Draws are out! For those of you curious, check'em out here:
http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=6ADB855F-A959-442A-8916-53EB79E861E3
Just for a little excitement, I figured I'd write an entry devoted to previewing the players and determining who I think will grab the trophies year!
*SPOILER ALERT....because I'm PSYCHIC...*
Tournamentsoftware reminds me of facebook, for you badminton-fanatics. Using the amazing search function, or by simply clicking the names of the players (granted they use the same name every tournament), you can check out their history--how well they've played against other players, what scores they got, who they used to play with, etc. From that, you can pretty much determine what kind of players they are! Helps you get a little ahead of your competition if you're up for doing your research!
A sigh of relief washes over Washington when they realize that Elisha L. can't make it down to Washington this year. She has a nasty habit double-triple crowning and stealing all of our trophies every year, so now's your chance to win'em back! (*hint to Amy 'Goddess' J.? Time to grab that Women's Singles!)
Unfortunately I'm not fluent with Canadian rankings, but the draw is implying a final of Vicky C. vs. Amy 'Goddess' J. The draw looks pretty mixed, though, and I'm looking forward to watching some great matches!
Rumor has it that Curtis' Californian(?) doubles partner Nicholas J. will be serving himself a platter with a few trophies of his own. It's no doubt that they'll make a great team, but against each other? That'll keep us at the edge of our seats. Could Curtis lose his Men's Singles trophy this year? (I guess it doesn't matter much, because Ernest S. is in the draw, and there's no doubt that 'God' can control the birdie with his mind.)
With that said, I'm surprised that Curtis and Nicholas aren't at the opposite end of the draw from last year's winners KSo and Vincent T. Instead, Ken F. and Jensen L. are--but they DID go into 3 relatively close games last year...it makes sense, looking at last year's tournament winners...so we'll see if they can keep their spots!
Rosalynn's back from Canada to defend her title in Women's Doubles--but with a new partner this year! Malisa, another Badmintology organizer, will be playing in Elisha's place! Can they take out their competition? I'd assume so--from my amateur guesses, I'd say their next best match would be against Christine C. and The Goddess. ("The Goddess" sounds better than just "Amy Goddess"). Then again, I'm not too fluent in Canadian rankings, so we'll see how it plays out.
Last but not least, mixed doubles. The finals for mixed always draws the biggest crowd--so much tension! The games against Sisavat and Masako against KSo and Ros were close last year-- 3 games, no doubt, one of them ending at 23-21. Grounds are shaky this year, since Long has been MIA from the badminton courts for a while (at least compared to last year...). Who knows what will happen! One thing's for sure-- neither is going down without a fight!
(*well...then again...Sisavat has been known for forfeiting matches before...but only in singles. So that shouldn't happen--no way.)
Of course, these are just blind guesses from the results last year. There are plenty of new names/faces this time around, so don't be fooled! SHOW NO MERCY! 21-0 if you have to--play it safe!
I hear the draw prizes this year are even better than the last, so no matter how your matches go, you could still walk away with a better prize in your hand! (I'd definitely take a racket or a bag over a trophy ANY day! But that's just me...)
We hope to see you all at the sunny, 74th annual Washington Open 2011!
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