Players urged to fight like lions against M'sia<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa and Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia's former Thomas Cup hero Hendrawan pleaded with his
\nsuccessors to show a fighting spirit in the quarterfinal match
\nagainst Malaysia here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"We have a reputation as a fearsome squad in a team event. But
\nnow we don't have the spirit. I just hope it will come out soon,\"
\nHendrawan said here before Indonesia's men's team took on New
\nZealand here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia defeated New Zealand 3-0 in the playoff to a earn a
\nplace in the quarterfinals against Malaysia.<\/p>\n
It will be a repeat of the matchup of the Thomas Cup in
\nGuangzhou two years ago, where they met in the final which
\nIndonesia won to retain the trophy for the fifth consecutive
\ntime.<\/p>\n
Hendrawan decided the victory with his 8-7, 7-2, 7-1 win over
\nMohd Roslin Hashim in the competition which used a different
\nscoring system.<\/p>\n
He said that the host team should have a fair chance of
\nbeating Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\"I hope the three singles shuttlers can steal at least one
\npoint from Malaysia and the doubles must not lose,\" he said,
\nadding Taufik would be Indonesia's best chance for a point.<\/p>\n
Team manager Christian Hadinata said physical fitness and
\nmental strength would count in the match.<\/p>\n
\"Our line-up will be determined by the shuttlers' physical
\nfitness and mental strength. That's vital to the strategy and
\ntactical employment.<\/p>\n
\"Wednesday's match is a very important one. All shuttlers will
\ndo their best,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While Malaysia retained most of its Guangzhou veterans, the
\nIndonesian team has only Taufik Hidayat, Candra Wijaya and Tri
\nKusharjanto the old members.<\/p>\n
Indonesia seems certain to field its best lineup of Sony Dwi
\nKuncoro, Taufik and Simon Santoso in the singles.<\/p>\n
If Malaysia sticks to its ideal lineup it would be Sony
\nagainst Wong Choon Han in the first singles. In their previous
\nfour matches Sony won one and lost three matches.<\/p>\n
Taufik has the upper hand over either Roslin Hashim and Lee
\nChong Wei to be played, While Simon should have the odds staked
\nagainst him with Hafiz Hashim.<\/p>\n
Malaysian coach Misbun Sidek said that his team would try to
\ntake two singles and a doubles to win the match.<\/p>\n
\"We will do our best by trying to grab the singles and perhaps
\na doubles match.\"<\/p>\n
Malaysia might expect intimidating shouts from raucous local
\nfans as it did in the past.<\/p>\n
But Misbun said that the biggest adversary for his shuttlers
\nwas not the Indonesian team nor the home crowd but the Malaysian
\nplayers themselves.<\/p>\n
\"My players may say that they are just fine minutes before the
\nimportant match. But who knows what they really feel?\"<\/p>\n
\"I just hope they can overcome their own jinx,\" he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/players-urged-to-fight-like-lions-against-msia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }