RI seeking 5th straight Thomas Cup title<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Guangzhou, China<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Thomas Cup team is ready to beat the odds in its
\ncampaign to make history by winning the coveted trophy five times
\nin a row.<\/p>\n
\"It is very important for us (to win the cup). We have won the
\ntrophy four times earlier and now it is time to make it five
\ntimes consecutively,\" team manager Christian Hadinata told
\nreporters here.<\/p>\n
\"We are ready to throw down the gauntlet,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Asked whether Indonesia would seek to prevent facing host
\nChina in the semifinals for a place in the final, Christian said
\nhe would not be preoccupied with such a strategy.<\/p>\n
\"We are not up for it. The shuttlers will do their best
\nagainst whomever the opponent is,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We will keep focused and try to take every match.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia has twice held the Cup four times in succession,
\nfirst from 1969 to 1979 and from 1994 to the present.<\/p>\n
In Thomas Cup history no country has hoisted the cup five
\nstraight times, and only Indonesia has done it four times. There
\nare three countries which have won three straight.<\/p>\n
Malaysia won the inaugural event in 1948 and repeated twice
\nmore until 1955, followed by Indonesia from 1957 to 1964 and then
\nChina from 1986 until 1992.<\/p>\n
In total, Indonesia has won 12 of the 21 Thomas Cup contests.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is in Group A together with new-comer Germany, arch-
\nrival Malaysia and Thailand. Indonesia's first opponent will be
\nThailand on Friday.<\/p>\n
Thailand looks to rely heavily on its number one singles
\nplayer, Boonsak Polsana and top doubles team of Pramotee
\nTeerawiwatana and Teesana Panvisvas to steal points from
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We hope we can reach the semifinals but it will be very hard
\nas our other players are weak,\" Thailand's coach Udom
\nLuangphetcaraporn said.<\/p>\n
\"To add to our problems, Thailand lost to Malaysia at the
\nsemifinals of the qualifying round in Melbourne, Australia. We
\nmust work hard to be on par with Malaysia.\"<\/p>\n
The next opponent for Thailand will be long-time nemesis
\nMalaysia on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"The real competition in Group B is only between Indonesia and
\nMalaysia. Both countries have similar skills,\" coach Indra
\nGunawan said.<\/p>\n
\"But for Malaysia, Thailand can be the dark horse to get in
\nthe way of our campaign,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Indra, who hails from Indonesia, warned other teams against
\ntaking Indonesia lightly, although the players turned in some
\nrelatively poor performances at the individual Grand Prix series
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia's shuttlers are quite experienced with a similar
\nlevel of skills. They also have Taufik Hidayat and Hendrawan as
\ntheir second and third singles, who could play an equally
\nimportant role for Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"With such a resource, Indonesia can easily take two points
\nfrom the singles matches. The third will probably come from their
\nnumber one doubles, Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's last opponent in the qualifying round will be
\nnewcomer Germany, which preferred a modest approach when
\ndiscussing its chances against the world's badminton powerhouses.<\/p>\n
\"It is not the time for us to compete with Indonesia and
\nMalaysia but we hope that we can steal one match against
\nThailand,\" said head coach Steen Pedersen. \"We are here to learn
\nand improve the skills of our young players.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Group B has host China, Denmark, South Korea and
\nSweden.<\/p>",
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