Lin Dan of China started slow against Niels Christian Kaldau of Denmark yesterday then warmed up like a diesel engine en route to a 19-21, 21-14, 21-10 win that triggered an Asian romp over Europe in the MVP Cup 2 badminton tournament at the Big Dome.
It took a while before the 23-year-old Lin, who yielded the world top ranking to Malaysian Lee Chong Wei just recently, got a good feel of the rubber court where he managed just a few minutes of practice in the morning.
But once he did, it was obvious who the better player was.
The crowd, which came to witness world-class badminton action, rooted for the Chinese ace, the world No. 1 for three years. He lost to Lee in the final of the recent Malaysia Open, and in the process slipped to No. 2.
Kaldau, ranked 13th in the world, pumped his right fist after winning the first set. But he never got the chance to do it again as Lin took the second behind a big finishing kick, and the third behind a powerful game that really got the crowd going.
The third and decisive set lasted only 14 minutes 40 seconds. Lin had a couple of magical shots, a whopping smash from the baseline that made it 5-1, and one that left Kaldau lying on the floor for a 16-9 advantage.
The Chinese ace, winner of the Chinese-Taipei and All-England Opens this years, wrapped up the match with a forehand smash that caught the 6-foot Kaldau, last year’s Spanish Open champion, flat-footed.
"I was quite reluctant in the first set because I tried to get a feel of the court. But there was no problem after that," said Lin, who remembered beating Kaldau in all their four previous meetings, the last one in China last year.
Lin’s victory, which was worth a point, gave Asia a big headstart in this three-day Ryder Cup style tournament where the winning team gets $60,000 and the losing one $40,000. Asia won the inaugural MVP Cup last year.
Zhang Ning of China, the top female player in the world, quickly followed Lin’s footsteps, posting what looked like an easier 21-17, 21-19 win over Yao Jie, a Chinese now playing for Europe and carrying the flag of the Netherlands.
"I’m very happy to win because Yao is such a great competitor," said the 5-foot-8 Zhang through an interpreter. She did sound happy despite the fact that Yao, according to available records, has never beaten her since 1999.
After the quick win, Zhang kept waving to the crowd, shaking hands with Yao then slapping high fives with the other Asian players seated at courtside. Despite the language barrier, Zhang was very accommodating during the post-match interview.
The final match for the day, men’s doubles, also went for Asia as Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook, a pair of Malaysians and ranked 7th in the world, scored a 23-21, 21-18 win over Poland’s Robert Mateusiak and England’s Robert Blair.
The three matches lined up today, the second men’s and women’s singles and women’s doubles, offer two points each while those on the third and final day, the last men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles, offer three points each.
The crowd is expected to get bigger today with eyes focused on Athens Olympics gold medalist and former world No. 1 Taufik Hidayat playing in men’s singles, and tomorrow with attention shifting to Kennevic and Kennie Asuncion of the Philippines playing in mixed doubles.
NOTES: The foreign MVP Cup participants are looking forward not just to the competition, the trophy and the huge cash prize that goes with it. According to the organizers, the foreigners, particularly those who were here last year, are also looking forward to the Filipinos’ warm hospitality. The foreigners are being treated first-class. "That’s one reason why they all wanted to come back," said Kennie Asuncion. After last year’s competition, the organizers hosted a big party at The Embassy, a high-end party place. "That’s where Taufik Hidayat spent most of his earnings I guess," joked Kennie. Manny V. Pangilinan or MVP, the man behind the event, was so pleased when informed of the foreigners’ desire to keep coming back for the MVP Cup, and now intends to host it on a regular basis. That’s great competition for the fans and more parties for the participants. MVP turned 60 yesterday. A huge "Happy B-Day MVP" streamer welcomed him at the Big Dome’s south gate.