Taufik notches first win as Arbi struggles<\/p>\n
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Agencies): Indonesian boy wonder Taufik
\nHidayat bounced back from a shock defeat to notch his first win
\nof the Final Grand Prix at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium Thursday.<\/p>\n
The classy 18-year-old -- who was beaten by Malaysia's Wong
\nChoong Han in a shock upset Wednesday -- was a comfortable 15-10,
\n15-10 winner over China's Xia Xuanze.<\/p>\n
World number three Taufik can still make the semifinals with a
\nvictory over Luo Yigang in Friday's final round of group matches.
\nXia was eliminated after suffering his second loss.<\/p>\n
The season-ending Brunei event features the world's top 16
\nmen's singles players, the top 12 women and the top eight doubles
\nexponents in the men, women, and mixed disciplines.<\/p>\n
\"Taufik lost concentration and his patience during Wednesday's
\nmatch, but he had both in abundance today,\" Indonesian coach
\nHerry Imam Pierngadi said.<\/p>\n
Senior Hendrawan ensured a semifinal ticket after the 27 year-
\nold shuttler sensationally upset the world number four Poul-Erik
\nHoyer-Larsen, 15-9, 15-10 in Group D.<\/p>\n
\"He didn't seem play really well today while I have a mounting
\nmotivation to win,\" Hendrawan said.<\/p>\n
\"I was very doubtful today. It was more windy than yesterday
\nwhich made me make unforced errors,\" said Hoyer-Larsen, the 1996
\nOlympics gold medalist.<\/p>\n
Taufik's compatriot Hariyanto Arbi is out of contention after
\nbeing taken to the hospital with a mystery stomach virus.<\/p>\n
Hariyanto, was forced to withdraw before his showdown with
\nChina's Sun Jun.<\/p>\n
Although Hariyanto recovered slightly later Thursday, he now
\nhas no chance of reaching the last four from Group A.<\/p>\n
Instead, Marlev Mainaky -- who knocked out Malaysia's Ong Ewe
\nHock with a 15-12, 15-10 win on Thursday -- will shape up against
\nSun in the decider on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"I kept pushing him with my drives. I'm sure I can win if I
\nplay that way,\" he said.<\/p>\n
China's Sun, himself suffering from a bad back, is seeded to
\nmeet world number four Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen of Denmark in the
\nsemifinals.<\/p>\n
Injury-hit England were also dumped out of contention in
\nBrunei Thursday as Nathan Robertson and Simon Archer lost a close
\n11-15, 15-6, 7-15 decision against Indonesian pair Flandy Limpele
\nand Eng Hian in the men's doubles.<\/p>\n
It was their second straight loss.<\/p>\n
Joanne Goode, the lychpin of England's women's doubles and
\nmixed doubles teams, had pulled out earlier in the day due to a
\nback injury. There are no English entries in the singles events.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere Malaysia struck one for the underdogs when Choong
\nTan Fook and Lee Wan Wah scored their second straight victory,
\nthis time at the expense of the top-rated men's doubles pair of
\nHa Tae-Kwon and Kim Dong-Moon.<\/p>\n
The South Koreans were at the wrong end of a 5-15, 15-8, 7-15
\nscoreline.<\/p>\n
Chong said: \"We were a bit lucky because they made many
\nunforced errors. Actually, they are better than us. We targeted
\nour smashes to their bodies and we increased our speed. It's
\nquite impossible to try to match their power.\"<\/p>",
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