Thomas Cup Finals: Jan O Jorgensen all set to rise against Korea in semi-final contest
Men’s Singles campaigner Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark is filled with confidence as he vowed to play his role to perfection when they meet Korea in semi-final round of Thomas Cup Finals on May 25, 2012.
Denmark reserved its right to be in the top four teams of premier team event by toppling Russia in quarter-final tussle with a significant 3-0 margin.
World Number 13 shuttler Jorgensen earned valuable match point in second Singles tie against Russian challenger Ivan Sozonov and now he is in high spirit to take on India Open champion Shon Wan Ho in the semi-finals.
He said, “I will be facing Shon Wan-ho, who has been doing well lately. I will be ready for them. They will not have Jung Jae-sung and Park Sung Hwan in the team.”
Earlier, the Dane did not have a perfect start in Thomas Cup Finals as he got pale in front of lower ranked Malaysian player Daren Liew in group match.
Jorgensen could not utilise his experience and brilliance in two hard fought sets and knelt down after reading 15-21 and 13-21 scores on the board.
He thinks the unfamiliar conditions of the Asian region made things hard for him which ultimately resulted in his defeat.
He said, “I felt like a small man as though I was playing in Asia for the first time. I struggled with the conditions and had a hard time finding my length.”
However, this failure did not harm much as he got back on track in next match against Russia.
He strengthened his team’s grip over match by winning second point after veteran Peter Hoeg Gade and provided right momentum to Men’s Doubles team Mads Conrad Petersen-Jonas Rasmussen who wrapped the show by fetching third match point.
Jorgensen stated that his failure against Daren was a wakeup call for him and he successfully avoided those mistakes against Russian opponent Ivan Sozonov.
He said, “I accepted the defeat (against Daren) and watched the video again and again. I was back playing my normal game (in the 21-13, 21-11 win over Ivan Sozonov).”
For the record, Denmark has never seized the crown in Thomas Cup but the spirited Jorgensen declared that this year they will end their long streak of failures.
This ongoing edition is Jorgensen’s third appearance in prestigious team event as he has represented the country in 2008 and 2010.
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