Hardcourt troubles Indonesian shuttler

Hardcourt troubles Indonesian shuttler

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian badminton mixed doubles specialist
Bambang Suprianto said on Friday the hardcourt in the Dome's
Pavillion 3 at the Olympics Park in Homebush Bay, Sydney, could
jeopardize his opening campaign at the Olympic Games.

The sixth seeded duo of Bambang and Zelin Resiana are drawn to
play Christ Hunt and Donna Kellogg of England on Saturday, the
first career encounter ever between the two pairs.

"We have practiced at the stadium twice and there is no
problem with the wind or lighting. It's just the court which is
harder than usual," Bambang said from Sydney on Friday.

Bambang refused to rate his chance of beating the Britons in
their first-round match.

"We both stand an equal chance of reaching the second round,"
said Bambang. "But I hope we can advance to the quarterfinals."

Should Bambang and Zelin overcome the Britons, they will
likely meet the pairing of Chen Qiqiu and Chen Lin of China. The
Chinese will meet home favorites Rio Suryana and Kellie Lucas.

Top seeds Tri Kusharjanto and Minarti Timur received a bye and
will step onto the court on Sunday against the winners of the
match between Ha Tae-kwon and Chung Jae-hee of South Korea and
Vladislav Druzchenko and Victoria Evtoushenko of Ukraine.

"I have played many times against the Koreans and we often
beat them. But I don't want the 1996 Olympics nightmare to be
repeated when we lost to eventual winners Kim Dong-moon and Gil
Yoong-ah, the team we frequently beat in regular tournaments,"
said Tri, who aims to end his partnership with Minarti with a
gold medal.

"The most important thing is that we have to be aware of
everything and refrain from being overconfident."

Tri said that he and Minarti were much improved in the
training sessions, especially compared to their performances in
the Indonesia and Malaysia Opens in July and August,
respectively.

Both Tri and Bambang said the chilly weather could be a
potential problem for their physical condition.

"It is very cold here and I didn't feel well yesterday but I'm
OK now," Bambang said.

"The weather is OK but the wind is very strong. However, we
are adapting. Besides, I think it's getting warmer here," Tri
said.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) medical doctor
Michael Triangto said that Bambang was recovering from a bout of
influenza.

"He is in the process of recovery. Hopefully he is getting
better because he'll play a match tomorrow." (yan)