Final Games of 2011

 Games terakhir tahun 2011 diadakan kelmarin (30/12/2011) di Melati Court...

 Keceriaan terserlah..walaupun si Zahari ni pancit....he..he... tapi tetap semangat

 Aksi bertenaga Shahrul-Helmi berhadapan Hisyam-Hanif

Raket faiz patah.....pada games terakhir, boleh la sambar baru untuk aksi tahun 2012...

End of a proud record

Lee Chong Wei’s reign as the undisputed Superseries Finals champion came to an abrupt end on Saturday after a close and exciting contest against Chen Long (below), on Saturday.

The Malaysian world No. 1, who was bidding to win the season-ending tournament for the fourth consecutive time, found the local hero too hot to handle and lost in three-games to exit the Li Ning BWF World Superseries Finals at the semi-final stage.

It was Chong Wei’s fourth defeat in nine meetings against Chen Long, but more significantly, it was his third loss to the former world junior champion since September.

The Chinese shuttler has certainly picked the right time to find a way to beat Chong Wei with the Olympics just eight months away and the race to be the top seed for the London Games now wide open after the latter’s latest loss.

Although Chong Wei (right), should retain his top ranking until the end of the year, two major tournaments in the first half of January – Korea and Malaysia Opens – means the All England champion would need to bounce back strongly or he could lost his coveted position at the top of the rankings by February.

The 21-16, 16-21, 21-18 victory will certainly boost Chen Long’s confidence going into Sunday’s final where he will meet four-time world champion Lin Dan, a player he has yet to beat in three attempts.

After a humiliating opening round defeat at the World Championships to Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon, Chen Long has returned stronger and fitter and won three consecutive OSIM BWF World Superseries tournaments in China, Japan and Denmark.

He and Lin Dan (left), are the only two players to beat Chong Wei this season and he has since risen to No. 3 in the world standings.

Against Chong Wei on Saturday, the Chinese shuttler was the more aggressive player and had 24 smash winners.

Even when he was trailing, he never gave up and from 14-10 down in the opening game, won 11 of the next 13 points to stun Chong Wei.

Chong Wei controlled the tempo of the second game and dominated the net which gave him the advantage. Having learnt his mistake from the opening game, he never let up when he was in the lead and squared the match with a 21-16 victory.

Backed by a partisan home crowd, Chen Long came out firing on all cylinders in the decider to take the first three points.

It was a lead he never squandered and while Chong Wei finally drew level at 18-18 that was the best he could do as Chen Long took the final three points to end the 80-minute contest and gain an important psychological victory.

Lin Dan, meanwhile, was always in control against Danish veteran Peter Gade (right), a player he hugely respects, but one he has always had the winning edge over.

It was no different this time round as the reigning Olympic champion scored a 21-12, 21-15 victory in 41 minutes for his 16^th career win from 19 meetings against Gade.

World Superseries Finals: Chong Wei and Lin Dan move into the semis while promoting life stories

ONE has written his autobiography. The other is producing a documentary about his life on court. The two great rivals of men’s badminton are also busy embellishing their legends at the Super Series Masters Finals here.
Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan showed that they are not only old time rivals on the court but equally competitive in the promotion of the sport that they love by telling their life stories to inspire the younger generation.
Yesterday, top seed Chong Wei and four-time world champion Lin Dan spoke of their promotional activities after underlining their supremacy to march into the semi-finals of the Masters Finals as the Group A and Group B champions respectively at the Li Ning Gymnasium.
Chong Wei will take on Chen Long of China today while Lin Dan will cross swords with old warrior Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark in another top four battle.

Storyteller: The front cover of Lee Chong Wei’s autobiography “Dare to be a Champion”.

Yesterday, Chong Wei, who had already qualified for the semis, made the mistake of taking it easy before prevailing 24-22, 21-14 over the 35-year-old Christensen in a 33-minute final Group A match.
The Malaysian had started off superbly by taking a 11-4 lead before deciding to take his feet off the pedal. It was a big mistake as the Dane took advantage and managed to level the tie at 16-16 and kept pressing before losing 22-24.
Christensen was a spent force in the second and Chong Wei did his usual thing to restore order and romp home.
Chong Wei was happy to stay on track in his mission to win the Masters Finals title for the fourth time.
”I eased up after taking a huge lead and Peter almost turned the tables on me. Fortunately, I hung on. I take on Chen Long next and it will not be easy,” said Chong Wei.
”The youngster is playing well. He has the height, an aggressive approach and a good physique. I will have to deal with him patiently if I harbour hopes of making the final.” said Chong Wei, 29.
The Malaysian ace lost to Chen Long in the Japan and Denmark Opens this year before he got his revenge at the France Open.
On his autobiography “Dare To Become A Champion” which will be launched on Jan 18, Chong Wei said: “The book is about the hardship I went through as a player. Hopefully, it will generate more interest among the youngsters.
“I heard that Lin Dan is coming out with a documentary about himself.
“This is good for the sport. It’s another way for us to tell our stories and get more youngsters into the game.”
Lin Dan, who tore apart Japan’s Kenichi Tago 21-11, 21-13 yesterday, was passionate about his new documentary.
”I have been with the national team for about 11 to 12 years and would like to document my journey. I treasure all the memories and want to record all my excellent matches with Chong Wei, Taufik (Hidayat) and Peter in this documentary,” he said.
”The idea was given to me after I won my fourth world title in August. Hopefully, I can produce it before I retire. This will be a gift for my fans. As I get older, I can also look back at all these good memories.”
On his 18th career match against Christensen today, Lin Dan joked: “I seem to be spending more time with Peter, Chong Wei and Taufik than my wife (Xie Xingfang). I meet them so often in the international stage.”
Courtesy of The Star