Greysia, Rizal advance to Richmond finals

Greysia, Rizal advance to Richmond finals

Eva C. Komandjaja
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Mixed doubles pairs Greysia Polii and Muhamad Rizal are the
only Indonesia's medal contenders at the 2004 World Junior
Badminton Championships in Richmond, Canada.

Greysia and Rizal defeated Lee Yong-dae and Park Soo-hee of
South Korea 15-5, 17-15 on Friday to book a ticket in the final
against third seeds He Hanbin and Yu Yang of China on Saturday
evening (Sunday morning Jakarta time).

However, Greysia failed to produce an impact in the women's
doubles with partner Heny Budiman crashing out 1-15, 2-15 to
first seeds Tian Qing and Yu Yang of China in the semifinal which
lasted just 19 minutes, according to www.badmintonbc.com.

With only one team in the finals in the individual competition
in addition to the third-place finish in the team competition
which was completed at the weekend, Badminton Association of
Indonesia (PBSI), which is sending six girls and boys to the
tournament, looks resigned to the mediocre outcome.

"With PBSI having been lackluster in handling junior players
compared with China and South Korea, we have to accept the
outcome. I'm relieved that they can still reach the finals," Icuk
Sugiarto, PBSI's chief in charge of development affairs, told The
Jakarta Post here on Saturday.

Icuk, who has assumed the task of supervising the national
training center this year, complained that Indonesian players
lacked international experience.

He attributed Greysia's flop in the women's doubles to this
problem.

"If she had more experience playing in two events she would
have learned how to preserve her energy so as to be able to
maintain fire in both events," Icuk said.

Chinese young shuttlers were assured of gold medals in the
men's singles and women's doubles with an all China final.

Tian Qing and Yu Yang will play against second seeds Feng Chen
and Pan Pan in the women's doubles, while the men's singles final
pit top seed Chen Jin against second seed Gong Weijie.

They made it to the finals at the expense of South Korean
shuttlers Hwang Jung-woon and Lee Cheol-ho.

China's Lu Lan will be challenged by Chinese Taipei's Cheng
Shao Chieh in the women's singles final.

China, however, has been denied a medal in the men's doubles,
with Hoon Thien How and Tan Boon Heong of Malaysia taking on
second seeds Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jung-yeong of South Korea in
the finals.