Denmark, S. Korea to fight for top place in Group A
This is the first of two articles on the strength of teams of Group A competing in the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship in Copenhagen next week. The Group B analysis will appear on Sunday.
JAKARTA (JP): Denmark is poised to become the first European country to win the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship, when it hosts the biennial event in Copenhagen from May 10 to May 15.
Only three countries have won the tournament since its inception in 1989. Indonesia triumphed in the inaugural event, South Korea reigned supreme at the next two meets and China dominated the last two championships.
Playing before a home crowd, Denmark emerges the strongest contender this time around, because it has succeeded in developing talent in all of the five badminton categories.
Danish sports chief Thomas Lund told World Badminton: "We definitely have a chance of winning the Sudirman Cup. We have players in every category who can win."
The hosts must pass a daunting Group A test, in which they will face dark horse South Korea and Sweden in round-robin matches. Winners in the group will take on the runner-ups of Group B in the cross-over semifinals. Defending champion China and Indonesia are favorites for the Group B semifinals.
Both Denmark and South Korea have something to prove in their pursuit of the top spot of the group. While Denmark looks invincible in the singles, the Koreans could dent the host's title bid through their doubles teams.
Each tournament qualifier features a men's singles. a women's singles, a men's doubles team, a women's doubles pair and a mixed doubles tandem.
Denmark has plenty of men's singles choices, with five players ranked among the top 16. They have world number one Peter Gade Christensen, number four Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen, number seven Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, number 12 Kenneth Johanssen and number 13 Peter Rasmussen. Based on their recent performances, any of the men could take out the singles job.
Gade Christensen, All England champion and Grand Prix Finals runner-up, is the most consistent player and nobody doubts his ability to win the World Championships, which will succeed the Sudirman Cup.
Olympic gold medalist Hoyer-Larsen -- at 32 the oldest player in the tournament -- may have lost some of his dazzle but is still dangerous. The 1997 World Championship title holder Rasmussen is said to have recovered from an injury and is set for the two-week-long competitions.
Lack practice
Denmark's only concern is that its players lack practice sessions as a team, because the top singles players live abroad to evade high income tax.
Hoyer-Larsen, Rasmussen and Stuer Lauridsen have lived in England for the past two years, while Gade Christensen lives in Switzerland.
"We have decided in principle that we can't say they can't move, but we are definitely very much against it, if it is not something which will develop a player in a positive way," Lund told World Badminton.
In the women's singles, world number three Camilla Martin will face intense South Korean opposition from number 16 Kim Ji-hyun, who is known for her fighting spirit and technical skills.
Denmark relies on its world number five pair of Jens Eriksen and Jesper Larsen in the men's doubles. South Korea will field either a world number eight duo of Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung or their number 10 compatriots of Ha Tae-kwon and Kim Dong-moon.
The Korean men's doubles teams are well-known for their fast drives at the net and jumping smashes. They are also accustomed to energy-sapping rallies.
In the women's doubles, Denmark has four world-class pairs, compared to one from South Korea and none from Sweden.
Denmark must be cautious in choosing between their number three pair Marlene Thomsen and Rikke Olsen, number four Ann Jorgensen and Majken Vange, number five Helene Kirkegaard and Pemille Harder and number seven Mette Schjoldager and Ann-Lou Jorgensen, because it will take on All England champions Ra Kyung-min and Chung Jae-hee, who are ranked eleventh in the world.
South Korea appears to have gained a slight upper hand in the mixed doubles, thanks to its world ranked number one team of Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung-min, the resilient All England champions, and the world number six combination of Ha Tae-kwon and Chung Jae-hee.
The Danes will parade world number two Michael Soogard and Rikke Olsen and world number five Jon Holst-Christensen and Ann Jorgensen.
But Denmark remains doubtful about whether to field Soogard, who was recently diagnosed with meningitis. He has been discharged from hospital, but is yet to regain his form for the Sudirman Cup.
South Korea head coach Kim Moon-soo expressed worries about his chance in the singles matches, but was upbeat about his players' chances in overwhelming the Danes in the doubles matches, due to his world-class teams. (yan)