300 shuttlers to compete in Sony Indonesia Open

JAKARTA (JP): About 300 shuttlers from 15 countries will compete in the Sony Indonesia Open badminton championships in Surakarta, Central Java, from July 16 to July 20.

Organizer Purwanto said yesterday in Surakarta that China would attend the five-day Rp 420 million (US$200,000) tournament.

The winner of the men's singles will win $13,000, women's singles $10,000, men's doubles $14,000, women's doubles $12,000 and mixed doubles $8,000.

The 15 competing countries are England, the Netherlands, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Singapore, Guatemala, Finland, Germany, Thailand and Denmark.

"China hopes to sweep all the titles at the championships after winning four titles at the All England, taking the Sudirman Cup and again winning three titles at he world championships in Stockholm," Purwanto was quoted by Antara as saying.

China will send 14 of the 20 top men's singles players including world number two Sun Jun, Luo Yigang and Chen Gang.

Indonesia's team will include defending champion Joko Suprianto, Heryanto Arbi, Ardy B Wiranata, Alan Budikusuma, Indra Wijaya and Budi Santoso.

Other top players are Malaysia's Rashid Sidek, Indonesian Fung Permadi who plays for Chinese Taipei, and Denmark's Peter Christensen.

Dane Peter Rasmussen will not compete because of injury.

Last year's women's champion Susi Susanti will defend her Indonesian Open title for the fifth time.

Susi and Mia Audina are among the six Indonesian who have drawn foreign players.

China will rely on Ye Zhaoying, Gong Zhicao and Zhang Ning to take the title from Susi.

Korea, with its top player Kim Ji-hyun, hopes to stop Chinese and Indonesian players taking all the titles on offer.

Indonesia's men's doubles players will be world champion Chandra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto, Ricky Subagja/Rexy Mainaky and 1996 Olympic champion Denny Kantono/Antonius.

Malaysian World championship runners-up Cheah Soon Kit/Yao Kim Hock will be absent because they are concentrating on the Malaysian Open now being played in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

In the women's doubles, Chinese world number one pair Ge Fei/Gu Jun will try to add the Indonesia Open to her titles.

But Indonesia hopes its two double players Elyza/Zelin Rosiana and Indarti Isolina/Denyana Lomban can overtake the Chinese supremacy.

For Indonesia to achieve this it has to beat the strong women's doubles pairs Lisbet Stuer-Laudrisen/Marlene Thomson of Denmark and China's Liu Lu/Giang Hong.

The mixed doubles will probably see a final between Indonesia's Minarti Timur/Trikus Haryanto and China's Liu Yong/Gei Fei.

But for Minarti and Trikus to reach the finals, they must beat Denmark's Jens Eriksen/Marlene Thomsen. (lnt)