Greetings from Andrew Dabeka

March 6, 2008 3:13 PM

Hello Friends!

I am here in Birmingham, England, at the All England Open, considered to be one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments on the tour. I did not get any win this time, but I played very well, maybe some of my best badminton yet, which was the plan! I lost first round to Taufik Hidayat, of Indonesia. He's about number 7 or 8 in the world. Many of you may remember that I played a very tough match with him at the French Open this fall, losing 21-19 in the third game. This time was not as close score-wise, though I did some things much better this time. I am also sure (and this is not to make myself look, or feel, better) that he played much better against me this time. In the first game, we were even all the way, until 18-all, when he pulled away to win the next 3 points. In the second set, I was in the match until about 11-8 down, when I lost a bit of discipline and gave up some easier points. I lost that one 21-12.

As I mentioned before, apart from the ending of the match, I was moving extremely well and keeping the shuttle moving very well. Looking at the video of the match afterwards, I was very content with my speed and shot quality. It is always a work in progress, of course, and I'm looking forward to a few days of training before the Swiss Open begins next week in Basel!

I will keep you all updated to what happens!

Andrew

ANDREW ROBERT DABEKA

(c) 613.222.3302

www.AndrewDabeka.ca

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