Ardy, Susi on track for Indonesia Open titles
JAKARTA (JP): Ardy Wiranata and Susi Susanti came closer to retaining their titles as the host players underlined their domination of the Indonesia Open badminton championships yesterday.
Susi had a little trouble in disposing of her arch rival Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden in their semifinal match. Susi's efficient 11- 5, 11-5 win proved that her seeding was out.
The Indonesian Uber Cup heroine tamed fast-tiring Lim with searing overhead lobs. Susi, who also breezed past Lim in last week's Malaysia Open semifinals, stretched her record against the Chinese-born Swede to 8-1.
Susi has been seeded second in her last two tournaments after she gave her world number one ranking to South Korean Bang Soo- hyung last May.
"We know each other. I never tried to change my style but it's true that I have improved a lot," Susi said after the match.
A struggling Lim, grumbling about the heat, ran out of the steam needed to match Susi's strokes and was left trailing throughout the game.
Bang, the current world number one who, ironically, has not beaten Susi since 1993, also cruised to the final by ousting her compatriot Kim Ji-hyun 11-1, 12-11.
"Tomorrow's final will prove who is the best," Susi said. The native of Tasikmalaya, West Java, will enter today's final as the favorite because of her impressive win over the South Korean in the Malaysia Open last week.
However, Susi's dream of repeating her triumphant engagement with her fiance Alan Budikusuma has been shattered. Alan stepped off the court after losing 9-15, 1-15 loss to former world champion Joko Suprianto.
Malaysia Open champion Alan hardly broke a sweat in Friday's quarterfinals when South Korean second seed Park Sung-woo was forced out of the competition with a torn Achilles tendon.
Injury
Court number two, the graveyard of Park's Indonesia Open campaign, claimed another victim when world champion and top seed Hariyanto Arbi gave up to compatriot Ardy in the other men's singles semifinal.
Hariyanto suffered a hamstring injury when he was one set down and was trailing Ardy 7-10 in the second. "I felt the pain before I stepped onto the court," Hariyanto said of his chronic injury.
The top seed could give no answer to Ardy's stubborn lobs, losing 3-15 in the opening set in not more than 15 minutes. It was Hariyanto's second successive semifinal defeat after his triumph at the World Championships in May.
Joko and Ardy have long been overshadowed by fast-rising Hariyanto and only won one title apiece this year.
Indonesia could possibly romp home with four titles as it has already secured the men's doubles and mixed doubles crowns.
The doubles team number one seed Trikus Heryanto and Minarti Timur set up an all-Indonesian final, thanks to their hard-earned 15-9, 7-15, 15-6 win over Kim Dong-moon and Gil Young-ah, the only non-Indonesian pair left in the mixed doubles event. The top seeds will now play their juniors Flandy Limpolea and Risyou Rosalina.
In the men's doubles, veterans Gunawan and Bambang Supriyanto are seeking their first title of the year as they meet their Taipei Masters final conquerors Danny Kantono and Antonius.
China, in the absence of its top singles players, earned a consolation prize with world number two pair Ge Fei and Gu Jun take set to take on compatriots Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongau in the women's doubles final.