If Xia took 15-14 in two sets to beat Lefort, then he is definitely not recovered from injury at S'Pore. I don't think he can go too far at this rate. Just for comparison's sake, Bao Chunlai beat Lefort 15-6, 15-0 at WC '03! Too bad Chen vs Wu and Chen vs Bao had to happen in 2nd round.
Fantabulous results for Malaysia there : Yeoh Kay Bin beat Anders Boesen 14-17, 15-9,15-6 Sairul Ayob beat Shon Sheung Mo 11-15, 15-11, 15-5
Some of 2nd round MS result Kuan BH bt Simon Santoso 11-15, 15-6, 15-4 Yeoh KB (Dicky Palyama concede walkover) Lee CW bt Roslin Hashim 13-15, 15-9, 17-15 Wong CH bt Andrew Smith 15-10, 15-0 Hafiz Hashim bt Yohan Hadi Wiratama 15-7, 17-14 Sony bt Lin Dan 15-11, 15-7
3rd round MS match-ups Chen Hong vs Bjoern Joppien Yeoh KB vs Kuan BH Wong CH vs Hafiz Hashim Sony vs Sairul Amar Lee CW vs Niels Christian Kaldau Bao CL vs Xia XZ Lee HI vs Ng Wei Chetan Anand vs Kenneth Jonassen So, Malaysian would book 2 seats of last eight (Wong vs Hafiz, Yeoh vs Kuan). If both Wong CH and Sony advance, there would be a repeat of WC... Lee CW got a good chance to advance too if he could keep his performance (the young Danes should be good too). Highlights: Wong CH vs Hafiz Hashim Sony vs Sairul Amar Bao CL vs Xia XZ (Would Xia win again?)
Really encouraging to see Kuan BH beating Simon Santoso, the conquerer of his senior (Lee TS). Kuan vs Yeoh, meaning a new face will be playing in tomorrow's quarter finals, most likely against Chen Hong. Hope that Lee CW will make it a memorable Open for Malaysia by beating Niel tonight.
Winners of Round 3 According to Malaysian news, the following players have qualified for quarter finals: Chen Hong Yeoh KB Wong CH Sony Dwi Kuncoro Bao CL Lee CW Kenneth Jonassen
Quarter-final match-ups Chen Hong vs Yeoh KB - Will be asking too much if Malaysian fans expect Yeoh to beat Chen Hong. But giving the world no.1 a run for his money will certainly augurs well for this youngster's future. Wong CH vs Sony Dwi Kuncoro - Pick of the day. Will Wong CH able to repeat his WC emphatic win against Sony? Bao CL vs Lee CW - A good match for Lee CW to gauge where he stand among his peers at world level. These two players are about the same age, played in the same junior level tournaments. But Bao has established himself as a world class player. A month ago, anyone who put his money on Lee CW will definitely be deemed as a crazy man! But tomorrow, Lee CW certainly stand a chance against his more fancied rival! Good luck, Lee CW!! Kenneth Jonassen vs Lee HI/Ng Wei - Kenneth, the European's best hope should start as favourite!
Lee CW is really impressive. Would really like to watch him play, wonder if there will be any live telecasts?
A few clips of him playing Bao shown,Seems like Lee doesn't give away points easily and controls the game well, very much like Ong Ewe Hock.Surprisingly Chen Hong also played the same kind of game against Yeoh Kay Bin. msia players always do well at home, but I think Lee CW is going to take over where Ong Ewe Hock left off.
I remember asking the question about the type of player Lee CW is. But I didn't get the answer. Can someone tell me if Lee CW an Offensive player? Left/right handed? I think these 3 SEA Opens has boost up his confidence level tremendously. I won't be surprised to see him beat Wong CH in the final. I know I know, it's too early to say that. He has to beat Lee HI first, which is a very tough game for him. And Wong CH has to beat the very tiring CHen H. Given Wong CH skipping the IO and Chen H playing 3 Opens where he reaches Semi and up, Wong CH should have all the advantage to beat Chen H. Will these games be available to download at Badmintoncity.com for the member?
Lee CW Badminton/Malaysian Open: Chong Wei beats the odds K. M Boopathy Sept 05: IT was yet another breath-taking display from back-up shuttler Lee Chong Wei who overcame dehydration to reach the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Open Championships together with Yeoh Kay Bin and Wong Choon Hann at the Likas Sports Complex in Kota Kinabalu yesterday. Chong Wei, who suffered cramps and was treated for dehydration after his marathon win against Roslin in the second round earlier in the day, made short work of Niels Christian Kaldau of Denmark 15-7, 15-3 to book his first ever quarter-final berth in an international grand prix event. Kay Bin also continued his good form beating Kuan Beng Hong 5-15, 15-7, 15-4 in the third round. Choon Hann was in majestic form as he gave Hafiz Hashim no chance in another all-Malaysian third round match advancing to the last eight with a convincing 15-7, 15-4 win in just 40 minutes. However, Chong Wei might not have advanced but his grit and determination carried him to a brilliant 13-15, 15-9, 17-15 win against Roslin which was the best match of the day. After missing his chance to make the quarter-finals in the Indonesia Open last week when he lost to Wu Yunyong of China, Chong Wei was determined not blow it this time and deservingly beat ‘Marathon Man’ Roslin in 86 minutes. Despite cramps, Chong Wei showed remarkable recovery as he returned to court just five hours later to beat Kaldau in convincing fashion. "I am really happy to have reached the last eight as I was not even sure that I would be able sustain my performance after the match against Roslin," said a tired but elated Chong Wei. "I recovered fast and having come this far, I will not give up so easily although Bao Chunlai (of China, his next opponent) is a strong player. "This will be our first meeting and I hope I can recover fast. I will fight until I drop on court." Chong Wei, despite his fighting spirit, will have to be at best as Chunlai beat compatriot and world champion Xia Xuanze 17-14, 15-12 to book his quarter-final berth. Kay Bin is relieved to be in the last eight as this is only his second time coming this far in a tournament. He reached the quarter-finals in the 2001 Swiss Open but has failed to make it past the third round in tournaments since then. He faces a tough time against top seed Chong Hong, who had a convincing 15-9, 15-7 win over Bjoern Joppein of Germany yesterday. "I am relieved as my early round jinx has been broken and I will try my best even though it is Chen Hong who I have to beat to advance." said Kay Bin. "I struggled a bit against Beng Hong as we know each other's game very well but I will give it my all against Chen Hong. "He will be tired playing in his third tournament and if I can contain his fast attacking game, I have an outside chance." However, it is Choon Hann who has got the best chance. Choon Hann will meet Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia for a spot in the semi-finals today. Sony stopped another Malaysian challenge when he beat Sairul Amar Ayub 15-6, 15-13. "Hafiz looked a bit tired after a tough second round match and that made it easy for me," said Choon Hann. "Against Sony, it is not going to be easy as we know each other's game well. Sony’s main weapon is his ability to defend well and counter attack. "The change of rhythm is where I often get caught but I am looking forward to the match." Sony beat Choon Hann in the Swiss Open but the Malaysian got his revenge when he beat the Indonesian 15-8, 15-5 in the World Championships quarter-finals in Birmingham last month. ` Second seed Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark and Lee Hyun Il of South Korea are also through to the quarter-finals. Jonassen beat Chetan Anand of India 11-15, 15-9, 15-4 while Hyun Il defeated Ng Wei of Hong Kong 15-10, 15-7. Doubles pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah made it a grand day for Malaysia when they reached the quarter-finals with a come-from-behind 6-15, 15-4, 15-2 win against Cheng Rui-Chen Qiqiu of China. The Malaysians will next meet young Indonesian pair Luluk Hadyanto-Alven Yulianto in the last eight today. Luluk-Alven advanced with a 15-10, 15-6 win over compatriots Candra Wijaya-Halim Haryanto. Malaysia's campaign in the women's doubles came to an end when Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty lost 15-9, 15-9 to Jo Novita-Lita Nurlita of Indonesia in the second round. Lee CW is going places if he keeps this up.
Semis!! Chen Hong vs Wong CH Lee CW vs Lee HI IMHO, Lee CW stands a better chance to advance to the finals compared to Wong CH. Though Chen Hong played in 3 consecutive tournaments, it's still not gonna be easy for Wong to overcome him. It will be a touch-and-go game!