LI-NING CHINA OPEN 2009 - Songphon-Kunchala in last four

And waiting to stop them from making the final will be reigning Olympic Champions Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung of Korea.

Some wins make a change. In Thailand, Kunchala/Songphon are not only known within the badminton circuit. People, in the street, recognise them.

“Not as much as Boonsak (Ponsana), of course, but this Japan Open victory in September has made a huge change for us. Some people recognise us, but we have also set ourselves new goals, and have new confidence,” said Songphon.

The Thai duo has just entered the semi-final of another Super Series event, two months after scooping the Tokyo Trophy, thanks to a tight – but close victory over Taipei’s Chen and Chou – a pair that had beaten them before. Despite an erratic display, the Thais played with ups and downs but managed to pull the final win 11/21 – 21/17 – 21/16.

“We didn’t play well during the whole match. There were gaps of concentration but we were able to focus towards the end. But we were lucky with the draw. We were supposed to play Marisa and Gunawan in the first round, but they pulled out, and then, Clark and Kellogg beat the Chinese, then lost to the Taipei pair. This was really lucky for us and I’m glad we took the opportunity.,” added Songphon.

“But I feel very tired now as Kunchala does too. We have to play in both categories because there are not so many players in Thailand to allow us to choose just one discipline, like what other players are doing now.

“They are so strong, especially Lee Yong Dae. He’s fast and powerful and very difficult to play. We’ve never beaten them yet, and these are the teams we look up to. We have a lot to learn from them. Each time we lose, our coaches have something to take back for us to make us progress, just like in practice, with Sudket and Saralee.

I am very thankful to them as they’ve taught us everything and they are definitely the number one pair in Thailand, still. They haven’t been lucky lately but will be back. As for us, our main target will be the upcoming SEA GAMES in Laos in December. Indonesia and Malaysia are sending their full team there, so it will be very difficult, but I really hope to get a medal there.”

The mixed doubles has seen a new pair arise in Shanghai as Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, a new pair, also booked their ticket to the semi-final, shattering the dreams of Devin Lahardi and Liliyana Natsir.

Lahardi seemed to run out of steam after jump smashing three games from the back while Zhang Nan – a name to remember – played some amazing shots to neutralize the Indonesians’ attacks.

China’s resources in the women’s singles are endless. Each year, as the Chinese Badminton Association can’t send all the upcoming stars to International tournaments, there is an opportunity for them to shine at home.

Out of the eight quarter-finalists, three were relatively unknown players and Li Xuerui was one of them – she might not stay in the shade for long with the kind of game she developed to beat Lu Lan.

The reigning world champion may have not been at her best after she twisted slightly her ankle early in the match – leading to the official doctor to enter the court at half time – yet Li managed to keep up the pace and outplay her compatriot in most compartments of the game.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 10:02 AM. Filed under News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0