Olympic badminton challenge for top Brits
Author: BADMINTON England
Date: 28 Jul 2008
Category: Tournament Results
ATHENS silver medallists Nathan Robertson (Notts) and Gail Emms (Herts) love a challenge - and they got one when the draw for the Olympic Games was made today.
The mixed doubles draw in Beijing paired Team GB's former world champions with China's second seeds Zheng Bo and Gao Ling.
It was Gao and former partner Zhang Jun who beat the Commonwealth and former world and European champions in that gripping final in Athens four years ago. And Gao is bidding for her third gold in a row. What a way to start the Olympic mixed doubles competition and what a great chance to avenge that Athens defeat.
But Robertson and Emms, the reigning Commonwealth and former world and European champions, have never beaten Zheng and Gao in four meetings - all least year. Beijing would be a good place to start. As Robertson always says: "There is no better feeling than beating the Chinese players in China."
New European champions Anthony Clark (Notts) and Donna Kellogg (Derbyshire) also landed Chinese opposition in the first round when the were drawn against He Hanbin and Yu Yang, the joint third seeds. The Chinese have won both their meetings.
But GB and England head coach Ian Wright said: "Ideally we wouldn't have wanted the Chinese in the first round - but then I can't imagine they would want to face Nathan and Gail or Anthony and Donna either. If our players can win their opening matches then the door is wide open for us.
"In the Olympics you just don't know what a good or bad draw is. All kinds of pressure affect the players and they respond differently." Wright was obviously recalling that world No 1 Lin Dan lost early in the competition in Athens four years ago.
Former European champions Emms and Kellogg were out of luck in the women's doubles as well where they drew Chinese third seeds and world No 2 pair Zhang Yawen and Wei Yili. They have met four times in 2006 and 2007 and Emms and Kellogg have lost each time
Britain's six-strong squad fared better in the singles draw where Andrew Smith (Hants) starts against Czech No 1 Petr Koukal while Commonwealth champion Tracey Hallam (Staffs) meets Pui Yin Yip of Hong Kong.
Smith, who qualified for his first Olympics at No 31 on the world rankings of May 1 but is now up to No 19, should have the edge on Koukal as the Czech is down at world No 38. They have met twice before with Smith leading 2-0 from victories at this year's Singapore Open and the 2005 Dutch Open.
A win will earn the Portsmouth 24-year-old a second-round match with Ireland's Scott Evans (No 43) or Germany's Marc Zwiebler, who qualified at No 30.
Smith and Zwiebler have never met but Smith holds a 1-0 advantage over Evans from their match in the 2006 European Championships.
If Smith advances to the third round he can expect to face fifth seed Kenneth Jonassen, the European champion from Denmark, or Korea's former world runner-up Lee Hyun-ll.
Smith lost his only meeting with Jonassen in Korea this year while he stands 1-1 with Lee from their two clashes last year.
At 33 Hallam is the oldest member of the squad. She and Yip have met twice with the Hong Kong player winning both clashes. But that was in the period when Hallam was coming back from surgery and she is now back in the form which took her to Athens Olympics and the 2006 world championships quarter-finals.
A first-round win will give her a match against Nigeria's Grace Daniel or Czech No 1 Kristina Ludikova. She has never met either but would expect to win. Then it is likely that double European champion Xu Huaiwen of Germany would lie in wait.
Wright added: "We are pleased with Andrew and Tracey's draws. They are OK, definitely winnable opening matches."
Team Leader Andy Wood and his squad leave for the Macau holding camp
on Monday night before heading to the Olympic Village in Beijing and
the countdown to the badminton, which is from August 9-17.
