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Day One at the Sudirman Cup
April 28, 2001 - Source : IBF
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First came the controversy with Gibraltar’s age-old feud with Spain causing them to play under an International Badminton Federation banner on theng day of the Sudirman Cup world mixed team championships as badminton came to Seville big time.
It didn’t make much difference as the Rock Island Line managed just 22 points as they crashed 5-0 to Luxembourg.
Then came Lithuania, who had driven for four days and three nights to reach the San Pablo Stadium – the new Mecca of Badminton – only to fall to former world No 1 Morten Frost’s new charges South Africa. The hero for Lithuania was Aivaras Kvedarauskas, who beat Michael Adams 15-7, 15-2 to make the rubber 1-1 and gave Frost a little chill … but not for long. Just over an hour later he sported a warm glow in the steamy heat of the San Pablo.
Seven matches in the morning action then nine in the afternoon and plenty of quality players on show even before the big guns of Groups One and Two came out to play.
The pick of the afternoon action was the sight of new All England champion Pullela Gopichand playing – and edging out - Welshman Richard Vaughan 17-16, 15-3 as India kicked off with a 4-1 win. Gopichand is so reminiscent to so many of the great Prakash Padukone, who won the All England in 1980. How fitting that the great man was sat right behind his court, reporting the contest.
Aparna Popat’s absence through examinations had allowed Commonwealth champion Kelly Morgan to give Wales a two-game win and the lead. But after that the wheels came off and they lost the other four rubbers in straight games. It could have been different if Neil Cotterill had not been forced to pull out at the last minute as his wife gave birth.
And just before the big boys and girls took centre stage there was time for Bulgaria – without "Uncle Bulgaria" Puzant Kassabian, at 60 saving himself for the men’s doubles – to edge out France 3-2.
China and Denmark, the winners and runners-up in 1999, got their campaigns off to the perfect start. Favourites China, chasing a fourth Sudirman Cup win in a row, beat Sweden with Olympic and All England champion Gong Zhichao winning easily enough against Marina Andrievskaya to secure the 3-0 winning lead and they went on to take the tie 5-0.
Denmark, with world champion Camilla Martin and fiance Peter Gade, both winning in less than half an hour, won the first three rubbers to leave England hot and bothered in Group 1B. And they were positively sweltering by the time the Danes completed a 5-0 win.
England’s European women’s doubles champion Donna Kellogg became the first player to receive a second yellow card since the new disciplinary code was introduced worldwide in February. Last week she was yellow carded for screwing up the shuttle in the 4-1 warm-up defeat by Japan. This time it was the same offence and the same colour as she and Nathan Robertson lost 16-17, 15-7, 15-10 to Jens Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager.
It was a similar story for China as they brushed aside the Swedes in Group 1A to add strength to the view that England and Sweden will contest the Group One relegation/survival match.
China, though, had that ring of confidence. An Olympic ring of confidence, in fact, with those first three wins coming from Sydney gold stars Zhang Jun and Gao Ling, Ji Xinpeng and Gong Zhichao.
Holland, one of the contenders for promotion from Group 2, got their campaign off to a solid start by beating Scotland 5-0.
It wasn’t the Scots’ day on or off the court. On top of the team losing, the Scotland officials’ bus broke down, they had to queue 90 minutes to get their passes to the arena and all that after they were denied an early-morning swim at their hotel!
Malaysia, hoping to bounce back after relegation from Group 1 in Cagen, started well under coach Park Joo Bong, beating Ukraine 5-0 in Group 2A.
But tomorrow’s another day in the city that never sleeps.
COLOUR CODING!
This is the first world championships to be played since the introduction of the football-style disciplinary cards in February.
On Day One:
Bad Boy
Pavel Mecar of Slovakia saw yellow for intimidating a line judge
Donna Kellogg of England saw yellow for shuttle abuse, namely screwing up the shuttle without permission. Yellow card – just as she was yellow carded in England’s 4-1 defeat by Japan at Stevenage in England on May 22. |
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Other news:
» Hafiz to take three-week break
» Memories of… the 2002 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals
» Gopi to lead India in Commonwealth Games
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