Susi Susanti leads Indonesia<\/p>\n
Uber Cuppers into semifinals<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, with a dazzling Susi Susanti leading
\nthe charge, scored a 5-0 triumph over Sweden to advance to the
\nsemi-finals of the Uber Cup world women's team badminton
\nchampionships at Senayan indoor stadium last night.<\/p>\n
Before the home fans, who gave her a rousing welcome as she
\nstepped onto the court, world champion Susi displayed ruthless
\nefficiency in her 11-2, 11- 0 destruction of Catrine Bengtsson in
\nthe first singles match.<\/p>\n
In the men's Thomas Cup, defending champion Malaysia moved a
\nstep closer to reaching the semifinals after thrashing Thailand
\n5-0, but favorite Denmark struggled against diarrhea only to lose
\n2-3 to dark-horse South Korea.<\/p>\n
With these results, the race for the semifinal slots is still
\nwide open in Group B, with Malaysia, Denmark and South Korea
\nhaving the same chances to make it through the last four rounds.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, the match was a heavily one-sided affair,
\nwith the high-flying Indonesian completely taking control of the
\nmatch from the onset, scoring point after point with ease.<\/p>\n
Susi has won every world major title, but has yet to win a
\nUber Cup winner's medal. She was unbeaten in the last Uber Cup
\nfinals in Kuala Lumpur two years ago, yet Indonesia bowed out to
\nSouth Korea 1-4 in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Despite having the world's top woman player, Indonesia has not
\nprogressed beyond the semi-finals it its three previous Uber Cup
\nfinals outings.<\/p>\n
But never one to be daunted by the odds, Susi is confident
\nthat this time around Indonesia will take the Uber Cup.<\/p>\n
"We have been training very hard for this year's finals. The
\nlast time Indonesia won the trophy was 22 years ago and we really
\nwant to win it this time," Susi said shortly after her
\ncomfortable victory over Bengtsson.<\/p>\n
Inspired by Susi's great showing, former world junior champion
\nYuni Kartika turned in an equally impressive performance in the
\nsecond singles match by making short work of Karolina Ericsson
\n11-1, 11-0 to give Indonesia a 2-0 lead.<\/p>\n
Once again, it was a case of all give and no take, with Yuni
\npacking too much firepower for the Swede who was completely
\noutstroked, outfoxed and outwitted.<\/p>\n
With the crowd urging her on, Yuni displayed an array of
\nattacking strokes and soon raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set.
\nShe never looked back thereafter as she reeled off seven points
\nin a row to clinch the set.<\/p>\n
The second set followed much the same pattern as the first,
\nwith Yuni collecting point after point almost at will, leaving
\nEricsson completely bewildered.<\/p>\n
The pair of Lili Tampi and Finarsih gave Indonesia an
\nassailable 3-0 lead when they defeated Lim Xiaoqing and
\nChristine Magnusson 18-14, 15-4<\/p>\n
Both Indonesians were forced to go the limit in the first set.<\/p>\n
The match moved back and forth several times with neither side
\nshowing clear superiority. Trailing 10-13, Chinese-born Xiaoqing
\nand Magnusson clawed their way back to force a deuce, thanks
\nmainly to left-handed Xiaoqing's searing cross court smashes and
\ndeceptive dropshots.<\/p>\n
The Swedish pair led 14-13 before the Indonesian players
\nstruck a purple patch as they strung five points together to wrap
\nup the set.<\/p>\n
Contrast<\/p>\n
In stark contrast to the first set, the second was a subdued
\naffair, with Lili and Finarsih carving out an effortless 15-4 win
\nin less than 15 minutes. Apparently running out of steam after
\nthe gruelling first set, Xiaoqing and Magnusson virtually
\noffered mere token resistance as they went down with a whimper.<\/p>\n
It was the Indonesian players' second win in six meetings with
\ntheir Swedish counterparts.<\/p>\n
Yuliani Santosa, the 1992 Asian Badminton Confederation
\nchampion, proved too fast for Kristin Nielsen who lost 11-4, 11-
\n2.<\/p>\n
Indonesia completed the shutout when the rapidly improving
\nsecond doubles pair of Eliza and Zelin Resiana dropped Maria Bengtsson
\nand Karolina Ericsson, 15-6, 15-8.<\/p>\n
In its first Uber Cup Group B outing on Wednesday Susi and
\ncompany also routed Thailand 5-0.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's last group match will be tomorrow when it tackles
\nDenmark. Barring an unforeseen circumstance Indonesia will have
\nlittle trouble beating the Danes who lost 2-3 to the Sweden in
\ntheir opening matches.<\/p>\n
In-form Rashid Sidek led Malaysia's victory, dispatching
\nSompol Kukasemkij 15-11, 15-7 in 45 minutes. The second match saw
\nthe pair of Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang fight tooth and
\nnail against Thailand's Pramote Teerawiwatana and Sakrapee
\nThongsari, whom they defeated 17-14, 15-10.<\/p>\n
Thomas Cup debutant Ong Ewe Hock brushed aside Teenarun
\nChiangta 15-9, 15-5 to give his team a winning lead.<\/p>\n
Diarrhea was the main cause for the Danish shuttlers' poor
\nperformances against South Korea. The Danes were unable to come
\nup with a much needed a win to make up for its 2-3 loss to
\nMalaysia on Wednesday; the runs hopelessly slowed down the games
\nof Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen, Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, Henrik Svaar,
\nMichael Soogard and Jim Laugesen.<\/p>\n
Results<\/p>\n
Thomas Cup<\/p>\n
South Korea vs Denmark 2-1 (Korea first):
\nKim Hak-kyun bt Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen 15-9, 15-5; Lee Suk-ho\/Kim
\nDong-moon lost to Thomas Lund\/Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen 13-15, 17-
\n16, 12-15; Park Sung-woo bt Peter Espersen 15-10, 15-3; Yoo Yong-
\nsung\/Choi Ji-tae lost to Jon Holst Christensen\/Michael Sogaard 9-
\n15, 10-15; Ahn Jae-chang bt Soren B. Nielsen 15-6, 13-15, 17-15.<\/p>\n
Malaysia bt Thailand 4-0 (Malaysia first):
\nRashid Sidek bt Sompol Kukasemkij 15-11, 15-7; Ong Ewe Hock bt
\nTeeranun Chiangta 15-9, 15-8; Cheah Soon Kit\/Soo Beng Kiang bt
\nPramote Teerawiwatana\/Sakrapee Thongsari 17-14, 15-10; Tan Kim
\nHer\/Yap Kim Hock bt Siripong Siripool\/Khunakorn Sudhisodhi 15-4,
\n15-10; Foo Kok Keong bt Vacharapan Kumthong 15-5, 15-10.<\/p>\n
Uber Cup<\/p>\n
Denmark bt Thailand 5-0 (Denmark first):
\nCamilla Martin bt Somharuethai Jaroensiri 11-3, 11-6; Pernille
\nNedergaard bt Pornsawan Plungwech 11-8, 11-1; Mette Pedersen bt
\nSujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn 7-11, 11-7, 12-9; Anne Mette
\nBille\/Marlene Thomsen bt Somharuethai Jaroensiri\/Piyatip
\nSansaniyakulvilai 15-8, 15-9; Lotte Olsen\/Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen
\nbt Pornsawan Plungwech\/Plernta Booyarit 15-8, 15-2.<\/p>\n
Indonesia bt Sweden 5-0 (Indonesia first):
\nSusi Susanti bt Catrine Bengtsson 11-2, 11-0; Yuni Kartika bt
\nKarolina Ericsson 11-1, 11-0; Yuliani Sentosa bt Kristin Nilsson
\n11-4, 11-2; Lili Tampi\/Finarsih bt Lim Xiaoqing\/Christine
\nMagnusson 18-14, 15-4; Eliza\/Zelin Resiana bt Kristin
\nNilsson\/Karolina Ericsson 15-6, 15-8.<\/p>",
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