BADMINTON

LIVE UPDATE FROM SINGAPORE INDOOR STADIUM

Aviva Open Singapore 2007
Preliminary Round Day Two
Sony Dwi Kuncoro (INA) vs Ronald Susilo (SIN)
 Thursday, 3 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

Susilo in yesterday’s victory over Malaysia’s Lee Tsuen Seng. He won 2-0 in just under forty-five minutes. Picture by Leslie Tan/Red Sports.

Hello, everybody!

The Red Sports Crew is back here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, bringing you another round of live reporting at the Aviva Open Singapore 2007. 

Tonight, stay with us right here on redsports.sg as we watch ACS old boy Ronald Susilo play his second Preliminary Round game against Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who had beaten world no.5 Chen Hong 2-1 yesterday evening. 

As we speak right now, Catholic High old boy Kendrick Lee has just made our home crowd go wild with pride with an inspirational 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 23-21) win over third-seed Chen Jin of China.  Kendrick proceeds into his first-ever Aviva Open quarter-final tomorrow.

Kendrick Lee in today’s victory over China’s Chen Jin. He won the match 2-1 after overcoming a first-set defeat. Picture by Leslie Tan/Red Sports.

Will Dwi Kuncoro, ranked 15th in the world, feel the pressure of Susilo’s home-court advantage as well?

This is Cheng, and I’ll be bringing you the live update.  Coach Dick Yip has been watching the earlier games, and will be bringing you some post-match reports.  And of course, Uncle Les our man, together with our volunteer-photographer Lai JunWei, will be capturing the glorious moments of the match.

Set 2
– Susilo wins his second match in style with a 21-10 win in the second set!
– DK sends a smash that crosses the back boundary line.  Susilo at match-point 20-10.
– DK goes on to commit unforced error with a drop that fails to cross the net.  Susilo leads 19-10.
– One long volley again, and DK fails to send a light drop over the net.  Susilo is just 3 points away from match-point at 18-10.
– DK sends another hit out of bounds.  Susilo moves ahead 17-10.
– DK smashes and Susilo fails to return.  DK serves 10-16.
– DK makes another weak return into the net.  Susilo leads 16-9.
– DK makes another smash that goes out of bounds.  Susilo serves 15-9.
– DK gains another quick point from Susilo’s failure to anticipate a cross-court hit.  DK serves 9-14.
– DK executes a successful leap-smash this time, and regains serve 8-14.
– DK returns a weak shuttle into the net again.  Susilo rages on 14-7.
– DK leap-smashes but the shuttle goes out of bounds.  Susilo moves ahead 13-7.
– Another long rally, and DK makes the mistake again, this time by sending a too-weak hit into the net.  Susilo leads 12-7.
– Yet another long volley of shuttles that had both men flit to and fro, but Susilo prevails when DK sends a hit beyond the side boundary line.  Susilo leads 11-7.
– DK smashes and Susilo fails to return.  DK regains serve 7-10.
– DK attempts a drop but the shuttle fails to cross the net.  Susilo leads 10-6.
– In an acrobatic play, Susilo makes a turnaround and manages to keep the play alive.  DK goes on to hit the shuttle into the net.  Susilo leads 9-5.
– DK smashes the shuttle into the net again.  Susilo serves 8-5.
– DK makes a light leap-smash and Susilo fails to anticipate.  DK serves 5-7.
– DK makes another unforced error when an attempted drop fails to cross the net.  Susilo moves ahead 7-4.
– DK returns a Susilo hit but the shuttle goes out of bounds.  Susilo leads 6-4.
– Susilo sends a drop just over the net and DK fails to return.  Susilo regains serve 5-4.
– DK makes a leap-smash and levels 4-4.
– The umpire makes another dubious call and DK holds serve 3-4.
– DK smashes and Susilo fails to anticipate.  DK serves 2-4.
– Susilo scores another good play, and leads 4-1.
– Susilo smashes the shuttle cross-court and the play is good.  Susilo leads 3-1.
– DK smashes, and the umpire rules it inbound, again to Susilo’s chagrin.  DK serves 1-2.
– DK tries to drop the shuttle but it fails to cross the net.  Susilo leads 2-0.
– After a long volley of high shuttles that display quick reflexes on both sides, Susilo changes pace and drops the shuttle just over the net.  Susilo leads 1-0.

Set 1
– Susilo wins first set 21-13, and leads 1-0.
– DK exerts a little too much force with a high shuttle and the shuttle lands beyond the back boundary line.
– DK smashes the shuttle out of bounds.  Susilo goes into set-point 20-13.
– DK does it again with a cross-court hit that lands out of bounds.  Susilo leads 19-13.
– Susilo smashes and DK returns it cross-court but the shuttle lands out of bounds.  Susilo holds serve 18-13.
– Susilo lobs the shuttle to the backcourt, and DK makes an erroneous judgement. Susilo serves 17-13.
– DK smashes two consecutive ones and Susilo returns.  But Susilo is not third-time lucky.  DK wins point on smash and serves 13-16.
– DK flicks the shuttle into a high lob to the backcourt, and the shuttle lands out of bounds.  Susilo serves 16-12.
– It is DK’s turn for a leap-smash, albeit a weaker one.  Susilo returns but the shuttle hits the net.  DK serves 12-15.
– Susilo leaps and smashes again, DK returns it but the shuttle flies into the net!  Susilo regains serve 15-11.
– DK sends the shuttle cross-court that drops over the net and Susilo returns the shuttle, only to send it into the net.  DK holds serve 11-14.
– Susilo does it a third consecutive time!  DK serves 10-14.
– Susilo executes another leap-smash but the shuttle lands out of bounds in the same spot.  DK serves 9-14.
– Susilo smashes but the shuttle lands just out of bounds.  DK serves 8-14.
– DK returns a Susilo shuttle to the backcourt but the shuttle lands beyond the side boundary line.  Susilo leads 14-7.
– After a very long rally of high shuttles, DK hits the shuttle in the net again.  Susilo serves 13-7.
– DK catches up with some placements of the shuttle to back-court and Susilo fails to exercise good judgement.  Susilo comes back with a couple of powerful smashes, and soon leads 11-7.
– DK continues to make unforced errors like hitting the shuttle into the net.  Susilo impresses with another leap-smash.  Susilo leads 7-4.
– DK smashes the shuttle right into Susilo’s body.  DK levels 3-3.
– DK hits the shuttle into the net.  Susilo serves 3-2.
– DK sends the ball cross-court and the umpire rules it inbound, to Susilo’s disbelief.  DK serves 2-2.
– Susilo then comes back with a leap-smash, and wins the serve again 2-1.
– DK executes a smash, Susilo fails to return.  DK levels 1-1.
– DK serves first, but a counter-attack by Susilo and a fumbling return by DK makes it 1-0 to Susilo.

Ronald Susilo, looking all pumped up in feistiness, outwits a lacklustre Sony Dwi Kuncorowins and wins his second match of the tournament, once again in two straight sets.

Congratulations to our boys who have done well today, but in an unfortunate turn of the draw, both boys will play each other in the quarter-final tomorrow afternoon.