SUPERSERIES FINALS 2013 – 2 for Pedersen, 4 for Lee and Pedersen

Christinna Pedersen became the first person ever to title twice at the same Superseries Finals while she and Lee Chong Wei each pushed their career totals to 4.

By Kira Rin.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

Finals day at the BWF Superseries Finals began with the women’s doubles, the discipline that has been won by only two different pairs in the past.  With three-time defending champions Wang/Yu out of the way, it would now become a race to see who could become the third pair engraved in the women’s doubles history of the Superseries Finals.

While the Chinese pair of Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua hit shots between the gaps to score points, Christinna Pedersen / Kamilla Rytter Juhl (pictured) kept their shots consistent to keep gaining more points than them. Ma Jin’s tactical knowledge and Tang’s power play kept the Danes in check, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Rytter Juhl’s blockade at the net, as she pushed down every shot with confidence.

The Danes pounced on every tactical error by the Chinese, leading to 2 five point streaks, with the last of the streaks earning them the match.

Tai Tzu Ying used the cards too early?

Having used all her tactics in her match against Wang Shixian yesterday seemed to hurt Tai Tzu Ying’s chances at the title, as Li Xuerui (pictured) had a perfect grasp on her patterns. Even so, against the current number 1 and Olympic champion, Tai threw what she could, even catching Li off guard with her favourite defensive cross-court drive from the back-court. Sadly, such desperation couldn’t find any ground against Olympic experience and Tai had to settle for second place.

After Li’s second, Lee takes a fourth

The great Lee Chong Wei once again cemented his place as the “King of Superseries” calling upon his wealth of experience to overcome youthful challenger Tommy Sugiarto (pictured below) in 2 quick games. While Tommy was able to sneak in a few points, most of his other shots could not find a way past the immovable mountain of Lee Chong Wei’s defense. The great king was only briefly troubled as he stepped forward to claim back his title with only 2 minutes past the half hour mark on the clock.

The Iron Lady of Denmark

As if one title wasn’t enough, Christinna Pedersen had to go ahead and lay her hands on yet another one within the same day. While Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei were the first to start their attacks, gaining a game in the process, showing their cards a tad early worked against them, as the Danes had sufficient time to adjust to the shuttle speed and come up with counters to their shots.

With Joachim Fischer Nielsen’s charismatic ego proving entertainment to the crowds and leadership in dictating the pace of the rallies, Christinna had the confidence to control the net, setting up shots for hard smashes from Fischer Nielsen.

Having played 2 of the longest matches in one day is no mean feat, and it is an even greater feat to win both, as Christinna has now become the first ever Superseries Finals double medallist and will be the player to walk off with the lion’s share of the pot.

“I don’t know what happened in the first set.  I don’t think we played that well but from the beginning of the second, the crowd here was supporting us and again, you are amazing here in Malaysia,   Thank you very much!” said Joachim Fischer Nielsen in the on-court post-match interview.

“It’s been amazing,” added Christinna Pedersen.  “We have been playing really, really well and our game has been getting better and better and today, especially the second and third, was really great.”

Indonesia engraves its flag

Both sides had their reasons to go for the title. For Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan (pictured below), they were in a position to become Indonesia’s first ever champions at the Superseries Finals, while Kim Ki Jung and Kim Sa Rang have their obligations to their team in bringing back home the title that Lee Yong Dae had won 4 years ago.

Ahsan showed what he had learnt from his time partnering with his more illustrious partner Hendra, demonstrating his wide coverage, even hitting a shot Hendra missed around him and jumping at the net for opportune shots. The Koreans had no answer for the raw display of power, and combined with bad tactical mistakes, could only watch as Indonesia took their first ever title at Superseries Finals.

“We have learned the pattern and strategy of the Korean pair because this is not the first time we’ve played them.  So we applied the same strategy and we managed to win,” said Hendra Setiawan after the match.

“This has been the brightest year because we have been able to achieve so much: first the World Championship and now here at the Superseries Finals,” added Ahsan.

Final results
WD: Christinna Pedersen / Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN) [3] beat Ma Jin / Tang Jinhua (CHN) [4] 21-19, 21-12
WS: Li Xuerui (CHN) beat Tai Tzu Ying (TPE) 21-8, 21-14
MS: Lee Chong Wei (MAS) [1] beat Tommy Sugiarto (INA) [4]  21-10, 21-12
XD: Joachim Fischer Nielsen / Christinna Pedersen (DEN) [4] beat Zhang Nan / Zhao Yunlei (CHN) [1]  21-19, 21-10
MD: Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan (INA) [1] beat Kim Ki Jung / Kim Sa Rang (KOR)  21-14 21-16

Click here for complete, detailed results