KOREA OPEN Day 2 – Kim’s Canadians Take on Korea

KOREA OPEN Day 2 – Kim’s Canadians Take on Korea

William Milroy and Fiona Mckee (pictured) of Canada benefitted from the tutelage of new coach Kim Dong Moon to advance to the second round in mixed doubles action at the 2009 Yonex Korea Open Super Series. Other visiting pairs, including Flandy Limpele / Anastasia Russkikh, were not so lucky. By Don Hearn, Badzine Correspondent live in Seoul. Photos: Badmintonphoto (live) Two players for whom the chilly temperatures in Seoul were no problem were Canada’s William Milroy and Fiona Mckee. They started off their 2009 Korea Open campaign with a convincing win over young Koreans Lee Haeng Ham / Ko Hyun Jung. The Canadians were never really in trouble and only ceded the lead once in the two games. For Milroy and Mckee, it was an exhilarating win. Both had only recently moved from the Glencoe Club in Calgary to Kim’s new academy at Calgary’s Winter Club. “I basically realized that I’m a men's and mixed doubles player and that the most successful person in these disciplines is just across the road,” explained Milroy of his decision to move. “It was a natural decision to make.” “The biggest differences that training with Kim has made to my game has been in my footwork and my timing,” Fiona Mckee said after the match. “Now, when I’m playing, I'm watching more than ever. I feel like I’m aware of the whole court: of what both my opponents are doing and also of my partner. “We were able to spend the past week training with the Korean players in their national training centre so that was a great experience. But these days we even get experience playing at that pace when we’re training in Canada because Kim is young and fit and is able to train with us at a pace that in the past we could only get when we travelled to international tournaments. “This is a new phase in my career that is something I’ve never experienced before,” Fiona continued. “Last year, Charmaine Reid and I were very close to making the Olympics but failing to make it was a real disappointment and my career wasn't making any progress. I feel that this is a real opportunity to step up to a new level. I mean, I think I played every Super Series tournament trying to qualify for the Olympics but we didn’t win a match and here we are winning our first Super Series match together.” Milroy/Mckee’s match marked, in fact, the first time that Kim Dong Moon had coached in an international tournament for someone other than the Korean team. Coincidentally, the coach on hand at the other end of the court was none other than Kim’s long-time partner and friend, Ha Tae Kwun. Fiona remarked that there was a good-natured exchange of smiles when the two teams changed ends between games. Kim and Ha, in fact, lived together in team lodgings for years, up until very recently. The Canadians go on to face last week’s semi-finalists Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen. Fischer Nielsen made the quarter-finals here two years ago and had to retire from a competitive 2nd round match here last year when his then partner Britta Andersen sustained a career-ending injury. He and Pedersen will be hungry for a win. “Joachim is tricky to play against,” said Milroy, adding that the Dane's rather gangly frame makes his court movements difficult to anticipate. "We have no option but to focus on playing our own game.” There were few real upsets in a mixed doubles draw that saw a total of 9 pairs advance to the second round on byes or walkovers. Several Korean pairs had some success but among them was the second best mixed pair, Kim Min Jung / Yoo Yeon Seong. The world #22 pair fought hard but just could not handle the poise of India’s Diju V / Jwala Gutta (pictured), who prevailed 21-19, 14-21, 21-19. The Indians now have the unenviable task of going up against top seeds Widianto/Natsir in the second round. The home team’s chance to celebrate came when mixed specialist Han Sang Hoon took to the court with his newest partner, Ha Jung Eun to take on another brand new pairing, of Indonesia’s Flandy Limpele and Russia’s Anastasi Russkikh. Unfortunately for Flandy, Ha and her partner got the better of him just as had happened in the 2006 qualifiers but the scoreline, 22-24 22-20 21-16, was even closer than on that occasion. A slightly younger pair, Ko Sung Hyun / Jang Ye Na, also came back from one game down to take care of English teens Adcock/White 16-21, 21-19, 21-14. Tall Girls Teeter The women’s singles was without any major upsets. There, too, only 9 matches took places. The withdrawal of Bulgaria’s Linda Zechiri paved the way for World Junior Championship runner-up Sayaka Sato of Japan to move into a 2nd round showdown with Zechiri’s formidable compatriot, Petya Nedelcheva. Sato’s teammate Masayo Nojirino had to work much harder to dash the hopes of Korea’s towering Kim Moon Hi, narrowly defeating her 22-20, 8-21, 21-18. In addition to Kim, the three other tallest competitors also struggled in the first round with Korea’s Jang Soo Young barely losing out to compatriot Hwang Hye Youn 21-13, 18-21, 20-22 and Malaysia’s Lydia Cheah unable to handle Indonesia’s Pia Zebadiah Bernadet. Pia goes on to face the slightly taller but far more dangerous Tine Rasmussen while Hwang must face another compatriot as she has her first tournament showdown with Korean #2 Bae Youn Joo. The only lanky winner in the first round was 17-year-old Sung Ji Hyun (pictured), who made sure that Ai Goto would not do any giant-killing in this tournament. With her mother, 1986 All England champion Kim Yun Ja, looking on nervously, Sung fought on to win her first Super Series match ever by 19-21, 21-18, 21-18. Sung will go on to play French ace Pi Hongyan in the second round. For complete 1st round results from the 2009 Yonex Korea Open Super Series, please CLICK HERE