Thai mixed doubles pair go out in Tokyo
[BADMINTON] Thailand's Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam failed to retain their mixed doubles crown at the US$180,000 Japan Open Championships in Tokyo after losing in the semi-finals yesterday.
The 2005 winners were edged out 2-1 after losing the first set 21-18 to Indonesians Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa. The Thai pair, who are ranked No 4 in the world, recovered to win the second game 21-16. In the decider, the Indonesians proved their class by winning 21-17. Limpele and Marissa have been on a roll, defeating 2006 world championship runners-up Anthony Clark and Donna Kellog of England in the second round and double Olympic champions Zhang Jun and Gao Ling of China in the quarter-finals. They will face fellow Indonesians and world No 1 Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir in the final. Meanwhile, world champion Lin Dan celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday by thrashing European champion Peter Gade to set up a enticing Japan Open final with Olympic title-holder Taufik Hidayat. The Chinese top seed and defending champion downed Denmark's Gade in only 33 minutes, hitting every shot in the book as he coasted to a 21-12 21-14 win. Afterwards, Lin was in philosophical mood. "I'm one year older now. It means my career is now one year shorter. Hopefully, I can make it worthwhile and keep myself mentally calm in my remaining career," he said. Gade, a two-time winner, tried to smash his way out of trouble but could not match the variety of the stylish Chinese. "I played the way what I wanted to play. We played against each other so many times and we know each other very well. So I didn't do anything special," said Lin. "I just try to stay in my best form mentally and physically whenever I take part in this tournament." In the final Sunday, Lin will take on Indonesia's Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat, who beat Asian champion Lee Chong Wei 21-17 21-13. Hidayat won the battle of the smashes with his trademark jumping overheads, while Malaysia's Lee made a series of errors on low shots. "I had expected a tough match, because Lee is one of the top players in the world. I didn't think I would have a big lead in the end," said Hidayat, who also won in 33 minutes. "It was a big turning point when I came back from 14-17 down in the first game. We both played a bit timid in the beginning, but I was determined to take the first game, because I wanted to start the second game with ease." Taufik added: "Hopefully, I can play an exciting match."
The Nation, Agencies Tokyo
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