SS FINALS 2010 Day 2 – Bae, Ponsana poised to advance

Third seeds Boonsak Ponsana and Bae Youn Joo both remained undefeated going into their final round robin matches, while Lee Chong Wei brooked no surprise from Jan Jorgensen on Day 2 of the Victor BWF Super Series Finals in Taipei.

By Don Hearn, Badzine Correspondent live in Taipei.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

Boonsak Ponsana (pictured) was once again anything but dominant against China’s Du Pengyu this afternoon but it was good enough to chalk up his second three-game win of the tournament.  After trailing 4-9 in the third, Boonsak thrilled the crowd with his diving and scrambling, punctuated by some punch clears that kept Du off balance and finally forced the error that let him tie the game at 10-all from which he eventually took the lead and the win.

“I was not concentrating after I won the second game,” said Boonsak later, “but I knew I needed to get as many points as I could before the interval.  I was having trouble with the wind on the one side.  I couldn’t control the shuttle on the smashes.

“I don’t think I really feel confident after winning two matches.  The main thing is that I am tired.  Later, I will discuss things with my coach to prepare for my next match.”

Korea’s Bae Youn Joo (pictured) had earlier earned herself a similar advantage with a straight game win over Yao Jie of the Netherlands.  Both she and Boonsak now stand ready for their semi-final spots to be booked for them by wins by the top seeds in their respective groups, Wang Shixian and Chen Long.

The loudest murmurings from the stands on Thursday afternoon came, of course, when home favourites Fang Chieh Min / Lee Sheng Mu took on Denmark’s Mathias Boe / Carsten Mogensen (pictured below).  The Taiwan pair looked very threatening in the second game but Denmark saved two game points and finally won it 21-15, 23-21.

“We didn’t feel the crowd was a factor today as we have played in places like Malaysia with thousands of spectators,” said Boe afterward.  “In fact, we like playing in front of a crowd, even if they are not on our side because we can really feel the atmosphere when we are on court.

“Still, it is difficult to play this pair because they are extremely fast and good on defense and the drive game so we have to be very disciplined.  Near the end, they were serving very well so it was good that we could change our tactics.

“This is the best we could hope for, to start with two wins.  These are definitely the 8 best pairs in the world here so it is very difficult to get through to the semi-final stage.”

Shortly after the Danes finished, Hendra Setiawan was forced to retire from his match against Korea’s Jung/Lee, assuring both the Koreans and the Danes of berths in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, top seeds Wang Yihan and Lee Chong Wei made their expected moves into the catbird seat, while Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, are the only unseeded pairs to assume the same position.  Thailand’s Sudket Prapakamol / Saralee Thoungthongkam kept their promotion hopes alive by dealing Korea its first loss of the tournament and Indonesians Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii (pictured) also earned their first victory, pushing Europeans Petya Nedelcheva and Anastasia Russkikh to the brink with two losses.

For complete results from Day 2 of the BWF Super Series Finals, CLICK HERE

Come stay with us for the Super Series Finals at the Chateau de Chine.  Located at the heart of Sinjhuang City, Chateau de Chine Hotel is created to convey the vibrant and everlasting sense of traditional beauty. Inspired by the Art Nouveau style, Chateau de Chine hotel infuses the finest elegance of French design with an authentic touch of oriental aesthetics.   If you are looking for quality accommodation during the event or anytime you are visiting Taipei, check out their website here.