Hong Kong Open Predictions

It would seem that The Badminton Blog has had a lack of updates for the past few days. I do apologize to my readers who have stuck with me. I have not forgotten you, I am merely working on another project that will make The Badminton Blog bigger and better, with more writers and opinions.

Anyway, on to this afternoon's predictions:

Mens Singles
Lee Chong Wei vs. Lin Dan
Although Lee defeated gritty Dane Jonassen, his performance was no as impressive as always. Lin Dan, who only needed 22 minutes to win in a half finished game against compatriot Chen Jin, would be obviously fresher and sharper. However, Lin has not played the new Lee before. The new Lee minimizes jump smashes and instead plays a patient game. Its hard to say whether this would work against Lin, and it will be indeed an interesting encounter this afternoon.

Tony Gunawan/Candra Wijaya vs. Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan
Tony and Candra are resurrected legends, who downed first seeds and world number 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in an impressive fashion. Their defense has become as solid as Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah's and they appear to be sharper than ever. Although Markis and Hendra are credible opponents; they are world champions and third seeds, I think the old legends Tony and Candra will win their second Super Series title todaay.

Zheng Bo/Gao Ling vs. Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir
A rematch of the world championships and Japan Open finals. First seeds versus second seeds. Zheng and Gao are obviously the favorites going into this match, fresh from their walkover against Xie/Zhang. However, the two time and reigning World Champions Widianto and Natsir are one of the few pairs this year that have beaten Zheng and Gao. However, I remained unconvinced of Widianto and Natsir's performance in this tournament, and a fresher Gao and Zheng should prevail in 3 sets.

Stay tuned for more updates on the opening of the new The Badminton Blog