Lee Chong Wei will not retire until after the 2016 Olympics Published on Apr 8, 2014 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia returns a shot from Chen Long of China during the Yonex-Sunrise men's singles final badminton match at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi on April 6, 2014. Malaysia's world No. 1 badminton player Lee Chong Wei has ruled out retirement and decided to carry on for two more years until the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Malaysia's world No. 1 badminton player Lee Chong Wei has ruled out retirement and decided to carry on for two more years until the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 31-year-old had hinted at retirement earlier this year after winning his 10th Malaysia Open title in Kuala Lumpur, saying it would be his last national championships. Lee said he arrived at the decision to play on after a chat with the country's sports minister in the wake of his third SuperSeries triumph of 2014 at the Indian Open. "Our Sports Minister is very supportive of me and has asked me to persevere until the 2016 Olympic Games. I digested what he said and I gave him my word to keep on playing," Lee was quoted as saying by the Malaysian Star newspaper. "This year, I will focus on the majors (Thomas Cup, Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Asian Games). I will try my best to maintain my form and hang on for another two years." - See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/sp...until-after-the-2016-oly#sthash.uQepVezF.dpuf
Singapore chalk up three first-round wins on Day One By Low Lin Fhoong Published: April 10, 4:12 AM The battle at the 2014 OUE Singapore Open has just begun, and Team Singapore’s shuttlers are showing some sign of recovery after last year’s dismal performance, which saw the players failing to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006. This year’s competition at the Singapore Indoor Stadium saw 2010 women’s doubles champions Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari, mixed doubles pair Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo, and Derek Wong (men’s singles) posting first-round victories to advance to the next stage of the US$300,000 (S$375,000) tournament. World No 14 pair Chrisnanta and Neo started the ball rolling by notching a 21-15, 21-10 victory over India’s Tarun Kona and Ashwini Ponnappa in the opening match of Day 1. Surprise quarter-finalists at this year’s All England Open, the pair will need to overcome world No 8 Thais Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam to advance to the top eight. Buoyed by the cheers from the home crowd, world No 18 pair Yao and Shinta played it slow and steady yesterday, upsetting South Korea’s world No 5 Jang Ye Na and Kim So Young 21-19, 21-18 to avenge their 2-0 defeat at the German Open in February. The Singapore shuttlers will face another Korean pair, Ko A Re and Yoo Hae Won (No 13), in the second round today. “Before this game, we thought about the mistakes we had made in Germany and we knew what their weaknesses were,” said Shinta. “We kept the shuttle away from the stronger left-handed player and played to her right-handed partner, and we were more confident in our shots.” Added Yao: “We played a more patient game. And unlike the last time when they changed their strategy and play and we didn’t adapt, we did this time. Our opponents tomorrow are not as strong as this pair, but they are very aggressive and attack-oriented, so we must be able to adapt to their play.” SEA Games bronze medallist (2011) and sole men’s singles representative Wong also kept the Republic’s hopes alive after clinching a hard-fought 21-16, 16-21, 21-16 victory over Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Vittinghus yesterday. This marks the first time that Wong — who will play India’s B Sai Praneeth today — has advanced past the first round of the Singapore Open. “I feel happy making it to the second round, but there is still a long way to go,” he said. “Danny and Vanessa, Yao Lei and Shinta are also through ... Singapore is on a roll now and hopefully we will continue all the way to the final.” But world No 25 Gu Juan and team-mate Chen Jiayuan were eliminated in the first round of the women’s singles yesterday after respective 2-1 losses to Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi and Pai Hsiao Ma of Taiwan, while newly-crowned Malaysia Grand Prix Gold champions Danny and Chayut Triyachart suffered a first-round exit after losing 21-14, 21-18 to Thailand’s Maneepong Jongjit and Nipitphon Puangpuapech. The first day of action at the OUE Singapore Open was also the last for a tearful Ashton Chen, who will retire from the national team after he and partner Robin Gonansa lost to world No 1 Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. Meanwhile, Chayut and Yao lost to Indonesia’s world No 1 mixed doubles pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir 12-21, 10-21.
[h=1]Badminton: Indonesia's Simon Santoso upsets Du Pengyu for place in S'pore Open final[/h] Published on Apr 12, 2014 Simon Santoso of Indonesia returns a shot against Du Pengyu of China during the OUE Singapore Open semi-final on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Santoso will play world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei in the final on Sunday. -- PHOTO: AFP By May Chen Indonesia shuttler Simon Santoso booked a place in the OUE Singapore Open final when he upset China's Du Pengyu 16-21, 21-17, 21-17 on Saturday. Santoso, a former world No. 3 now ranked 52nd, will play world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei on Sunday after the Malaysian beat No. 25 K. Srikanth of India 21-19, 21-18. The women's singles final will see a repeat of last year's final of the clash between China's world No. 1 Li Xuerui and defending champion Wang Yihan (No. 3). Li beat South Korea's No. 5 Sung Ji Hyun 21-13, 21-13 while Wang outplayed team-mate, world No. 16 Han Li, 21-18, 21-12.
Simon Santoso upsets Lee Chong Wei to win OUE S'pore Open Published on Apr 13, 2014 Simon Santoso of Indonesia reacts after defeating world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia during the OUE Singapore Open badminton tournament men's final on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Indonesia's Simon Santoso upset Malaysia's world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei 21-15, 21-10 on Sunday to win the OUE Singapore Open at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. -- PHOTO: AFP By May Chen Indonesia's Simon Santoso upset Malaysia's world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei 21-15, 21-10 on Sunday to win the OUE Singapore Open at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. This is just the second time Santoso has beaten Lee in 11 meetings on the Badminton World Federation circuit. When they met at the 2008 Singapore Open final, Santoso was thrashed 13-21, 5-21. Said Lee shortly after his shock loss in front of a near-capacity 9,500-strong crowd: "Simon played very well today, I've not seen him play so well in a long time." Santoso, a former world No. 3 and two-time SEA Games champion, is now ranked No. 52 after a series of injuries kept him on the sidelines.
Lee into badminton final, Li and Wang to renew rivalry April 12, 2014, 10:48 pm (AFP) - World number one Lee Chong Wei blazed into the Singapore Open men's final Saturday while Olympic champion Li Xuerui set up a women's showdown with her Chinese rival Wang Yihan. Malaysia's Lee weathered a storm of attacking play against unseeded Indian K. Srikanth before pulling clear to go into a final against Indonesia's Simon Santoso, who upset China's Du Pengyu. Lee last won the Singapore Open in 2008 and he was not to be denied in the semis despite falling behind 19-16 in the first game as Srikanth, 21, opted for a stream of relentless smashes. But the veteran Lee reeled off five unanswered points to take the opener and in front of an appreciative crowd, he aggressively took the second game and the match 21-19, 21-18. The 31-year-old, who also won last week in India, will now look to extend his record tally of 33 Superseries titles in the final against Santoso, who stunned the fifth-seeded Du 16-21, 21-17, 21-17. "For me (Santoso) is an attacker and I will have to prepare for his offensive game," the reigning All-England champion told reporters. "Last week I won the Indian Open, I hope I can win two championships in two weeks,? he added. In the women's draw, Li will resume hostilities with defending champion Wang after strolling past South Korea's fifth seed Sung Ji-Hyun 21-13, 21-13. Top seed Li shocked Wang to win Olympic gold in 2012 but her Chinese team-mate gained a measure of revenge with her victory in last year's Singapore final. Wang encountered little trouble against Han Li, also of China, to reach the final 21-18, 21-12. Mixed doubles top seeds and All-England champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir stayed on course to defend their title by beating unseeded Chinese duo Liu Cheng and Bao Yixin 17-21, 21-11, 21-19. Riky Widianto and Puspita Richi Dili came from behind to set up an all-Indonesian final when they overcame South Korea's Ko Sung-Hyun and Kim Ha-Na 20-22, 21-17, 21-16.
Taiwanese badminton duo shines in Singapore Open 2014/04/13 21:16:29 Focus Taiwan http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aspt/201404130023.aspx By Lee Chin-wei and Elizabeth Hsu Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Lee Sheng-mu and Tsai Chia-hsin from Taiwan fell to Chinese rivals in the men's doubles final of the 2014 OUE Singapore Open on Sunday after an impressive run in the US$300,000 event. Seeded sixth in the 32-team draw, Lee and Tsai lost to the unseeded Chinese team of Cai Yun and Lu Kai in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14, in 42 minutes. The match was tighter than the score would indicate. The first set was tied at 19-19 before the Taiwanese pair lost the final two points, and they took an 8-3 lead in the second set, only to see the Chinese team rally past them. Lee and Tsai were the only Taiwanese players to finish in the top three of any of the events at the tournament, touted as Singapore's most prestigious badminton tournament. The Taiwanese duo reached the final after defeating the fourth-seeded Malaysian team of Tan Wee Kiong and Hoon Thien How 21-16, 21-14 in the quarterfinals and the unseeded South Korean team of Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Choel 22-20, 18-21, 21-14 in the semifinals. The tournament saw a major upset when unseeded Indonesian Simon Santoso, who had to qualify for the main draw and is ranked only 52nd in the world, shocked top-seeded Lee Chong-wei of Malaysia 21-15, 21-10 in the men's singles final. Lee, who was playing in the event for the first time in four years, praised Santoso as being the more confident player on the day
Badminton: Singapore Open 2014 – Day 4 Watch live online streaming Toronto, Canada Oye! Live Sports Details Category: Live Sports Published on Friday, 11 April 2014 03:01 Written by Afsheen Shafiq On Day 3 of the Singapore Open 2014, world No. 1 Li Xuerui advanced into the quarter-finals on Thursday at the expense of Japan’s Minatsu Mitani with an inspiring 17-21 21-19 21-12 win.The other players progressing to the quarter-finals were Li’s team mate Wang Yihan; Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun and Bae Yeon Ju; Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon; Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei and India’s PV Sindhu. The latter worsened Japan’s misery, beating Shizuka Uchida with a close 21-17 17-21 21-16, while Uchida’s team-mate, Eriko Hirose had lost with 21-16 21-14 against Han Li of China, having disposed of India’s Saina Nehwal in the first round. In the women’s doubles, the Korean pair Kim Ha Na and Jung Kyung was dismissed by Chinese twins, Luo Ying and Luo Yu with 21-12 21-14, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in mere 47 minutes. The high-flying Bao Yixin/Tang Jinhua will join them in quarter-finals – who are in search of their ninth title in ten events and advanced with 25-23 21-19 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Wen Hsing/Hsieh Pei Chen. Top seeds Danish players Christinna Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl; Geysia Polii/Nitya Krishinda Maheswari (Indonesia) and the two Japanese pairings of Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi and Reika Kakiiwa/Miyuki Maeda are also in with title shots. India’s Kidambi Srikanth derailed Nguyen Tien Minh in Men’s Singles, ousting Vietnam’s top competitor with 18-21 21-15 21-8. His compatriot, Sai Praneeth, also enjoyed a successful outing versus local campaigner, Derek Wong with 24-22 21-19. Top seeds and Men’s Doubles world No. 1 pair from Indonesia, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan win comfortably with 21-17 24-22. While No. 2 seeds from Japan Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa were unfortunate to lose with 21-14 10-21 21-19 against China’s Chai Baio/Hong Wei. In mixed Doubles the Malaysian Goh Liu Ying and Chan Peng Soon were beaten with 21-17 12-21 21-12 to Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin of China.
Trick-shot Lee romps into Singapore semis http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/badminton-trick-shot-lee/1068304.html POSTED: 11 Apr 2014 22:05 SINGAPORE: World number one Lee Chong Wei turned on the style and even had time to attempt a trick shot as he sped into the Singapore Open semi-finals on Friday. The Malaysian took just 29 minutes to demolish Thailand's Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-8, 21-14 in breathtaking fashion, at one point even trying a shot from underneath his leg which fell short of the net. It was exhibition stuff from Lee, who is the tournament's red-hot favourite after three of the top four seeds were late withdrawals, drastically weakening the men's singles field. Tanongsak beat Japanese eighth seed Kento Momota in the first round but the gulf in class was clear during Friday's quarter-final against the confident and ruthless Lee. On Saturday, Lee will meet India's K. Srikanth, who beat Hong Kong's Hu Yun 17-21, 21-14, 21-19 -- after upsetting seventh seed Nguyen Tien Minh a round earlier -- for a place in the semi-finals. In the other men's semi, Indonesian qualifier Simon Santoso will face Chinese fifth seed Du Pengyu for a place in the final. Women's top seed and Olympic champion Li Xuerui went past Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying in straight games, in a far more convincing display than her three-game struggle against Japan's Minatsu Mitani in round two. Li won 21-10, 21-13 in 27 minutes to stay on course for a repeat of last year's final with defending champion and fellow Chinese Wang Yihan, who downed India's eighth seed P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-15. Reigning women's world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand crashed out after losing 21-14, 21-12 to China's Li Han. Defending mixed doubles champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia took just over half an hour to brush off Anders Kristiansen and Julie Houmann 21-8, 21-17 on their way to Saturday's semi-finals. Singapore's mixed doubles pairing of Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo lost their quarter-final match 12-21, 20-22 against China's Liu Cheng and Bao Yixin. In the women's doubles, top seeds Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl downed Reika Kakiiwa and Miyuki Maeda 21-15, 21-5 to set up a clash with Japan's Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi. - AFP/CNA/ac
PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth reach Singapore Open quarterfinals Press Trust of India | Last updated on Thursday, 10 April 2014 19:48 http://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/...i-srikanth-reach-singapore-open-quarterfinals Singapore: PV Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals with a win in women's singles but it was young Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who created a flutter at the USD 300,000 Singapore Super Series, with a stunning victory over world number 10 Tien Minh Nguyen of Vietnam on Thursday. The 18-year-old Sindhu, who won the Malaysia Open and Macau Open last year besides the prestigious World Championship bronze, prevailed over Japan's Shizuka Uchida 21-17, 17-21, 21-16 in a women's singles match. The Indian will next take on World No. 3 Yihan Wang on Friday. After three first round exits in the All England tournament, Swiss Open and India Open Super Series, Srikanth finally got his form back as he notched up an upset 18-21 21-15 21-8 win over the world championship bronze medallist. Thailand Open champion, Srikanth, who was the finalist at the India Grand Prix Gold earlier this year, will next take on Hong Kong's Yun Hu in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Indian has a 1-0 record against Hu, having beaten him at the Maybank Malaysia Open early in the season. In the men's doubles competition, Alwin Franchis and Arun Vishnu were humbled by the top seeded Indonesian combo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 21-17 24-22. Another Indian pair of Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan, too, failed to cross the second round hurdle, as they went down fighting 21-23 17-21 to Gideon Markus Fernaldi and Rizki Amelia Pradipta of Indonesia in the mixed doubles event. Parupalli Kashyap, who rose to the 19th place today in Badminton World Federation rankings, suffered a close 16-21 21-15 22-20 defeat to World No. 35 Dong Keun Lee of Korea in the men's singles competition on Wednesday. In the women's singles competition, Sindhu was 11-10 ahead at the first interval and the Indian kept the pressure on the world number 113 Japanese Shizuka even after the break as she moved from 14-10 to 19-14 before pocketing the game. In the second game, Uchida turned the tables after an early fight to lead 11-8, but Sindhu clawed back at 13-13. The Japanese, however, was not yet done as she again drew parity at 16-16 and then reeled off four points to take the match to the decider. In the deciding game, Sindhu led 15-11 midway but the Japanese brought down the lead to 16-18 before Sindhu decided to march away with the remaining three points to seal the issue. Earlier, Srikanth was little rusty to start with but he fought back from 6-14 to draw level at 16-16 and then moved neck-and-neck till 18-18. However, the Vietnamese soon reeled off three points to earn the bragging rights. In the second game, Srikanth started troubling Tien and opened up a 8-5 lead after an initial battle. Tien soon clawed back with three points but the Indian managed to keep his rival at bay and slowly carved his way back into the contest. Getting back his confidence, Srikanth was his dominating self in the decider as he didn't give Tien much opportunity and moved into the interval with a massive 11-3 lead. After the break, Srikanth kept the pressure on his higher-ranked rival and reeled off four points to move to 16-6 before closing the door on Tien with a five-point burst from 17-8 to cruise into the quarterfinals. HS Prannoy, too, had his chances in the three-game thriller that lasted for one hour and 16 minutes. In the first game, Pengyu opened up a slender 5-2 lead early, but Prannoy brilliantly fought back to grab a three-point advantage at 10-7 and 15-12. However, Pengyu clawed back at 16-16 and then broke off to eventually stay ahead of the Indian. Pengyu gained early advantage in the second game too but the lanky Indian shuttler didn't allow the Chinese to walk away this time as he turned the tables with a four-point burst from 9-11 and then kept pressing for points to finally roar back into contest. In the deciding game, Prannoy led 3-0 initially, but Pengyu bounced back to lead 11-10 at the interval. After the breather, the Chinese dug deep into his reservoir to extend the gap and held his fort to eventually edge out the Indian.
