RI up for own c'ship<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (Agencies): Indonesia aims to recover its badminton
\nglory this week in the US$170,000 Indonesia Open after last
\nmonth's disappointing defeat in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
A huge field of some 400 players and officials from 19
\ncountries, including China, Malaysia, South Korea, England and
\nDenmark, are expected to take part in the annual event due to
\nstart on Wednesday and to run until Sunday.<\/p>\n
Unseeded players -- both local and foreign -- will go through
\na series of qualifying rounds, beginning this morning at the
\nSenayan badminton hall. The main event will be held at the
\nSenayan indoor stadium.<\/p>\n
Both the men and women's world number one singles players,
\nIndonesia's Hariyanto Arbi and South Korea's Bang Soo-hyun, will
\ncompete, along with the second-ranked women's singles player,
\nIndonesia's best hope Susi Susanti.<\/p>\n
Favorite Indonesia lost to China 1-3 in the last round of the
\nSudirman Cup mixed team championships in Lausanne, Switzerland,
\nlast month when Susi lost the number one position she had denied
\nBang since 1992.<\/p>\n
Karsono, chairman of the Indonesia Open organizing committee,
\nsaid that with 81 players in the field Indonesia would be the
\nfavorite.<\/p>\n
Major absentees in the five-day event will include Denmark's
\nPoul Erik Hoyer Larsen, the world's second seed, Malaysia's top
\nplayer Rashid Sidek and China's world champion Ye Zhaoying, as
\nwell as its top two men's singles players Dong Jiong and Su Jun,
\nKarsono said.<\/p>\n
Badminton observers believe Arbi will not have any problems
\ndefeating rivals in the opening rounds.<\/p>\n
In the men's singles, observers expect an intense duel between
\nfifth-seeded Park Sung-woo of South Korea and sixth-seeded and
\nhome favorite Alan Budikusuma.<\/p>\n
In the women's singles, the match between sixth-seeded
\nIndonesian rising star Mia Audina and eighth-seeded Han Jingna of
\nChina has the potential to be an explosive encounter, observers
\nsay.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-up-for-own-cship-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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