RI to face Malaysia in A King Asia Cup finals<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's shuttlers face Malaysia in today's
\nfinal of the US$150,000 A King Asia Cup championships at the
\nSenayan Tennis Indoor Stadium.<\/p>\n
The final will be broadcast live by SCTV starting at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
Indonesia eliminated South Korea 3-0 while Malaysia beat
\nChinese Taipei 2-1 yesterday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's world ranked number four Indra Wijaya overcame
\nPark Sung-woo, ranked sixth, 15-6, 15-8 in 45 minutes.<\/p>\n
"I played slower today and he seemed to have trouble answering
\nmy deceptive shots," Indra commented on his win.<\/p>\n
"I have been feeling unwell since yesterday. I've had a
\nstomach ache and am having problems with the weather here," Park
\ncomplained through an interpreter.<\/p>\n
Indra, who has lost to Park three times, made few unforced
\nerrors and earned many points from hard and deep smashes. Park,
\non the other hand, made many unforced errors and was unable to
\nperform at his best.<\/p>\n
Coach Tong Sin Fu said the key factor in Indra's win was the
\nfact that he played patiently.<\/p>\n
"Yesterday he was very tense and so he was beaten easily.
\nToday, he played much better," he said.<\/p>\n
World No. 1 men's doubles Sigit Budiarto\/Chandra Wijaya showed
\ntheir class against Lee Dong-soo\/Yoo Yong-sung to win 15-6, 15-8.<\/p>\n
About 500 spectators, who all threw their weight behind the
\nnational pair, applauded and yelled every time Sigit jumped to
\nsmash a winner.<\/p>\n
"When we first came on court, we thought the Koreans would
\nplay fast and aggressive so we would have to be quicker than
\nthem. When they took control we tried to change the rhythm to
\nconfuse them and we did," said Chandra, Indra's younger brother.<\/p>\n
Coach Atik Djauhari said that he was not surprised his charges
\nwon easily.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's second singles Budi Santoso, world ranked 11, also
\nwon, beating Kim Chul-joung 15-9, 15-7.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's Ong Ewe Hock, world ranked five, overcame old hand
\nFung Permadi of Chinese Taipei, world ranked eight, 9-15, 18-13,
\n15-13 after much hard work.<\/p>\n
"I'm very self-confident since I haven't lost to him. But I
\nwas under pressure in the first set," Ong said.<\/p>\n
"It's too bad that I lost the most important points. He always
\ntried to play fast and I just couldn't match his speed," Fung
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's doubles unexpectedly lost to Huang Shih Chung\/Chien
\nYu Hsun, the 1996 Junior World Championship's runner-up, 15-8, 5-
\n15, 10-15.<\/p>\n
But Malaysia's second singles Pang Chen, world number 35, beat
\nChien Yu Hsiu 15-11, 15-6 in the deciding match.<\/p>\n
Exciting<\/p>\n
Malaysia's coach Soffian Abubakar said that the match between
\nOng and Indra, who might play as Indonesia's first singles, would
\nbe exciting.<\/p>\n
"If they both play as first singles, the match will be
\ninteresting because their record is 1-1. Moreover, Indra is
\nplaying in front of his own public," he said.<\/p>\n
Ong beat Indra in the 1996 Malaysian Open final but Indra took
\nrevenge in a 1996 World Grand Prix Finals' round-robin match.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's team manager Indra Gunawan expressed his
\nsatisfaction at the shuttlers' performance.<\/p>\n
"They are getting better every day. They are all playing
\ntactically and efficiently. I have already told the players that
\nwe might lose one match tomorrow," he said.<\/p>\n
"If Indra keeps playing the way he did today against Ong
\ntomorrow, he has a good chance of winning again," he added.<\/p>\n
Gunawan said that Indonesia's target was only to reach the
\nfinal and that the team was not the favorite.<\/p>\n
"It will be a very great and proud moment for our players if
\nthey win the championships. They have a 50-50 chance," he said.
\n(yan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-to-face-malaysia-in-a-king-asia-cup-finals-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}