Champ Susi pulls out of year-end tourney
Champ Susi pulls out of year-end tourney
JAKARTA (JP): Top seed Susi Susanti of Indonesia will not defend her crown at the world badminton grand prix finals in Singapore next week due to a leg injury.
Indonesian Uber Cup player Yuliani Sentosa has been named by the organizers to take Susi's place at the year-end tournament. Yuliani followed in the footsteps of her juniors, Mia Audina and Lydia Djaelawidjaja, who are listed among the 16 qualifiers announced by the International Badminton Federation on Wednesday.
Susi dropped her bid for her fifth title this season after she failed a fitness test for the finals.
"Susi needs some more time to heal her Achilles tendon. Although it is not that serious, she'd rather extend her rest days to keep her injury from getting worse," Iwan Setiawan, an official of the Badminton Association of Indonesia, said.
The world number one player strained the Achilles tendon in her right foot during a semifinal match against Bang Soo-hyun at the China Open early this month.
The Indonesian player skipped the following tournament in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but expressed her intention of entering the grand prix finals.
Iwan said that Susi is expected to return to Chiang Mai for the 18th Southeast Asian Games. "She is expected to fully recover before the national SEA Games team departs on Dec. 6," he said.
Susi's injury caps a series of upset losses suffered by the Indonesian side in three tournaments this month. World men's singles champion Hariyanto Arbi saved Indonesia from blushes with a victory in Hong Kong, but the badminton powerhouse returned home empty handed in the following tours.
The grand prix finals will watch an exodus of Indonesian men's singles as Hariyanto, Joko Suprianto, Ardy Wiranata, Alan Budikusuma, Hermawan Susanto and Hendrawan all qualified for the finals.
Only world top 16 singles players are eligible for the finals, while eight teams will line up in the doubles competitions.
Indonesia won three titles from Susi, Ardy and the men's team of Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja last year. (amd)