Host players secure two titles, Sony shut out<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Although host players assured themselves two doubles titles on
\nSaturday in badminton's Indonesia Open, a local representative is
\nnoticeably absent from Sunday's prestigious men's singles final.<\/p>\n
After titleholder and World champion Taufik Hidayat bowed out
\nin the third round, it was up to 14th seed Sony Dwi Kuncoro to
\nkeep national hopes alive on Saturday.<\/p>\n
After an excellent first game in which he dictated the play,
\nSony let South Korean lefty Lee Hyun Il back into the match.
\nSeventh seeded Lee, who also beat Sony at the 2003 Indonesia
\nOpen, seized the opportunity for a 6-15, 15-7, 15-7 victory.<\/p>\n
National men's players have won the singles crown every year
\nsince 1999, with Taufik sweeping the title five times and Marleve
\nMainaky triumphing in 2001.<\/p>\n
The doubles teams had delighted the home crowd with earlier
\nvictories in Senayan, Central Jakarta, to set up all-Indonesian
\nfinals.<\/p>\n
World mixed doubles champions Nova Widianto and Liliyana
\nNatsir, who beat Songpoi Anukritaywan and Kulchala
\nWorawichitchaikul of Thailand 15-5, 15-5 on Saturday, will face
\ncompatriots Anggun Nugroho and Yunita Tetty for the crown.<\/p>\n
The seventh seeded Indonesians upset South Korean second seeds
\nLee Jae Jin\/Lee Hyo Jung 15-13, 5-15, 17-15, coming back from an
\n11-14 third game deficit.<\/p>\n
Chandra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto, the men's doubles runners-
\nup at the worlds in the United States in August, meet younger
\npairing Markis Kidho\/Hendra Setiawan in the final.<\/p>\n
Top seeded Chandra\/Sigit outclassed fifth seeded Danes Carsten
\nMogensen\/Mathias Boe 15-4, 15-11, while seventh seeds
\nMarkis\/Hendra survived a tussle with Malaysian unseeded duo of
\nLee Wan Wah\/Choong Tan Fock 17-16, 17-14.<\/p>\n
\"We just played fearlessly on critical points, and we won,\"
\nAnggun said at the postmatch press conference. \"Tomorrow, we will
\nsee on court who is the champion.\"<\/p>\n
Nova said they were highly motivated to win their first ever
\ntitle on home soil. \"It's our chance to win the title, we will
\nnot let the chance go.\"<\/p>\n
The finals begin at 12:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
In the men's singles final, Lee will meet eighth seed Boonsak
\nPonsana of Thailand, who rallied to upset top seed Kenneth
\nJonassen of Denmark 3-15, 17-14, 15-13.<\/p>\n
In the women's singles, eighth seeded Indonesian-born Mia
\nAudina Tjiptawan of the Netherlands faces third seed Wang Chen of
\nHong Kong.<\/p>",
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