Indonesian shuttlers take two titles at World C'ships
Indonesian shuttlers take two titles at World C'ships
JAKARTA (Agencies): Indonesians won two titles at the World
Badminton Championships in Seville, Spain, on Sunday, bringing
home the men's singles and doubles crowns.
Olympic silver medalist Hendrawan broke the runner-up jinx by
defeating second seed Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark 15-6, 17-
16 in a dramatic 61-minute final at San Pablo Stadium.
Hendrawan -- who advanced to the final after his semifinal
opponent Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia withdrew while leading 15-
11, 5-15, 7-1 on Saturday -- fell to the floor in joy after Gade
Christensen fluffed a return to end the thrilling second game.
A bitterly disappointed Gade Christensen had been quietly
confident of winning his first world title and making up for
disappointments at the Olympics and the 1999 World Championships.
He was unable to hide his disappointment on Sunday, burying
his face in a towel and slumping in his chair.
The 29-year-old Hendrawan, who before Sunday had won only
three major titles in a lengthy career, quickly seized control of
the match.
The Dane's customary fluent movements and confidence around
the court were missing from the outset, as Hendrawan frequently
left him flat-footed and scrambling to the net with a string of
perfectly weighted drop shots.
An inability to score on his own serve also hampered Gade
Christensen, with Hendrawan reading his opponent's tactics to
perfection.
After the match, a jubilant Hendrawan admitted he was lucky to
even be in the final after Taufik suffered an injury in the
semifinals.
"I was fortunate to get here with what happened to Taufik. I
hope this is a good present for him," Hendrawan said as quoted by
AFP.
"I knew I could beat Peter, but I just had to stay confident,"
the 29-year-old said.
"I started playing well in the first game and didn't stop,"
said Hendrawan, who admitted he had been close to retiring from
competitive badminton after his Olympic campaign in Sydney last
year. Marriage -- and a word from his wife -- changed his mind.
"I thought after Sydney that maybe I was on the other side of
my career, going down. But I thought about it and talked with my
wife and realized I could continue," he said.
Hendrawan dedicated the victory to his wife Silvia Anggraeni,
saying: "My wife has thrown all her weight behind me, she always
keeps my spirits up."
He said he was not sure whether this would be his last World
Championships.
"It's a hard question. It's very difficult to wait for two
years. I am now just thinking year to year," he was quoted as
saying by Xinhua.
Hendrawan's victory capped a triumphant day for Indonesia,
with Tony Gunawan and Halim Heryanto winning the men's doubles
title earlier on Sunday. The fifth seeded duo defeated defending
champions Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon of South Korea 15-0, 15-
13 in 48 minutes with a superb display of attacking badminton.
Tony, who partnered Candra Wijaya to the men's doubles gold
medal at the Sydney Olympics, was outstanding as the Indonesians
claimed a brilliant win.
The 26-year-old dominated the back of the court, hitting a
series of vicious smashes to set up the victory.
Third seed Gong Ruina of China took the women's singles crown
after beating compatriot Zhou Mi 11-9, 11-4 while
Huang Sui and Gao Ling of China defeated teammates Zhang Jiewen
and Wei Yili 15-11, 17-15 to grab the women's doubles title.
(yan)