Indonesia gains mixed results in badminton

BANGKOK (JP): Indonesia had mixed results in the 13th Asian Games badminton team competition on Thursday, while off the court, a defeat in the women's event sparked internal debate.

Mia Audina, filling the role left vacant by badminton star Susi Susanti, provided a dreadful start to the Indonesian women's 1-4 loss to South Korean, who played without their Olympic gold medalist Bang Soo-hyun in the match held at the Thammasat University sports complex.

Indonesia Open champion Mia went down in straight sets 5-11, 6-11 to Kim Ji-hyun, the same opponent she beat in a crucial Uber Cup match Indonesia won in 1996.

South Korea went 2-0 up after its number one doubles team of Yim Kyung-jin and Chung Jae-hee rallied to beat the shaky partnership of Deyana Lomban and Indarti Issoliana 14-17, 15-1, 15-7.

Deyana and Indarti had not played together since the Uber Cup finals in May, but coach Imelda Wigoena insisted that they be re- paired as part of his team strategy. This move proved fatal as the makeshift number two doubles team of Elysa Nathanael and Minarti Timur succumbed 2-15, 12-15 to Ra Kyung-min and Kim Shin- young to give South Korea an unassailable 3-1 lead.

In between the doubles matches, Indonesia's Meiluawati beat Lee Joo-hyun 11-8, 11-1.

Imelda defended her choice of pairings, saying that they had been planned since the team began preparations for the Games.

"Our doubles specialists teamed up well with one another during several trials before the Games. We just worried about Ra, and I thought Elysa and Minarti could neutralize her," Imelda added.

But team manager Agus Wirahadikusumah said that he did not understand why Imelda changed the established doubles teams at the last minute.

"The defeat is the consequence of changing the strategy. I believed that the coach knew better about this. But as team manager I will take the blame," he said.

South Korea will face China, which crushed Japan 5-0 in the other semifinal on Thursday, in a finals rematch. South Korea upset the Chinese in the 1994 Asiad finals in Hiroshima, Japan.

China swept its first two singles matches against Japan, with world number one Ye Zhaoying downing Yasuko Mizui 11-3, 11-6 and Gong Zhichao taming Kanako Yonekura 11-7, 11-9.

The world number one pair of Ge Fei and Gu Jun clinched a berth in the finals for China after their 15-4, 15-5 drubbing of Haruko Matsuda and Yoshiko Iwata.

The world number two doubles team of Tang Hetian and Qin Yiyuan put China ahead 4-0 with a hard-earned 10-15, 15-2, 15-4 win over Yasuko Mizui and Saori Ito, before Dai Yun completed the drubbing.

On the men's side, Indonesia eliminated a weakened Malaysia 4- 1, setting up a meeting with China in the finals. China eliminated South Korea in the other semifinal.

Number one singles player Hendrawan beat Yong Hock Kin 15-4, 15-7 in only 25 minutes. The world number one doubles team of Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky gave Indonesia a 2-0 lead after beating Cheah Soon Thoe and Pang Cheg Chang 15-5, 15-5.

However, Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat lost to Roslin Hashim 10- 15, 14-17 in 56 minutes.

The number two doubles team of Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan secured Indonesia's place in the finals after besting Jeremy Gan and Chang Chong Ming 15-5, 15-4.

Budi Santoso extended Indonesia's margin of victory, beating Wong Choon Han 15-9, 15-9. (yan)