rs 25,000 and for ‘C’ category Rs 15,000.
Uday Sane, secretary of the organising committee and a respected international umpire, said the money spent by teams had surprised him. “The base price started at Rs 30,000 and then shot up. That a badminton player will make Rs 81,000 for three weekends is great news.”
Sane was thrilled that most owners were from outside the fraternity, but had done their homework on the players. “They’re not from a badminton background at all. We had one owner from a rural place – Sangli. They want to have exhibition matches over there. The value for badminton is growing up.”
Six celebrity Marathi actresses have been roped in as brand ambassadors: Bhargavi Chirmule, Sonali Khare, Kranti Redkar, Kadambari Kadam and Saee Tamhankar.
Those responsible for the league are Aniruddha Deshpande, chairman of the organising committee (MBL), Pradeep Gandhe, president of MBA, Uday Sane, secretary of the organising committee and Avinash Jadhav, vice- president, Haveli Taluka Badminton Association.
Teams and main players:
Daring Doves: Ehsan Naqvi, Trupti Murgunde, Sanyogita Ghorpade
Fabulous Falcons: Jishnu Sanyal, Sayali Gokhale
Flamboyant Flamingos: Ajay Jayaram, Neha Pandit
Gorgeous Gannets: Akshay Dewalkar, Gauri Ghate
Inspiring Eagles: Anand Pawar, Arundhati Pantwane, Prajakta Sawant
Sensational Skylarks: Aditi Mutatkar, Padnya Gadre, Ameya Joshi

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Erratic Saina falters at final hurdle

Saina Nehwal could not cross the finish line, failing to complete the hat-trick of titles at the Indonesia Open Super Series after losing to Chinese world-number three, Yihan Wang, on Sunday.

Fourth seed Saina, who won the title in 2009 and 2010, frittered away a match point en-route to a 21-12 21-23 14-21 loss to her equally error-prone rival.

In a contest which lasted a little over an hour, Saina gained from Wang's numerous errors of judgments, misplaced shots and her own trademark smashes to clinch the opening game rather easily.

Wang committed 12 unforced errors in the opening game.

But the Chinese recovered in the second game and although the number of unforced errors did not improve, Saina helped her rival's cause by trying too hard to hurry up the proceedings.

The result was 10 unforced errors for the Indian, who also struggled to connect the smashes that more often than not had bailed her out in crunch situations.

Wang was quick to pounce on the chance and took 11-8 lead at the change of ends.

The Chinese was cruising along 17-14 before Saina smashed her way back again to make it 20-19. The Indian had a match point in hand but Wang fought back to make the scoreline 21-21 before clinching the game 23-21.

The shift in momentum was evident in the third game and though the two players went neck-and-neck till 9-9, it was clear that Wang had gained in confidence while Saina's game began to fall apart.

Saina's stock smashes were not getting the desired result as Wang showed better judgment on the baseline. In fact, Wang managed nine smash winners compared to Saina's two in the deciding game.

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Saina in Indonesia Open finals

Saina Nehwal inched closer to a third successive Indonesian Open Super Series badminton title after advancing to the finals defeating Shao Chieh Cheng.

The fourth-seeded Indian won 21-14 14-21 21-17 in a 45-minute battle against giant-killer Cheng, who had created quite a flutter by upstaging top seed Shixian Wang and seventh seed Xin Liu earlier in the tournament.

The opening game was fought on even keel before Saina reeled off seven successive points to nose ahead.

The 21-year-old Indian lost the momentum in the second game as Cheng drew level with more net winners than Saina's.

The third game was a closer affair but Cheng didn't have a reply to Saina's 11 smash winners, which sealed the game and the match for her.

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Malaysian duo brought down to earth with a bump

Unheralded Malaysian pair Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei Woon, who reached the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the SCG Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold, saw their great run come to an end with a bump on Saturday.

Playing in their first international Open as a pair, the Malaysian girls were beaten by the more experienced Chinese pairing of Cheng Shu (right) and Yixin Bao, who won 21-17, 21-14.

China are guaranteed the gold medal as the other finalists are Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei, who defeated Hong Kong’s Poon Lok Yan-Tse Ying Suet 21-23, 21-12, 21-15.

In the men’s doubles, Indonesia’s Alvent Yulianto Chandra-Hendra Aprida Gunawan stunned second seeds Ko Sung Hyun-Yeon Seong Yoo of South Korea 21-14, 21-17 to prevent an all-Korean final.

Top seeds Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae had reached the final after beating former world champions Howard Bach-Tony Gunawan of the United States 21-18, 21-11.

Taipei’s Lee Sheng Mu-Chien Yu Chin, who are seeded fourth, defeated All England champions Xu Chen-Ma Jin of China 17-21, 21-19, 21-15 and will play Indonesia’s Nova Widianto-Vita Marissa, who edged South Korea’s Shin Baek Choel-Kim Min Jung 21-17, 20-22, 21-18.

But the story was all about the exploits of the young Malaysians, who had defeated top seeds Duanganong Aroonkesorn-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul of Thailand in the opening round.

They performed way above expectations and this augurs well for the Malaysians with the SEA Games less than six months away.

Time will tell if it was just a flash in the pan or whether Vivian and Wei Woon will be the ones to eventually replace Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui as their nation’s top women’s pair.

SEMI-FINALS
Men
Singles: Chen Long (China) bt Park Sung Hwan (Korea) 21-15, 21-13; Lee Hyun Il (Korea) bt Chen Jin (China) 18-21, 21-18, 22-20.

Doubles: Alvent Yulianto Chandra-Hendra Aprida Gunawan (Indonesia) bt Ko Sung Hyun-Yeon Seong Yoo (Korea) 21-14, 21-17; Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae (Korea) bt Howard Bach-Tony Gunawan (United States) 21-18, 21-11.

Women
Singles: Li Xuerui (China) bt Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Thailand) 21-17, 17-21, 21-13; Jiang Yanjiao (China) bt Cheng Shao Chieh (Taipei) 10-21, 21-12, 21-14.

Doubles: Cheng Shu-Yixin Bao (China) bt Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei Woon (Malaysia) 21-17, 21-14; Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (China) bt Poon Lok Yan-Tse Ying Suet (Hong Kong) 21-23, 21-12, 21-15.

Mixed doubles: Lee Sheng Mu-Chien Yu Chin (Taipei) bt Xu Chen-Ma Jin (China) 17-21, 21-19, 21-15; Nova Widianto-Vita Marissa    (Indonesia) bt Shin Baek Choel-Kim Min Jung (Korea) 21-17, 20-22, 21-18.

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in Dan’s chance to surpass Chong Wei

Arguably the best player in badminton history, Olympic and Asian champion Lin Dan has the opportunity to put one over his long-time rival Lee Chong Wei in the Li Ning Singapore Open Superseries.

The Chinese superstar, who is the second seed in the tournament behind Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat (right), hopes to capture a title he has never won before.

The three-time world champion also knows that if he qualifies for the quarter-finals, he will replace Chong Wei – who is skipping the tournament – as the No. 1 ranked player in the OSIM BWF World Superseries rankings.

The Malaysian, who is known as the ‘King of the Superseries’ for winning 18 Superseries titles since 2007, has dominated the rankings since the start of the Superseries four years ago.

He, however, is skipping the Singapore leg as his main priority this year is the BWF World Championships in London this coming August.

This has opened the door for Lin Dan, who has accumulated 25,390 points in the OSIM Standings, to lie second behind Chong Wei, who has 29,550 points.

To add more spice to the tournament, the Li Ning Singapore Open Superseries is also the first Superseries in the Olympic qualifying period which began on May 1.

Lin Dan will began his campaign in Singapore with a match against South Korea’s Shon Wan Ho. If, as expected he wins, he will face a daunting second round tie against either Denamrk’s Jan O Jorgensen or Japan’s Kenichi Tago.

Taufik, who triumphed in Singapore in 2001 and 2005, takes on Malaysian qualifier Liew Daren, who stunned compatriot and former All England champion Hafiz Hashim in the qualifying round on Tuesday.

The tie of the first round, however, could be the meeting between defending champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia and 2009 champion Bao Chunlai of China.

The winner will face either Malaysian veteran Wong Choong Hann or world junipr champion Victor Axelsen. Choong Han defeated the Dane in straight games in Thailand a week ago.

Defending champion Saina Nehwal of India (left), will also face a familiar opponent, taking on 2009 world champion Lu Lan in a repeat of last week’s first round tie in Bangkok. The Commonwealth Games champion was made to struggle before beating the Chinese ace in three games a week ago.

The main story, however, is which of China’s top three women –Wang Shixian, Wang Yihan and Wang Xin – can help themselves to the title.

Wang Shixian won the Proton Malaysia Open Superseries and the Yonex All England Open Superseries Premier while Wang Yihan took home the Victor Korean Open Superseries Premier crown.

Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk is the only female singles player to win a Superseries crown this season when she won in India, but that was partly because the Chinese players skipped the event.

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Yonex All England Badminton Championship 2011 : Men Double Finals – Koo Kien Keat & Tan Boon Heong vs Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen

Koo Kien Keat & Tan Boon Heong will take on world no.1 double pairing in the world from Denmark, Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen at the Yonex All England badminton championship 2011.
On paper, the Danish pairing of Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen is the clear favorites but based on passed records, the Malaysian pairing will be the favorites to win this match.
If the Malaysian take the all out attacking approach against the Danish pairing, I am pretty sure the Malaysian will come out tops. Sometimes i just couldn’t understand the tactics used by the Malaysian as they tend to be defensive especially when they are leading. If the Malaysian attacked more often then defend, they will surely win many more major tournaments.
Can the Malaysian stop the hottest badminton pairing in the world from Denmark? A fast and furious match is on the cards. Make sure you do not miss this match!

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Yonex All England Badminton Championship 2011 : Women Single Finals – Wang Shixian vs Eriko Hirose

Current World No.1 Wang Shixian will be looking to add the All England title into her resume. In the finals, Wang Shixian will take on Eriko Hirose of Japan, a surprise package in the women single finals of the All England 2011 badminton championship.
Wang Shixian have been on a blistering form while Eriko Hirose is known for her never say die attitude. Players will find it difficult to play with Eriko Hirose because the shuttle keeps on coming back regardless.
A battle of true grit between this two great athletes. A match of high class and standard.

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