BADMINTON

Aviva Open Singapore 2007
Qualifying Round
Tuesday, 1 May 2007, at Singapore Indoor Stadium

Story by Lee Hwee Cheng. Pictures by Leslie Tan, official photographer of the Aviva Open Singapore 2007. © Red Sports/soulbreath pictures

Singapore’s Chew Swee Hau gave some glimmer of hope to the home team in the first Men’s Singles Qualifier of the Aviva Open Singapore 2007 yesterday when he breezed through his first set for an early lead over Kennevic Asuncion of the Philippines, but he eventually succumbed to pressure and frustration and crashed out of the tournament with an eventual 1-2 loss (21-14, 19-21, 13-21) to the Filipino who is ranked 89th in the world.

Chew Swee Hau, who used to represent Anglican High School in the ‘B’ and ‘C’ Divisions, displays quick reflexes and nimble footing in his only match against Kennevic Asuncion of the Philippines. Pictures by Leslie Tan/Red Sports.

Swee Hau, ranked 282nd in the world and now serving National Service, had an impressive outing.  Keeping a cool head upon his slim shoulders and grabbing his opportunity while his opponent was still suffering from a sluggish start in the first set. Swee Hau trailed early on but scored four consecutive points to take the lead at 7-5.  Never letting go of the reins from then, he looked composed and orchestrated the game pace, placing the shuttle cleverly to make Kennevic flit from front to back, left to right and back.  Kennevic, already having to deal with his own poor returns and unforced errors, seemed to have disobedient legs that wouldn’t move as quickly and he fell to Swee Hau’s trickery, hitting the shuttle into and under the net.  Swee Hau gained a few more points and moved quickly ahead to a 14-9 lead.

It was at this point where Kennevic started to warm up and started to play his clever tricks on Swee Hau.  In an exchange of light drops over the net, Kennevic did an unexpected flick of the shuttle to the backcourt which caught Swee Hau offguard.  The latter stumbled backwards, lost his footing and the return as well.  Kennevic moved a little closer at 11-14, but never really caught up again after.  In the last play of the first set, Kennevic executed a smash against Swee Hau, who received the attack and returned a light drop that fell just over net.  Kennevic could not anticipate the sudden change in pace and gave that one crucial point to Swee Hau who took the first set comfortably at 21-14.

Kennevic Asuncion of the Philippines in action against Signapore’s Chew Swee Hau. Picture by Leslie Tan/Red Sports

The second set, easily the most physically and mentally tiring one, saw an interesting exchange of plays and progression of the scoreline.  Kennevic, looking more agile and alert, made a mental fightback and kept the scores level all the way to 7-7.  Swee Hau kept up his composure, relying on the same tactic of good defence, of tiring his opponent out and of capitalizing on his opponent’s weaknesses.  Just as Kennevic slipped back into a loss of focus, Swee Hau stepped up and pulled away to a sudden 16-11 lead, scoring some points of Kennevic’s mistakes.

Only five more points, and a first Men’s Singles qualifying win looked to be coming Singapore’s way and the barely-there supporters in the spectator’s gallery had begun pumping up the atmosphere.  But in an abrupt twist of events, Kennevic conjured up powerful smashes that took Swee Hau by surprise and caught up in a matter of minutes to 15-16.  Swee Hau answered with another smash of his own and pulled up to a two-point lead, but Kennevic inched another step closer when he lobbed the shuttle high to the backcourt which Swee Hau failed to return as a result of misjudgement.  Swee Hau went on to make a crucial mistake of hitting the shuttle into the net in the next play, and the game was now level at 17-17. 

Looking all boosted and energized by now, Kennevic put a powerful smash past Swee Hau and finally gained his first lead in the second set at 18-17.  Swee Hau countered with a smash and levelled the game again at 18-18.  By now, the happy Singapore crowd had turned all anxious.  Kennevic pulled another high backcourt lob after an exchange of net drops and again Swee Hau failed to anticipate.  Kennevic moved another point closer toward set-point but lost it immediately with a poor serve.  With the score now at 19-19, Kennevic made a counter-attacking smash on Swee Hau’s serve and the shuttle flew right past the latter’s shoulder, causing him to duck.  His opponent now only a point away from winning the second set, Swee Hau went on to make a crucial mistake by hitting the shuttle out of court.  Kennevic, after having one foot in the grave, put up a good show of mental strength and determination and kept himself alive in the tournament with a 21-19 win in the second set.

As the third set kicked off, Kennevic showed no mercy as he smashed his way to his first point, and then another one between Swee Hau’s legs to gain a 2-0 lead.  As if protesting with a retort, Swee Hau scored his first point when he answered with a smash that had the shuttle flying between Kennevic’s legs as well.  Once again, the two players took turns to gain a point each as they launched into attacking mode.  Another smash by Swee Hau saw the score levelling at 2-2, then a good cross-court hit by Kennevic gave him a one-point lead at 3-2.  Swee Hau attempted a cross-court hit as well but the hit went out of court. He recovered with a well-placed drop in the next play and kept the score close at 3-4.

After putting up a calm and composed play in the first two sets, Swee Hau seemed to crumble and succumb to exhaustion at this point.  Having kept unforced errors to a minimum and put up laudable efforts to defend all attacks earlier, he played a different game in this last crucial set as he committed offensive mistakes, hitting the shuttle out of court or into the net, and failed to react as nimbly to many of Kennevic’s attacks.  As Swee Hau lost his focus and became more frustrated in the game, Kennevic went on to taunt his opponent with his cross-court and backcourt attacks, and scored eight consecutive points to pull away to a 12-3 lead.

Swee Hau then found a chance for a smash but Kennevic immediately answered with a smash that had the shuttle fly just over the top of his opponent’s head.  The lead grew to ten points at 14-4.  The subsequent plays had Kennevic make a few mistakes, hitting the shuttle out of court, and had Swee Hau returning a few successful backcourt lobs.  Both sides took turns to score on successful hits and on the other’s errors, but by then the lead had grown too huge for Swee Hau.  He never had the chance to close the gap again, and Kennevic finished the game with a smash that flew right past Swee Hau’s raised racket. 

Kennevic won the third set 21-13, and the overall match 2-1.