Ailing Alvent likely to miss simulation match
Ailing Alvent likely to miss simulation match
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
World second ranked men's doubles player Alvent Yulianto could
be out of commission when the Badminton Association of Indonesia
(PBSI) holds a simulation competition in Bandung on Saturday for
the Sudirman Cup mixed team world championship.
The players will be divided into two teams, Tiger and Eagle,
for the matches, to be held at the badminton hall on Jl. Jakarta.
The Tiger team consists of men's singles player Taufik
Hidayat, women's singles Fransisca Ratnasari, men's doubles pairs
Joko Riyadi/Hendra AG and Candra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto, women's
doubles pair Lita Nurlita/Nathalia Poluakan and mixed doubles
pair Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir.
Sony Dwi Kuncoro (men's singles), Adrianti Firdasari (women's
singles), Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (men's doubles), Jo
Novita/Greysia Polii (women's doubles) and Flandy Limpele/Yunita
Tetty (mixed doubles) are on the Eagle squad.
Men's doubles coach Christian Hadinata said on Wednesday that
Alvent, who usually partners Luluk Hadiyanto, was suffering from
flu-like symptoms.
"If he is still sick, he might not go to Bandung for the
simulation," he said.
Alvent, who reached the 2005 All-England men's doubles
semifinals with Luluk after an outstanding 2004, said he had
broken out in a rash.
"I didn't practice on Wednesday due to my sickness. I hope
tomorrow I will be better."
Another member of the team, Simon Santoso, will not play in
the simulation, but two men's doubles pairs -- Joko/Hendra AG and
Markis/Hendra -- and women's doubles player Nathalia will also be
in Bandung although they are not part of the team.
In the Sudirman Cup, to be held in Beijing from May 10-15,
Indonesia is grouped with host and heavy favorite China, Hong
Kong and Sweden.
The two top teams from each group go through to the semifinal
stage. The association has targeted at least a semifinal place in
Beijing.
Indonesia won the inaugural Sudirman Cup -- named after the
man dubbed the country's "father" of badminton -- in 1989 and has
been runner-up four times.