Indonesia looks for 5-0 win over U.S.
Indonesia looks for 5-0 win over U.S.
Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta
The Indonesian Thomas Cup team is looking for a perfect win
over the United States as the defending champion begins its quest
for a record six-in-a-row win in the badminton men's team
championship here on Saturday.
Joko Supriyanto, the Indonesian men's singles coach, said that
they would go all out for a 5-0 win.
"We'll try to get a 5-0 score as all the games will be played
in the preliminary round. We've got to win as many points as
possible to make the next stage a bit easier," Joko said.
Being in the same group as China, Indonesia faces an uphill
task in its chase for two wins so as to automatically qualify for
the quarterfinals.
Team manager Christian Hadinata admitted his team's match
against China would be tough but said the immediate task at hand
was to dispose of the U.S.
Christian refused to reveal as yet who would be the first
singles to play given the choice between Sony Dwi Kuncoro and
Taufik Hidayat, both finalists at the Asian Championship, which
Taufik won.
Ranking-wise, Sony, who is ninth in the world, should be given
the place over Taufik, who is only ranked 17th. The third singles
place will be decided between Simon Santoso and Wimpie Mahardi.
Indonesia's top pairs, Alven Yulianto and Luluk Hadiyanto, and
Flandy Limpele and Eng Hian are expected to play against the U.S.
However, Christian said that it would still be possible for
the new pairing of Candra Wijaya and Tri Kusharjanto to play a
stand-in role.
Meanwhile, Tony Gunawan, the former Indonesian star who now
plays for the U.S., confirmed on Thursday that he would not play
in the match against his former teammates.
"I don't feel right about playing against my own friends.
That's all," said Tony, who also acts as a coach.
The American team is competing with only five members, the
rest of whom are Kevin Han, Eric Go, Howard Bach, and Khan Bob
Malaythong.
Other matches in the Thomas Cup are South Africa vs. Thailand
and Germany vs. New Zealand.