Susi faces old foes at World Cup c'ship<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Almost all of world's best shuttlers have set
\nfoot here for the US$180,000 World Cup badminton championships,
\nwith all eyes set on the thriller that awaits defending women's
\nsingles champion Susi Susanti.<\/p>\n
World number two Bang Soo-hyun of South Korea has opted out of
\nthe invitational tournament, but world champion Ye Zhaoying of
\nChina and All-England title holder Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden are
\nlining up to hand Susi another upset at home.<\/p>\n
Unlike the men's singles, which will probably be controlled by
\nthe host players, the women's singles at the Sept. 13-17
\ntournament promises a lot of action before a possible final
\nbetween Susi and Ye.<\/p>\n
\"I'm fully ready to win here,\" Lim said after a two-hour
\npractice at the Senayan badminton hall yesterday. \"I'm sensing a
\ngood time here after recovering from my injury,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Lim, who leads the World Grand Prix in ranking points, twisted
\nher right ankle during a work-out prior to the U.S. Open in
\nAtlanta and was forced out of the tournament last month. \"My leg
\nis fine now,\" she smiled.<\/p>\n
The third seed gave no signs of pain during yesterday's light
\npractice. She displayed her classy court coverage and dynamic
\nfoot-work as well as her searing strokes.<\/p>\n
Lim has made several appearances here but Susi always left her
\nat bay. The China-born Swede claimed a rare win over her
\nIndonesian rival in the All-England semifinals on her way to her
\nhistoric triumph at the prestigious tournament in March.<\/p>\n
\"My earlier defeats don't matter to me. I enjoy each game I
\nplay,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Lim is expected to clear her toughest Group C hurdle in the
\nform of Han Jingna of China, before meeting with Susi in the
\nsemifinals.<\/p>\n
Ye also expressed guarded confidence that she would deal Susi
\nanother big blow as she has done in four out of their nine
\nmatches. Ye last pushed Susi to the brink of destruction with two
\nstraight victories within one week at the World Badminton
\nChampionships in Lausanne, Switzerland in May.<\/p>\n
The two have avoided meeting each other for the past four
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
\"Susi is such a great player that it will be hard to beat her,
\nbut I'll try,\" Ye said upon her arrival on Sunday. If the draw
\ngoes as expected, the Chinese shuttler is tipped to meet Uber Cup
\nheroine Mia Audina in the semifinals.<\/p>\n
More players from Malaysia, England and Netherlands are
\nscheduled to arrive today, before the tournament swings into full
\naction at the Senayan indoor stadium tomorrow. (amd)<\/p>",
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