Injured Susi stays off court for week
Injured Susi stays off court for week
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's badminton queen Susi Susanti will stay off the court for a week because of the leg injury she suffered at the China Open semifinals in Chengdu on Friday.
Training director of the Badminton Association of Indonesia, Iwan Setiawan, said yesterday he had suggested to Susi that she allow her injury to heal, rather than making a title defense attempt at the Thailand Open in Chiang Mai, which starts today.
"We worry about a growing pain. Susi definitely needs a rest. Otherwise she will endanger her future," Iwan said. Susi strained her Archiles tendon in her 2-11, 12-10, 2-11 sandwiching by South Korean arch rival Bang Soo-hyun on Friday.
"If Susi flops in the Thai Open, she will drop her and her teammates' grand prix rankings," Iwan said.
Defending champion Susi, together with Mia Audina, Yuliani Sentosa and Lydia Djaelawijaya, has secured a berth at the Grand Prix finals in Singapore, scheduled for Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. Only the world's top 16 qualify for the singles finals.
Indonesian coach Indra Gunawan said that Susi received medical treatment from an acupuncturist in Chengdu shortly after her upset loss.
Susi's absence from Chiang Mai will boost Bang's quest for the women's singles crown. World champion Ye Zhaoying of China, who beat Bang in Saturday's China Open final, also skipped the penultimate tournament of the season.
Ardy Wiranata tops the seeding list in the men's singles and is expecting a rematch against China Open champion Dong Jiong of China in the final. Ardy lost to the Chinese in the quarterfinals last week.
Chiang Mai will use the Thailand Open to try out its new gym, built to host the badminton competition at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in December.
China swept all five titles at home last week, posing a clear threat to Indonesia's three-year grip on world badminton. For the first time ever, this season Indonesian players failed to clinch final tickets in a tournament in which they took part.
Iwan predicted fiercer rivalry among the world's players next season, with Indonesia no longer the hot favorite.
"But we still have a chance of retaining our Olympic gold medals next year," he added. (amd)