Aceh girl wants an end to war

Aceh girl wants an end to war

Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta

She is still just 17-years-old, which makes her the youngest
player in the 2004 Indonesian Uber Cup team, but Adrianti
Firdasari has the ability to steal the fans' hearts with her
attacking style.

Her aggressiveness on court readily distinguishes her from her
compatriots on the team.

Some fans think that style of play might represent her
personality, but the Jakarta-based Jaya Raya badminton club
player says she is not like that off the court.

"No, I'm not as aggressive as people would probably think,"
the Uber Cup debutant said, laughing.

"I just can't stand playing at a slow pace," she said. "That's
just my style -- on court."

On the opening day, Firda was beaten 11-1, 11-6 by Xie
Xingfang in Indonesia's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of defending
champion China, but Firda was applauded by the home faithful for
her entertaining game.

Firda forced Judith Meulendijks, who is far higher in the
world rankings, to three games before bowing out, a performance
that drew praise from the Dutch team.

"I won because my tactical work was a bit better," said the
26-year-old Meulendijks, who is No. 26 to Firda's 116.

Firda decided Indonesia's 3-0 win over Germany with a strong
11-7, 11-8 win over Nicole Grether in the playoff round which
earned the team a quarterfinal place against South Korea.

The team was stopped by the Koreans on Wednesday, but Firda
still stood out with her 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 victory over Lee Yun-
hwa to give the Indonesians the only point in their 3-1 loss.

Indonesian singles coach Ivana Lie admitted that out of the
three singles, Firda has the most promising future although she
still needs to work on some areas of her game, particularly her
footwork.

Susi Susanti, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, said that Firda
with her youth and height of 170 centimeters was ideally
qualified to become a great player.

Firda, the eldest of Adnan and Safaridah Hanim's three
children, was born in Jakarta but she and her family is ethnic
Acehnese from the war-torn province of Aceh.

She and the whole family once lived in their native province
because her father, a coach, was transferred there for a time. In
her family's home town of Kuala Simpang (100km south of Banda
Aceh etc), she began to take up badminton when she was 8 years
old.

They moved back to Jakarta in 1995 and Adnan is currently
coaching a the Ragunan Sports Training Institute.

Firda is known for her ferocious battles on the court, a
quality that may augur well in her pursuit of becoming a world-
class player, but at the moment she would like nothing more than
to see the ferocious battles in her home province end as soon as
possible.

"I just wish for peace," she said.