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Post by Brinyi on Nov 27, 2006 10:47:16 GMT -5
China's Li Na and Zheng Jie, Indian Mirza to lead Asiad women's tennis
Nine out of top ten Asian female players are set to star in the 15th Asian Games tennis tournament to be running from December 4 to 14 at Doha, Qatar.
With the regular 2006 WTA season ended up with the November 7- 12 year-end Championships,nine of the top ten Asian female players except Japan's Asian number two Ai Sugiyama have confirmed participation in the continental jamboree.
Chinese female number one Li Na, ranked 21st in the world now, has toppled Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama to be the Asian number one. She has notched up many impressive wins over the world top 10 players en route to the best 20th ranking in August this season, including her imperious run to the last eight at Wimbledon this year.
China's hopes of claiming the women's singles title was further boosted as the top favorite was strengthened by fellow Chinese Zheng Jie, a specialist in doubles event but also among the best singles players in Asia.
Ranked 33rd in the world, the 23-year-old partnered another Chinese Yan Zi to crown at six tournaments this year including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, becoming the first Chinese Grand Slam champions in tennis history.
Having failed to win any of the seven tennis titles at the 14th Asian Games in Busan,South Korea four years ago, China is determined to put the record straight through the women's events.
While Aiko Nakamura from Japan and Indian rising star Sania Mirza will lead the main charge towards the Chinese contingent.
The 23-year-old Japanese, who is ranked fifth in Asia and 58th in the world, posed main threat following Ai Sugiyama's decision of pulling out from Doha.
Sixth-ranked in Asia, Mirza is hoping for a turning point after a disappointing year.
The 67th-ranked woman, who is famous for her nose ring, has had a patchy season. She has only won one Grand Slam singles match in 2006 and has made little impact elsewhere on the Women's Tennis Association Tour.
Source: Xinhua
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Post by janie on Nov 27, 2006 12:42:24 GMT -5
The 67th-ranked woman, who is famous for her nose ring.... Ah, so THAT'S why she's famous!
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 27, 2006 16:09:10 GMT -5
The 67th-ranked woman, who is famous for her nose ring.... Ah, so THAT'S why she's famous! And here we thought she was famous for her b... her bad backhand!
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Post by janie on Nov 27, 2006 18:32:35 GMT -5
Paradorn returns to Asiad for another gold for Thai King Thailand's international tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan's decision to return to Thailand's Asian Games tennis team has made the squad the hot favorites to win the gold medal in the men's team event in Doha. After he tamed Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea in straight sets in front of a heart-broken partisan crowd in South Korea in the 2002 Asian Games men's singles final, Paradorn announced he would not be playing in any more Asian Games, citing his need to focus on his personal goals. But a few months ago, the country's first Asian Games singles tennis gold medallist changed his mind and declared he would make the trip to Doha and attempt to win the gold medal for Thai King to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne. "This is an auspicious year, so everyone would like to do something special for His Majesty. That's why I decided to go and defend my gold medal. We are all inspired to try even harder this time," said Paradorn, who already has two Asian Games gold medals in his collection -- the other is the doubles gold medal he won with brother Narathorn in Bangkok eight years ago. Back in 2002 Paradorn was the only player of note from Asia on the professional tour, but things have changed in the past four years. He will face far more competitive contenders this time. Lu Yen-hsun, ranked No. 103 in the world, and Brinyi's Wang Yeu-tzuoo ( No.143) of Chinese Taipei and even countryman Danai Udomchoke (No. 89) are all capable of upsetting the Thai Tiger. His most dangerous rival for the gold medal is 2002 finalist Lee, who overtook Paradorn as the top ranked Asian in 2006. Lee is now ranked 48th, five places above the Thai. The South Korean has been at the peak in his career and recently upset two top 10 players -- Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and Tommy Robredo of Spain. But taking their head-to-head meetings into consideration, Paradorn has a 4-2 edge over the South Korean. In fact, he has not lost to Lee in their last four matches dating back to 2001. "Lee is very confident now, but so I am," Paradorn told Thai newspaper The Nation. "We should meet in the final. But there are good players from Japan and Uzbekistan that shouldn't be written off." "They are doing great on the tour and can beat everyone in the Asian Games," added Paradorn, who is recovering from a wrist injury. Led by two top 100 players and with back-up from doubles experts Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana, the Thai men's team is the strongest the country has ever produced. "If we are not too unlucky, we should win the men's team gold medal," Paradorn said. On the women's side Tamarine Tanasugarn, now a veteran, will be playing in her fourth successive Asian Games. She has bitter memories of the two previous Asian Games , losing two back-to-back finals to Yayuk Basuki of Indonesia at home in 1998 and to Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan four years ago. After finishing second two times in a row, Tamarine, who is world No. 68, said she had enough of the silver medals and announced her strong determination to win the gold medal this time. "I'm sick of the silver medals already. I think it's time to win the gold. I will fight hard to make a breakthrough," said the highly determined Tamarine. Yet the star-studded Chinese squad, which features world No. 21 Li Na, No. 33 Zheng Jie, No. 55 Peng Shuai, and No. 80 Sun Tian- tian, is a Herculean task for the Thai. Not to mention two promising Japanese players -- Aiko Nakamura, No. 58, and Akiko Morigami, No. 87, plus Indian ace Sania Mirza, No. 67. Tamarine believes she still has what it takes to defeat those rising Asian stars. After struggling most of the season outside the top 100, she climbed back into the top 100 rankings by reaching the final of the 200,000 US dollars Bangkok Open in October. "The Chinese girls are all tough, but I think I can catch up with them and have no fear of anyone at the Asian Games. Besides, I have been training hard and my confidence is back," said Tamarine, whose team-mates will be Suchanan Viratprasert and Montinee Tangphong. While she has high hopes in the singles, she did not foresee much chance in the team event. "The overall picture of our team is not as tough as China and Japan. But the bronze medal should not be too much to reach. If our girls play at the top of their games, it could be our day," she said. [Whoa, this extreme optimism would be regarded as terribly unseemly in Indonesia!]Source: Xinhua
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 27, 2006 20:04:35 GMT -5
Narathorn Srichaphan
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 27, 2006 20:14:11 GMT -5
Indonesia is sending a total of 219 people -- 131 athletes, 36 coaches, 17 team managers, six mechanics, six officials and 23 cooks -- to the Dec. 1-15 event. The athletes will compete in 84 events from 20 sports. ... State Minister for Youth and Sports Adhyaksa Dault said many of the athletes had trained in Thailand and Switzerland and their progress had been closely monitored by a government team. "The team monitors the national training center management and advises the National Sports Council (KONI) about how to prepare for the Games," he said. "The government also disbursed 100 million rupiah (about 10,959 U.S. dollars) to support the training program." Adhyaksa said he considered the official target of a minimum four golds as "too pessimistic". "We can win more than that... at least eight golds from badminton, karate and bowling ," he said. The Asiad would also serve as a training ground for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he said.
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Post by janie on Nov 28, 2006 8:00:15 GMT -5
23 cooks! Those Indons really have their priorities straight!
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 28, 2006 12:34:30 GMT -5
23 cooks! Those Indons really have their priorities straight! There's the danger that they might spoil the broth, though...
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 28, 2006 13:01:53 GMT -5
Tired Lee may miss team tennis, says South Korea coach
By Peter Rutherford DOHA, Nov 28 (Reuters) -
South Korea's Lee! Hyung! Taik! may skip the Asian Games team tennis event after a gruelling ATP season, coach Jeon Young-dai said on Tuesday.
Lee!, Asian No.2 behind Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan, is one of the favourites for gold in the men's singles at the Games in the Qatari capital, but after a long season his conditioning has become an issue.
"During the last four months Lee! reached the top 40 in the world rankings and he is very tired after the long season," said Jeon. "I am a little bit concerned about his condition and I am not yet sure if he will play in the men's team event." Lee! scored a personal-best 23 match wins at ATP level this year and reached the semi-final of the China Open in September. He was the first South Korean to win an ATP Tour singles event (Sydney 2003) and has represented his country at the last three Olympic Games.
"I hope to win the gold medal, but the overall level of Asian tennis players has improved a lot," he said.
"Paradorn will probably be the toughest opponent."
The men's team event begins on Dec. 4, with the singles due to start on Dec. 9.
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Post by janie on Nov 28, 2006 14:18:55 GMT -5
If he's tired, maybe he should consider switching over to the bowling squad! You get to sit down a lot more in that sport, and you never need to run for the ball; it comes right up to you.
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 28, 2006 15:43:23 GMT -5
If he's tired, maybe he should consider switching over to the bowling squad! You get to sit down a lot more in that sport, and you never need to run for the ball; it comes right up to you. ;D I was going to suggest the chess team, but there you have the danger of mental fatigue.
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Post by Brinyi on Nov 28, 2006 16:02:23 GMT -5
"I am playing with Mahesh for the first time. We have played in exhibition matches before so let’s see how it goes. I feel I have a chance in the team event as well. Though my ranking in doubles is much better my main focus is on singles."
-- S. Uberoi
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Post by janie on Nov 28, 2006 18:13:25 GMT -5
Shikha Uberoi: Current WTA singles ranking: 209
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Post by freudo on Nov 29, 2006 9:32:52 GMT -5
okay found the thread...sorry for putting my stuff in all the wrong places, and it was already here I knew it had to be somewhere...Hi Janie, long time to see
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Post by freudo on Nov 29, 2006 9:35:33 GMT -5
Shikha Uberoi: Current WTA singles ranking: 209 my goodness she is pretty...kinda an India Sabbatinni, never could get the consonents right in Gaby's name, too many decisions
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Post by janie on Dec 1, 2006 21:14:00 GMT -5
Hi freudo! Asian Games tennis action starts on Monday, woohoo! I think lately I like all this off-season stuff more than I enjoy the regular Tours any more.
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Post by freudo on Dec 4, 2006 7:26:24 GMT -5
Hi freudo! Asian Games tennis action starts on Monday, woohoo! I think lately I like all this off-season stuff more than I enjoy the regular Tours any more. not me, but glad to have something to wake up to off to trim my hair and then search for news!
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 4, 2006 11:41:48 GMT -5
In today's most significant team event tilts: Japan def. China 2-1 SUN Peng def. MATSUI Toshihide 6-4 3-6 6-3 SOEDA Go def. WANG Yu 6-0 6-3 IWABUCHI Satoshi / SUZUKI Ears def. YU Xinyuan /ZENG Shaoxuan 75 75 Philippines-USA def. Kuwait 2-1 TAINO Eric def. MAQDAS Abdullah 3-6 6-3 6-2 GHAREEB Mohammed def. MAMIIT Cecil 75 76 FlipUSA def. Kuwait in doubles 62 62 Taipei def. India 2-1 WANG Yeu Tzuoo def. RASTOGI Karan 61 63 BOPANNA Rohan def. LU Yen Hsun 46 76 64 Wang/Lu def. Bhupathi/Paes 62 63 Distaff results Uzbeks def. Indonesia 2-0 Akgul the Giant def. Ted Jakusuma 4 & 3 IrOOda def. Sandy Gumulya 61 46 62
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 4, 2006 12:32:36 GMT -5
Japanese men and South Korean women were crowned in the soft tennis team events at the 15th Asian Games on Sunday.
Japan ruled out a strong comeback from Chinese Taipei to win the men's final 2-1 while South Korea edged out Japan 2-1 to defend their title in the women's final at the Khalifa Soft Tennis Courts.
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Post by janie on Dec 4, 2006 15:13:49 GMT -5
Bhupathi/Paes, sheesh Poor little Indons. What the heck is "soft tennis"? Is that like the game Smashnova plays?
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 4, 2006 15:40:42 GMT -5
We always used to accuse Hingis of playing soft tennis Soft tennis is a racket game played on a court of two halves, separated by a net. Like regular tennis, it is played by individuals (singles) or pairs (doubles), whose object is to hit the ball over the net, landing within the confines of the court, with the aim of preventing one's opponent from being able to hit it back. Soft tennis differs from regular tennis in that it uses soft rubber balls instead of hard yellow balls. It is played primarily in Asia, especially in Japan and Taiwan. -- Wikipedia
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Post by janie on Dec 4, 2006 16:08:48 GMT -5
But tennis balls ARE soft!
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Post by janie on Dec 5, 2006 8:56:37 GMT -5
where can we look for the latest results?
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Post by freudo on Dec 5, 2006 12:26:14 GMT -5
lol soft tennis discussion...is the court the same size? I wonder what its like to play likw that..wonder what the balls are like? do they use tennis rackets or boiled spaghetti
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 5, 2006 21:12:58 GMT -5
Nice semi matchups all round! Men's team quarterfinals THA def. UZB 2-1. Paradorn retired injured from his singles but the Ratiwatana twins took the doubles point 76 36 76 KOR mashed QAT TPE took out the PHI 2-0 thanks to a heroic 3 set win by Lu over Mamiit JPN slaughtered BRN Semis: THA - JPN KOR - TPE Ladies Team quarterfinals JPN (Mpaperfolding and Nakamura) routed KOR TPE creamed KUW India took care of Thailand 2-0 (Shikhaaaa over Viratprasert and Mirza over Panasugarn both in straights) UZB def. CHN 2-0 (Akgul the Giant def Zheng 63 36 76 ;D, IrOOda def. Li Na 64 16 61 Semis: UZB - IND TPE - JPN
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 5, 2006 21:13:50 GMT -5
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Post by janie on Dec 5, 2006 22:00:00 GMT -5
Holy cow, Akgul! The Chinese girls are probably all in for a whippin' when they get home.
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Post by freudo on Dec 6, 2006 8:08:26 GMT -5
Holy cow, Akgul! The Chinese girls are probably all in for a whippin' when they get home. LOL.....poor girls too much pressure...maybe this is AKGUL's breakout year...she must have reached full height by now ;D
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Post by janie on Dec 7, 2006 18:29:52 GMT -5
Yikes, I can't figure out anything from that tennis page.
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Post by Brinyi on Dec 8, 2006 7:17:24 GMT -5
Men's Team semis JPN def. THA 2-1. Paradorn lost to Go Soeda in singles. and the Ratiwatanas lost the doubles. KOR def. TPE 2-1. Lee!/Jun! def. Lu/Wang in the decider, 46 64 64. Women's Team semis TPE def. JPN 2-0 (Su-Wei def. Morigami 36 63 60; Chan YJ def. Nakamura 64 75) IND def. UZB 2-0 (Shikhaaaaa def. Akgul the Giant 76 46 63; Mirza def. IrOOda 63 60) Finals JPN-KOR are tied 1-1, Ears def. Chung! 60 36 63; Lee! def. Go 63 76 IND-TPE coming up
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