Birdievents.com

Denmark' s Jan Oe. Joergensen beat compatriot and world number four Peter Gade to claim the Copenhagen Masters 2011 badminton title here late Thursday.

Joergensen outplayed Gade 14-21, 25-23, 22-20, to win the crown for the second time, in front of a sell-out crowd at the Falconer Center arena in the Danish capital.

The result was a shock loss for Gade, a former world number one, who has previously won the Copenhagen Masters 10 times, and was favorite at this year' s tournament.

Meanwhile, Denmark' s Tine Baun lost in straight sets to Thailand' s Inthanon Ratchanok in the women' s singles final also held Thursday.

Baun, ranked fifth, and a previous two-time Copenhagen Masters winner, lost 21-17, 21-15 to the 16 year-old Thai player who is ranked 13.

There was better luck for the host nation in the men' s doubles and mixed-doubles finals Thursday, with Danish teams taking both titles.

Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen beat Malaysia' s Zakry Latif and Fairzizuan Tazari 21-18, 21-9, to win their first ever Copenhagen Masters doubles crown.

Meanwhile, Joachim Fischer and Christinna Pedersen beat unseeded Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam of Thailand 21-13, 21-17, to take the mixed-doubles title.

Fisher and Pedersen, ranked world number three, were named Denmark' s badminton players of the year.

No one wants to get old fast, especially when he is enjoying what he is doing and pretty much on the peak of performance.  Peter Hoeg Gade just turned 35 in December and he is the oldest men’s player on tour. He thinks it is a true reflection of him - the Peter Pan of badminton who just wants to keep on playing.

Peter Christensen Gade, who has graced the badminton scene for more than two decades, unveiled his plan for the future.  He wants to be a coach when he ends his playing career after next year’s Olympic Games in London.  The Dane has kept a few options open as far as his coaching career is concerned.

“I cannot run away from the sport. I have given it a lot of thought and decided that badminton will always be a big part of my life,” said Gade .

He has not decided whether he will start his own training center or contribute to the national association.

“Right now, all I know is that I love coaching.

“I have been working with youngsters and I can give them so much – especially in preparing them mentally.

“I have traveled so much as a player and the coaching option will also give me more time with my two children after the Olympics.”

As a coach, Christensen wants to be an agent of change – especially in helping the Denmark Badminton Association gain a sound financial footing.

”Denmark have a very good development program but we don’t have enough money coming in. China sometimes send 5-6 coaches for a tournament while Denmark is lucky to even send one. Maybe I can make a difference,” he laughingly said it.

“With the right backing, we can do much more to increase the pool of players in the international stage – especially in the men’s singles.”

On his remaining months as a player, Gade said: “A player’s learning curve never ends.

“I have to be stronger and faster to keep up with players like Lin Dan, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei.

“I may be getting old but my dream remains the same – to win a medal in my last Olympics.”

Indonesia's Simon Santoso notched his second top-seeded victim in as many days to advance to the semi-finals at the China Open Friday, as he ousted Danish ace Peter Gade in three games.

"I'm happy because the last (time) I met him in Japan I (lost). Many times I lose (to) him. And then I can beat him, and win today," said the 26-year-old, after he dispatched with the tournament's fourth seed, 15-21, 21-15, 21-16.

In thirteen previous head-to-heads over four and a half years, Santoso has beaten Gade just three times.

But this week the 26-year-old Santoso is on fire, and Thursday he slayed teammate Taufik Hidayat, the eighth seed, in another close three-game match.

"I just play and enjoy and relax and then I must (be) confident because I'm the last Indonesian in singles," said Santoso, who won many of his points against Gade with hard slams.

"Very close, I must attack," Santoso said about his game strategy against Gade, who struggled through earlier rounds in the tournament.

But against Santoso, the Danish shuttler started strongly and was destined for victory mid-way into the second game.

"Simon is a good player. When I'm not playing at my top speed, you know, he can come into the match and he can do, he can play his game... It was difficult coming into the match with two hard matches. I gave my best and that's it."

As he left the court, the Dane put his hand up to a cheering crowd, which, moments before had been chanting "Peter, Peter" as he mounted an unsuccessful comeback in the third game.

In the semi-finals on Saturday Santoso will face the winner of the all-China showdown between second seed Chen Long and fifth seed Chen Jin.

"I try my best for tomorrow," Santoso said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Malaysia pair, Koo/Tan still could not answer to Korean secondary pair Ko/Yoo.  They lost in three set 21-18 12-21 and 17-21.  Will the new coach of this Malaysian pair be fired again from this repeat disappointing result?

- AFP/ir

Saina Nehwal and Juliane Schenk were surprised on the first round of Li Ning China Open 2011.  India's Nehwal was upset by Korean Youn Joo Bae 15-21, 24-22, 21-15 in a match that lasted just over an hour, while Hong Kong shuttler Yip Pui Yin dispatched with sixth seed Juliane Schenk of Germany 21-18, 19-21, 25-23.

Schenk, apparently upset at a lineman's call, threw her racket to the floor and sat down on the court for nearly a minute, before going on to suffer her second straight first-round loss in a row.

In the men's singles, Denmark's fourth-seeded Peter Gade had to dig deep to win his qualifying round match in a fierce showdown against 23-year-old South Korean Ho Shon-Wan, 21-13, 20-22, 22-20.

It took Gade an hour and 22 minutes to finish off the young Korean he twice defeated before in straight sets in Indonesia and Japan.

After the match, Gade explained that his preparations for this week's $350,000 Shanghai tournament had suffered because of a build-up of fluid in his ankle, keeping him off the practice courts for two weeks earlier this month.

He said he picked up the Achilles tendon injury in May and it had been bothering him ever since.

"I'm a bit annoyed I couldn't finish (Shon) off in the second (set) and also in the third," Gade said, "but he was going very sharp and very close to the line at the end of the first set.

"But I'm very happy that I pulled through. It was a tough game. Tomorrow will be equal."

China's top-seeded men won their matches more easily, as second seed Chen Long dispatched with Kai Wen of Hong Kong 21-14, 21-18, while fifth seed Chen Jin beat Indonesia's Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka 21-15, 21-14.

Jin said he is eyeing Gade's fourth place world ranking since Federation rules would allow him to gain a third Olympic spot in the China team if he and teammates Lin Dan and Chen Long could finish in the world's top four in May.

"I won't allow myself to be tired. There's only a half a year before the Olympics, so every day I must be focused."

China's women also have London on their minds, as they compete in Shanghai.

First seed Wang Shixian of China said after her victory over Thailand's Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-7, 21-14 that she was focused on the narrow margin dividing her and her teammates, second-seed Wang Yihan and third-seed Wang Xi.

"The score for Olympics rankings is not much different from the persons who are below my scores so every match is very important. Also, my opponents play very consistently so there's pressure so I have to try my best," said Wang.

Taufik Hidayat, who was absent in Hong Kong Super Series last week, came weak on the first round of his match aganist Lu Yin (China).  He barely closed the match 21-17 18-21 22-20 in one hour and 23 minutes.  His next match is Simon Santoso (Indonesia) who recently won a single match event of Sea Games 2011 last week.

Chong Wei lost to his nemesis, Lin Dan 20-22, 21-14, 23-21 in the final of the Four Heavenly Kings Showdown tournament in the southern Chinese city of Dongguan in Guangdong province on Friday.

The biggest names in world badminton – Chong Wei, Lin Dan, Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and Dane Peter Gade Christensen – were invited for the tournament held to commemorate the opening of the Li Yongbo Badminton Academy. Yongbo, China’s chief coach, is the adviser while badminton legend Tang Xianhu serves as the principal of the academy.

For his win, Lin Dan pocketed one million yuan (RM500,000) while Chong Wei received 400,000 yuan (RM200,000).

In the semi-finals, Lin Dan beat Taufik 21-13, 21-18 while Chong Wei scored an emphatic 21-11, 21-18 victory over Christensen. Taufik and Christensen got 200,000 yuan (RM100,000) each.

The next probable meeting between Chong Wei and Lin Dan could be the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open Super Series starting on Tuesday.