Aceh girl wants an end to war<\/p>\n
Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta<\/p>\n
She is still just 17-years-old, which makes her the youngest
\nplayer in the 2004 Indonesian Uber Cup team, but Adrianti
\nFirdasari has the ability to steal the fans' hearts with her
\nattacking style.<\/p>\n
Her aggressiveness on court readily distinguishes her from her
\ncompatriots on the team.<\/p>\n
Some fans think that style of play might represent her
\npersonality, but the Jakarta-based Jaya Raya badminton club
\nplayer says she is not like that off the court.<\/p>\n
\"No, I'm not as aggressive as people would probably think,\"
\nthe Uber Cup debutant said, laughing.<\/p>\n
\"I just can't stand playing at a slow pace,\" she said. \"That's
\njust my style -- on court.\"<\/p>\n
On the opening day, Firda was beaten 11-1, 11-6 by Xie
\nXingfang in Indonesia's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of defending
\nchampion China, but Firda was applauded by the home faithful for
\nher entertaining game.<\/p>\n
Firda forced Judith Meulendijks, who is far higher in the
\nworld rankings, to three games before bowing out, a performance
\nthat drew praise from the Dutch team.<\/p>\n
\"I won because my tactical work was a bit better,\" said the
\n26-year-old Meulendijks, who is No. 26 to Firda's 116.<\/p>\n
Firda decided Indonesia's 3-0 win over Germany with a strong
\n11-7, 11-8 win over Nicole Grether in the playoff round which
\nearned the team a quarterfinal place against South Korea.<\/p>\n
The team was stopped by the Koreans on Wednesday, but Firda
\nstill stood out with her 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 victory over Lee Yun-
\nhwa to give the Indonesians the only point in their 3-1 loss.<\/p>\n
Indonesian singles coach Ivana Lie admitted that out of the
\nthree singles, Firda has the most promising future although she
\nstill needs to work on some areas of her game, particularly her
\nfootwork.<\/p>\n
Susi Susanti, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, said that Firda
\nwith her youth and height of 170 centimeters was ideally
\nqualified to become a great player.<\/p>\n
Firda, the eldest of Adnan and Safaridah Hanim's three
\nchildren, was born in Jakarta but she and her family is ethnic
\nAcehnese from the war-torn province of Aceh.<\/p>\n
She and the whole family once lived in their native province
\nbecause her father, a coach, was transferred there for a time. In
\nher family's home town of Kuala Simpang (100km south of Banda
\nAceh etc), she began to take up badminton when she was 8 years
\nold.<\/p>\n
They moved back to Jakarta in 1995 and Adnan is currently
\ncoaching a the Ragunan Sports Training Institute.<\/p>\n
Firda is known for her ferocious battles on the court, a
\nquality that may augur well in her pursuit of becoming a world-
\nclass player, but at the moment she would like nothing more than
\nto see the ferocious battles in her home province end as soon as
\npossible.<\/p>\n
\"I just wish for peace,\" she said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-girl-wants-an-end-to-war-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }