Anton falls amid S'pore table tennis gold rush

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (JP): Indonesia failed to wrest Singapore's grip from the 20th Southeast Asian Games table tennis competition on Sunday when its men's singles ace Anton Suseno ran out of steam against Duan Yong Jun.

The lone Indonesian representative in the finals fought gamely before losing 21-16, 14-21, 15-21, 12-21 to his Chinese-born opponent.

The defeat means Indonesia walked off the table tennis event with only one gold medal, won by the men's doubles pairing of Anton and Hadijudo Prajitno on Saturday.

Duan's victory wrapped up Singapore's haul of six of the seven gold medals on offer in the event.

Anton stepped up his pace and earned points from his defensive spins to win the first game. However, leading 6-4 in the second game, Anton slowed down his rhythm, only to allow the Singaporean to adapt to his playing style.

Duan took total control of the next two games and did not give Anton the chance to get back into the match.

"I used the wrong strategy in the second game when I was leading 6-4. I should have put more pressure on him and never let him regain his confidence. After that fatal mistake, he was able to discover and then exploit my weak forehand," said Anton.

Duan, who was making his SEA Games debut, said: "I'm really proud to win the first gold in the SEA Games. I was very tired but the victory made me forget the exhaustion.

"In the first set, I wasn't used to Anton's playing style, especially his cutting spins. I was too rushed and impatient against him. But in the second set, I could adjust myself and I started to play more patiently. I got used to his spins and I could control the game."

Participation of several Chinese-born players on Singapore's team sparked controversy.

The Indonesian Table Tennis Association (PTMSI) secretary- general, Johnny Waworuntu, said he would urge the SEA Games Federation to refer to the International Table Tennis Federation's rules stipulating that a player can only play for his or adopted country after residing there for at least three years.

"They only got their citizenship on June 22. How can they represent Singapore?" Johnny said.

Singapore reportedly recruited three men's and three women's players for the Games.

Team officials denied the reports, saying the players resided in Singapore for more than three years and represented the country since the 1997 World Championships. They also played for Singapore in the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 1998 Asian Championships.

Anton promised better preparation for the 2001 Games in Kuala Lumpur. He will now compete in the professional tour in Austria and Germany in October.

He plans to organize a regular national circuit starting next year in Bandung, where he also coached the NHI club. (yan)