Top-seeded Sony beats Wong for title, second gold<\/p>\n
John Pye, Associated Press, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam<\/p>\n
Top-seeded Sony Dwi Kuncoro collected his second badminton gold
\nmedal for Indonesia at the 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) games on
\nthe back of a 10-point run in Friday's 15-8, 15-5 final win
\nagainst world No. 4 Wong Choong Hann.<\/p>\n
Wong Mew Choo became the first Malaysian winner of the women's
\nSEA Games singles title since 1975 with an 11-5, 11-5 win over
\nThailand's Salakjit Ponsana.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old Wong, No. 102 in the international women's
\nrankings, had upset top-seeded Li Li of Singapore in the
\nsemifinals.<\/p>\n
Wong, who hadn't been past the round of 16 in any major
\ntournament in the last 12 months, said she'd been surprised to
\nmake the final, so the gold medal was a bonus.<\/p>\n
Malaysia was guaranteed another gold with two teams contesting
\nthe men's doubles final.<\/p>\n
In the men's singles, Kuncoro withstood comebacks by Wong
\nChoong Hann in both games, but won five consecutive points to
\nwrap up the first and then went on a double-digit winning roll on
\nserve after the Malaysian had rallied to level at 5-5 in the
\nsecond.<\/p>\n
The 2002 Asian Championships titlist moved to match point when
\nWong missed a service return and then finished the one-hour,
\nseven-minute final when the Malaysian's high clear dropped well
\nover the baseline.<\/p>\n
Kuncoro went into the SEA Games with three consecutive losses
\nto Wong, including the quarterfinals at the world championships
\nin July - when Wong reached the final - and the final of the
\nTaiwan Open last month.<\/p>\n
But he said his win over Wong in the opening singles match of
\nthe Indonesian men's team semifinal victory over Malaysia had
\ngiven him confidence ahead of the individual events.<\/p>\n
"I had nothing to worry about, nothing to lose," he said. "I
\nwas relaxed and knew I could improve" in the final. "It's a happy
\nway to finish off the year."<\/p>\n
Indonesia beat Thailand 3-1 in the men's team final on Monday.
\nKuncoro reached the singles final with a 15-8, 15-1 win over
\ndefending champion Roslin Hashim of Malaysia. Wong advanced on a
\n15-3, 7-5, 15-9 win over Singapore's Ronald Susilo.<\/p>\n
The Malaysians consequently took silver and bronze, with
\nSusilo claiming a bronze for Singapore.<\/p>\n
The minor medals in the women's singles went to Ponsana from
\nThailand and Singapore pair Li Li and Jian Yan Mei.<\/p>\n
In the men's doubles, Chew Choon Eng and Chang Kim Wai faced
\nfellow Malaysians Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook.<\/p>\n
The women's doubles final was an all-Indonesian contest, with
\nJo Novita and Lita Nurlita against Eny Erlangga and Lilyana
\nNatsir.<\/p>\n
Thailand's Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkham face
\nAnggun Nugroho and Eny Widyowati in the mixed doubles final.<\/p>",
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