Korean Men's Doubles Journey in the Indonesian Open 2009
Posted by league of badminton masters in international, tournament on Sunday, June 21, 2009
SEMIFINALS
Years ago, badminton legend Park Joo Bong predicted Lee Yong Dae would cause a sensation on the scene, and this year Lee (pictured, with Jung Jae Sung) has experienced a short stint as men's doubles world #1 and is presently the mixed world #1, and tellingly having usurped both top spots off Indonesians. Now he finds himself in both finals at the Indonesia Open on a day when China is still poised for a near-sweep and Taufik Hidayat is the lone hope for local glory.
FINALS
Men's Doubles: Defence over Offence
It was Lee Yong Dae's (pictured on the right) night as he partnered Jung Jae Sung to wipe out the Indonesian challenge in men's doubles. The Korean defences were simply too good for Kido/Setiwan's constant onslaught, the shuttle on most occasions refusing to hit the ground on the Korean's side of the court. At one juncture in the first game, the Indonesians conceded 7 points in a single service to find themselves behind 10-17.
The fantastic defence by the Koreans continued frustrating the Indonesians after they swapped ends. The match wrapped up 21-19, 21-17. Five times in a row Kido/Hendra have lost from Lee/Jung and of the latest occasion the despairing team admitted that “the hardest part of the game was receiving Lee's serve which is very close to the net and difficult to return”.
Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun, who came back from a game down to put away Malaysia's Koo/Tan, had thought it would be a Beijing Olympics rematch of the final but it was not to be. Instead, the shoe will be on the other foot for Lee Yong Dae, as he prepares to meet his nemeses from China. He and Lee Hyo Jung are now 0:4 against Ma/Zheng while Lee and Jung Jae Sung have beaten Fu/Cai only twice in eight meetings.
FINALS FATE
It is no mean feat to be in 2 finals and it will take stamina and mental management one more time - in fact twice. Lee Yong Dae's greatness will be tested in these battles against past champions and both from China. It's not the height of the hurdle but jumping over it many times that is tough and the last one is always a killer as one races to the finish line.
Korea last won the men's doubles here in 2002 with Lee Dong Soo/Yoo Yong Sung and the mixed doubles in 2003 with Ra Kyung Min/Kim Dong Moon, but either way, overcoming the Chinese opposition or repeating these feats in the same night are big shoes to fill. None of the versatile doubles specialists from China or Korea have ever won two titles here in one year. Eddy Hartono and Christian Hadinanta are alone in that category. Meanwhile, China, beyond merely stopping Lee's double effort, is no doubt intent on a clean sweep of all but men's singles on Sunday night.
For complete semi-final results from the 2009 Djarum Indonesia Open Super Series, please CLICK HERE
For complete semi-final results from the 2009 Djarum Indonesia Open Super Series, please CLICK HERE
