Posts Tagged ‘final’

Final at the Yonex Dutch International in Wateringen!

(15 april 2012)

This afternoon Dave and I will play the men’s doubles final at the Yonex Dutch International. Our match is the second one after 12 PM.

The Dutch International is the last EBU tournament before the Olympic qualification definitely ends and for some players/pairs there are still important points to be earned. This tournament immediately precedes the European Championships tournament which starts next Tuesday in Karlskrona, Sweden. For our Technical Staff this was the reason why the players going to Sweden were entered in the doubles only just to avoid playing too many matches. Up to now this worked out well with Dave and myself  in the men’s doubles final and with an entirely Dutch ladies doubles final.

Now back to my own matches. In the first round we met two Indonesians who like to play fast and hard but we had the right answer to their playing style. We won in two fast games. A nice detail was that I trained with one of the guys in 2009 at the Djarum Club in Jakarta when I participated in the Indonesian Open.

In the quarter final we played against the number one Belgium pair. Last year we lost against them, so we wanted a better match yesterday. We know them quite well because they are coming to our training centre pretty often to practise with us. Especially in the second game we played well and we beat them in straight games.

In the semi final Dhama Gunawi and Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki were our opponents. These two Indonesians play in the first Bundesliga in Germany. They like to make a show of each match and this is not easy for the ones they are playing against. If you want to cope with their style you have to be clever and you shall not be tempted to go along with their performance because if you do they send you to every corner of the court. Fortunately we were able to maintain our tactics all the way through the match and we managed to win this spectacular and for the public very entertaining match. So this afternoon we are in the finals!

Unfortunately I cannot report about this final right away because after the match we’ll have to hurry to catch our flight to Copenhagen from where we’ll travel by train and bus to Karlskrona. It’s going to be a long day but I am looking forward to it. If our hotel provides internet I will write a report next week on what happened today. So stay tuned.

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Twice runner-up in Estonia

(18 januari 2012)

Early in the morning last Thursday we left for Estonia to play the Estonian International in Tallinn. After a long trip with a 3 hour intermediate stop at Frankfurt we arrived at 5 PM local time. After a light meal I went to sleep as Friday morning at 10 the first match was scheduled, a mixed double with my new partner Samantha Barning versus 2 Belgians. It became an easy win. In the early afternoon I played the first men’s doubles. It was a bad match but we still won in 2 games from our French opponents. In round two we also won the two events. In the mixed doubles versus a German pair we lost the first game but after that we set matters straight. And that concluded day one.

At such a tournament Saturday is the most difficult day. If you perform well you again have to play 4 matches. The quarter as well as the semi finals in the men’s doubles were fine. We managed to take control in both matches and we won them in two games. In the mixed doubles it was much more difficult which is understandable given the fact that we are a new pair. Fortunately it worked out well. Although we lost the first game in both matches the following games were ours. An interesting detail was the fact that in the semi finals our teammates Iris Tabeling and Jelle Maas were our opponents. At the end of the day and after eight matches we had qualified for the finals on Sunday.

And then Sunday. Physically as well as mentally I was not in a good shape. I was tired and facing two finals. Quite a challenge considering that I haven’t played in two events for two years. In the men’s doubles we were unable to play like we did in the quarter and semi final. Besides our French opponents played very well. We lost in three games. A bitter pill! An hour and a half later it was our turn again for the mixed doubles final versus Dave and Selena. They controlled the match from the beginning to the end and we had no chance to reverse this situation. So two finals and two lost. Of course that was quite an anticlimax and for me a stain on a tournament which is always very nice. Monday and Tuesday were  resting days to recover a bit and this morning I felt fine again on court. Tomorrow we leave again for the next tournament in Sweden.

Finally I also want to reflect on last weeks Dutch hockey news. Star players Teun de Nooijer and Taeke Taekema saw their Olympic dream end up in smoke. They were removed from the National Team by Coach Paul van Ass as he had concluded that these routinists were hindering the development of the other, much younger, team members. What a terrible disappointment it must be for these three men. For the players because they just belong to the team and are the best of the lot and for the coach having to draw this conclusion and to make this decision. On the other hand I admire the players for their willingness to come back when this intervention fails and I admire the coach who is prepared to bite the dust when his decision proves to be wrong. From the coach it requires guts daring to ask and from the players resilience and a sense of reality to accept. Top sportsmen in heart and soul and an example for many sportsmen and coaches. Despite this the saying “Top sport is hard as nails” proves to be right every time again.

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SILVER WITH A GOLDEN LINING

(19 september 2011)

Yesterday evening I came back from Leuven Belgium where I played the Belgian International. It was a fantastic event!

For me the tournament started last Friday with a mixed doubles. My occasional partner Selena Piek and I defeated a Belgian pair in two fast games. A few hours later Dave and I met two Scottish guys who we had never met before. As they had good results in the past we were warned and we played at full strength. We both were highly concentrated and the Scots didn’t stand a chance. With 9 and 11 we finished them off in 22 minutes. It gave us a good feeling.

In the evening 2 more matches were scheduled. First the mixed double against the 4th seeded pair Chrisnanta and Neo from Singapore. These two are in the top 35 of the world ranking and they have achieved very good results the past months. In the first game we were completely outplayed and we didn’t have an answer to their way of playing. In the second game it was the same story until the score 1-7 when we changed our tactics and managed to get control. We came alongside, survived a match point and finally we won the game. In the third game we stayed close to our opponents till 18 all. Then we scored three magnificent points and won the match. A great boost and a nice win.

Almost immediately after this match Dave and I had a confrontation with 2 young French guys. This time Dave couldn’t get the right rhythm and we lost the first game narrowly. The second game, which we won, went a lot better and in the third game we ran off after the break and placed ourselves in the quarter finals with a 21-11 score. This match had a positive aspect. As a pair we didn’t play well but we still managed to convert the match in a win which we wouldn’t have done a couple of months ago.

Saturday morning Selena and I met 2 Germans in the quarter finals and we won quite easily in two games. So on to the semi finals. In the men’s doubles it did not work out the same. The first seed Polish Cwalina and Logosz were the better pair. But also in this long lasting match were very good moments again.

Then the semi final against the first seeded Danish pair Kolding and Houmann, 22nd on the world ranking and with a number of tournaments won on their record. We knew in advance that this match should be a tactical one. In the first game we had no problem but in the second the Danes played very cleverly and they outplayed us. In the final game at a score of 14-14 we managed to take some distance and we won the match. I was ever so glad! Again a fantastic win! Playing together for the first time and making it to the finals of a Challenge tournament is quite an achievement I had not counted on with the tough draw we had.

Sunday we played the final against Triyachart and Yao from Singapore. A month ago they were in the quarter finals of the World Championships. So a special pair and apart from that they had not yet lost a game in Leuven yet. We started our match very well. For some time we kept a small lead but finally our opponents got 5 game points which we all deflected. At our first game point we pitched at 25-23. In the second and the third game we managed to keep up till 7-7 but then the Singaporeans took the lead and from that moment on they didn’t allow us anymore to come even close even though we kept on playing well. We have extracted everything that was in it but they were just a bit better than we were. After the match and the prize ceremony we were disappointed but finally we were glad and proud because of the way of playing and the magnificent wins.

We enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere and décor of the hall. My compliments to the organization because it all looked very professional. The finals were broadcasted live on TV and had been sold to seven Asian countries among which China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Today I enjoy a day off to recover. The coming period I will focus on the Dutch Open to be held mid October in Almere. Apart from the men’s doubles with Dave I will play the mixed doubles with my former partner Ilse Vaessen.

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No final

(15 januari 2011)

Unfortunately we did not make it to the finals here in Estonia. This morning we won our quarterfinal match in three games against the Germans Dettmann and Heinz, but this evening the 3rd seeded Germans Käsbauer and Zurwonne were too strong for us. It was a very annoying match. Wrong choices as far as strokes were concerned and wrong tactics made us loose. But on the other hand the Germans just played very well and they deserved to win.

Tomorrow evening I will fly back to Holland. There is not much time to mourn because the next tournament is coming up very soon. Thursday we will leave for Sweden.

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