Ardy, Hariyanto get bye at HK Open

JAKARTA (JP): World number one Ardy Wiranata and world number four Hariyanto Arbi, will get a bye into the second round in the men's singles of the Hong Kong Open badminton championships, which starts today at the Queen Elizabeth stadium.

But the road could still be rough for the two Indonesians because in the third round, reigning All-England champion Hariyanto, who is seeded first, will likely meet Chinese dark horse, Lin Liwen, while Ardy, who is seeded second, will play Malaysian Ong Hwe Hock, whom many say is a budding candidate for world number one.

In the semifinals, Hariyanto is expected to play either title holder Hermawan Susanto or Barcelona Olympic gold medalist Alan Budikusuma, while Ardy might have to lock horns with top Dane player Thomas Stuer Lauridsen.

In the first round of the women's singles, however, Indonesian shuttlers seem to have been overlooked by the IBF in the absence of world number one and Barcelona Olympic champion Susi Susanti, who will only play doubles with Carmelita.

Of the nine female shuttlers Indonesia is fielding in the women's singles, only Yuliani Santoso is seeded. She ranks fifth, far below South Korean Bang Soo-hyun, the hot-favorite to win in the women's singles.

But Yuliani's chance to win might go with the wind because in the second round, Yuliani will meet China's Yao Yan, who ousted her at the recently concluded Thailand Open.

In the men's doubles, Indonesia fields Hiroshima Asian Games champions Ricky Achmad Subagja and Rexy Ronald Mainaky, who are first seeded, veteran pairs Bambang Suprianto and Gunawan and champions of the Thailand Open, Denny Kantono and Antonius.

Given their performance record, all the Indonesian pairs should prove to be too strong for their opponents. An all- Indonesia final in the men's doubles is thus expected. (arf)