Indonesia retains Uber Cup crown
By Arif Suryobuwono
HONG KONG (JP): The chant "Who owns badminton if not Indonesia?" echoed around the packed Queen Elizabeth stadium as the Indonesian second-string duo of Lili Tampi and Finarsih sealed their side's victory over China in the Uber Cup final yesterday.
Finarsih and Lili's 15-9, 15-10 win over Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongshu, who are ranked nine places above them, means that the Cup remains safe in Indonesian hands, at least for another two years.
Indonesia finally edged China 4-1 after Meulawati's 11-6, 11-2 rout of Zhang Ning, lengthening the 3-1 lead notched by Susi Susanti's 4-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory over arch rival Ye Zhaoying; Mia Audina's 11-4, 11-6 demolition of Wang Chen; and Lili Tampi/Finarsih's edging of Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yong-shu.
The stadium was engulfed last night by the Indonesian national anthem and patriotic songs sung by rows of fanatic Indonesian supporters. The atmosphere in the stadium was every inch Indonesian, as if Hong Kong didn't exist.
Lili Tampi, falling and weeping as Qin Yiyuan's shot kissed the net, said the victory was crucial for her because it prepared her for the Atlanta Olympic Games (July 19 to Aug. 4), which, she said, would be her last appearance with Finarsih.
Lili, who has been paired with Finarsih since 1991, said she had decided not to continue her women's doubles career but hinted that she might still play in mixed doubles. "I wanted a sweet farewell. Finarsih and I have already had too many losses lately. I owe my victory to Susi," she said.
Susi, who again inspired her teammates as she did on Thursday with her 11-7, 11-0 thrashing of South Korea's Bang Soo Hyun, fell 11-4 to Ye in the first set because she was still in the "adjustment" period.
In the second set, Susi said, the wind was with her and she took the lead by playing fast and attack-minded, which she continued until the third set. Susi's coach, Liang Chiu Sia, said that perhaps Ye was shocked by Susi's sudden attacks.
The only point lost to China was the first doubles match. China's world number one partnership of Ge Fei and Gu Jun was stretched to a rubber set, but was still too strong for Eliza and Zelin Rosiana. Ge and Gu defeated the Indonesian pair 7-15, 15-8, 15-12.
Ge Fei said she was, at first, greatly disturbed by the noisy cheers and jeers screamed by the Indonesian supporters. "I was very tense and nervous. That's why we lost the first set. But gradually we got used to the noise."
Gu Jun also said that she was very nervous during the first game because the game was going to be decisive for China. But when Ge and Gu trailed 8-12 behind Eliza and Zelin, "we suddenly lost our nervousness because we thought we were going to lose anyway, so why be tense?" That was the turning point. Ge and Gu crawled back to end the game 15-12.
China's coach Li Yong Bo attributed his team's loss to a loss of spirits after Ye's defeat. Li said he knew Ye would lose but expected to be able to crawl back through Ge and Gu, Wang, Qin/Tang and Zhang.
As it turned out, such expectations were reduced to shambles as the rest of the team no longer had its fighting spirit.
"With their spirits down, they were no longer able to play normally," Li said. After the 4-1 defeat, the Chinese girls were all tears, as was their coach Li Lingwei. China's team manager Zhou Jincan's eyes were red, but he managed not to cry.
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said the government would certainly give the Uber Cup winners awards as a token of appreciation. He could not yet mention what kind of awards await them.
Mia Audina, who attributed her 11-4, 11-6 victory over Wang Chen to patience and composure, said she was surprised to play Wang instead of Hang Jingna. Mia said she was anxious to test her ability after months of absence due to injury.
"I wanted to know whether I was still as good as I was before the injury." Mia's knee was injured when she was taking on Wang at 11-12, 8-10 in the World Grand Prix Finals on Dec. 1995. Wang lost to Mia 12-10, 11-12, 10-12 in the All England Open 1995.
Mia's coach, Retno Kustiyah, said both Mia and Wang were of the same type but since Wang is taller than Mia, Mia should not let her be led into rally. This strategy worked. Mia pressed hard on Wang, forcing her to always be on the receiving end. Retno believes Mia's shattered confidence has now been recovered.
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