Indonesia braces for tough Thomas, Uber Cup fights
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia may have to settle for semifinal places in both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup badminton championship finals in Hong Kong next May, a coach predicted yesterday after tournament drawings placed teams into competition groups.
Christian Hadinata, former badminton great, admitted yesterday that Indonesia would enter the world men's and women's team competition as underdogs despite the fact that they were defending champions.
But they could turn the tables if they manage to reach the semifinals, said Christian, who joined the Indonesian Thomas Cup team in the 1970s.
"If we make it to the semis, we'll have a greater chance to reach the finals and retain the two trophies for the third time in a row," Christian told The Jakarta Post.
Indonesia has twice snatched both cups, in 1994 and 1996, to reign for a brief spell over the badminton world, during which its players collected three Olympic gold medals and numerous titles from prestigious tournaments.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) announced the results of its drawing in Hong Kong yesterday which put Thomas Cup men's championship holder Indonesia in Group B with archrival Malaysia, South Korea and the Netherlands. Top seed China leads Group A which also includes Denmark, Sweden and host Hong Kong.
China also tops the seeding list in the women's division. It is placed in Group A together with Denmark, Japan and Hong Kong, while defending champion Indonesia joins South Korea, the Netherlands and England in Group B.
Each team will play round robin matches in the tournament, scheduled from May 15 to May 24. The two top teams in each group will advance to cross-over semifinals, in which Group A's winner will play Group B's runner-up, and Group B's winner will meet Group A's runner-up.
IBF president Lu Shengrong and Hong Kong Badminton Association president Tong Yun Kai oversaw the drawing which followed a handing-over ceremony of the Thomas and Uber Cup trophies from Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) secretary-general Leo Ch. Wiranata.
Setback
Christian, who is also the PBSI training director, said Indonesia had suffered setbacks over the past year. He was quick to add, however, that history had shown that Indonesia has taken advantage of being underrated in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals.
"With many countries now looking at China and Denmark, we are out to prove our class on court. Recent defeats will not discourage our bid to restore our badminton supremacy," Christian said.
"All I can say is that we are well prepared for the finals."
Former world champion Hariyanto Arbi and former Olympic champion Susi Susanti will likely head the Indonesian Thomas Cup and Uber Cup team respectively.
Separately, former world badminton champion Icuk Sugiarto said Indonesia stood a fair chance at retaining the men's title, but was skeptical over the chances for its women's team.
"It will be very difficult for Indonesia to land another double, mainly because of its poor performance recently," Icuk, who heads the PBSI talent scouting team, was quoted by Antara.
He predicted that men's doubles players would play a decisive role in Indonesia's defense of its Thomas Cup title, with singles players expected to snatch a point.
A team will play three singles matches and two doubles matches during both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals.
Icuk said that China and South Korea were potential candidates to dethrone Indonesia in the Uber Cup, although he predicted tough battles among the three teams. (lnt)