Candra/Sigit triumph in Malaysian Open
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia's third seeded Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto served warning for next month's World Badminton Championships by taking the Malaysian Open on Sunday, their second straight men's doubles title.
The pair defeated Fu Haifeng and Cai Yun of China 15-11, 17-14 in Kuala Lumpur, following on from their Singapore Open crown last week.
Although giving away several years and centimeters in height, the Indonesians, both of whom will turn 30 later this year, were able to subdue the power game of this year's All England champions.
The fourth seeded Chinese had defeated top seeded Indonesians Luluk Hadiyanto and Alven Yulianto in the semifinals on Saturday.
Candra and Sigit, the 1997 World Champions and runners-up in 2003, will be among the favorites for this year's worlds in Anaheim, California, in mid-August. During their recent 10-match winning streak, they defeated world number ones Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen in the Singapore semifinals.
They also won the Swiss Open in March, defeating Luluk and Alven despite the latter's higher ranking.
"The prospects are good, but it's still a slim chance, things change from week to week," former world doubles champion and men's doubles coach Christian Hadinata told The Jakarta Post on Sunday of the pair's chances to recapture the world title.
"But it's a good sign for them that, even though they are getting older, they can still compete. It's important for them to watch their conditioning because of their age, so they don't get injured or fall sick."
He said Luluk and Alven, who were briefly ranked number one in the world at the end of last year but have suffered disappointing results in 2005, were still finding it difficult to handle the pressure of major competition.
Reigning men's singles champion Lee Chong Wei and women's singles title holder Zhang Ning captured their second consecutive titles in Kuala Lumpur in contrasting styles, Bernama national news agency reported.
Zhang Ning, the second seed, won an easy 11-6, 11-2 victory over unheralded Zhu Lin of China, but Malaysian Chong Wei went through an uphill battle against top seed and world number one Lin Dan of China before winning 17-15, 9-15, 15-9.
"This is the first time I have beaten Lin Dan and I'm very pleased with my game. Beating Lin Dan and Taufik Hidayat, two of the best players in the world, en route to winning the title is very satisfying.
"I hope to continue my form during the World Championships next month."