Singapore, Singapore badminton took the limelight at the US$170,000 Aviva Singapore 2006 at the Singapore Indoor stadium today. Ronald Susilo earned a berth into the last eight and so did the Men's Doubles pair Hendra Saputra and Hendry Wijaya to warm the hearts of the estimated 2,000 fans.
The crowd cheered when Hendra and Hendry beat the No. 2 seed Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah from Malaysia, 21-12,21-12.
It took the Singaporeans only 26 minutes to topple the favored players to book a Quarter-Final clash against Denmark's Thomas Laybourn and Lars Paaske on June 9.
We deserved to beat the Malaysians because we played better. But to be honest we didn't expect it to be so easy, said Hendra.
The secret of their success lay in their lightning attacks and the quick interception in mid-court, catching the Malaysians flat footed.
Susilo too provided the lift fans were looking for. A three game win over Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh 21-19,15-21,21-9 secured Susilo a match against Peter Gade of Denmark, the No. 1 seed, in the Quarter Finals.
Susilo, who is still on the road to recovery following an Achilles’ tendon injury operation eight months ago, feels he is returning to his best form.
I am not there yet but I believe I am playing better with each match. I am pleased with my performance because playing Nguyen is not easy. He is fighter and he has beaten me before in the satellite tournament in Ho Chin Minh last month, added Susilo.
Susilo’s Coach Asep Suharno feels his charge is improving from match to match.
Right now, we are working on stepping up his match tempo to include some attacking strokes, said Asep.
But there was also disappointment in the Singapore camp with the loss of Li Li and Xing Aiying in the Women's Singles.
Watch the drama as it continues to unfold on the courts at the Aviva Open Singapore 2006, culminating with the finals on June 11, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Source:singaporebadmintonopen.com
The crowd cheered when Hendra and Hendry beat the No. 2 seed Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah from Malaysia, 21-12,21-12.
It took the Singaporeans only 26 minutes to topple the favored players to book a Quarter-Final clash against Denmark's Thomas Laybourn and Lars Paaske on June 9.
We deserved to beat the Malaysians because we played better. But to be honest we didn't expect it to be so easy, said Hendra.
The secret of their success lay in their lightning attacks and the quick interception in mid-court, catching the Malaysians flat footed.
Susilo too provided the lift fans were looking for. A three game win over Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh 21-19,15-21,21-9 secured Susilo a match against Peter Gade of Denmark, the No. 1 seed, in the Quarter Finals.
Susilo, who is still on the road to recovery following an Achilles’ tendon injury operation eight months ago, feels he is returning to his best form.
I am not there yet but I believe I am playing better with each match. I am pleased with my performance because playing Nguyen is not easy. He is fighter and he has beaten me before in the satellite tournament in Ho Chin Minh last month, added Susilo.
Susilo’s Coach Asep Suharno feels his charge is improving from match to match.
Right now, we are working on stepping up his match tempo to include some attacking strokes, said Asep.
But there was also disappointment in the Singapore camp with the loss of Li Li and Xing Aiying in the Women's Singles.
Watch the drama as it continues to unfold on the courts at the Aviva Open Singapore 2006, culminating with the finals on June 11, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Source:singaporebadmintonopen.com
