Joko, Hariyanto head for Asiad badminton semifinals
Joko, Hariyanto head for Asiad badminton semifinals
HIROSHIMA, Japan (AFP): Top seed Joko Suprianto and fellow-
Indonesian Hariyanto Arbi moved towards a showdown for the Asian
Games men's badminton title by cruising into the quarter-finals
yesterday.
Joko, the 27-year-old world number two, felt so sorry for his
hapless second-round Maldives opponent Abdulla Shakeeb that he
gifted him half-a-dozen points before running away with a 15-3,
15-3 victory.
"It was a friendly gesture," smiled Joko, who never had to
stretch himself in the course of the clash. The left-handed
Maldives player twice fell in his desperation to reach Joko's
cunningly-placed drop shots.
World champion Joko has a 4-2 career record against reigning
All-England title holder Hariyanto, but would not give himself
more than an even chance of defeating his compatriot if the
seedings hold good all the way to the final.
"It is 50-50," Joko said.
His quarterfinal opponent will be dangerous Chinese number two
Lin Liwen, who defeated 32-year-old left-handed Thai veteran
Sompol Kookasemkij 15-10, 15-8.
The gallant Kookasemkij played in pain following an injury to
his Achilles' tendon, and Lin pulled away from 10-9 in the first
game with a succession of winners.
The Thai, considered the best singles player in his country
despite his advanced age, was in tearful agony after the match.
Hariyanto gave debutante Hor Bun Leng of Cambodia a 15-6, 15-5
badminton lesson and will meet Korean one Park Sung-woo, who
surprisingly beat him in Thomas Cup semifinals last May, in the
round of eight.
Park won 15-11, 18-15 against another battling Thai, Chiangta
Teeranun.
Men's doubles
Indonesia's top doubles combination of Ricky Subagja and Rexy
Mainaky, the world number one pair, also had no trouble at all in
crushing Maldivians Shakeeb and Riyaz Hassan 15-2, 15-2.
The country's gamble of pairing Bambang Suprianto and Hermawan
Susanto, however, failed to come off when they were trounced by
Malaysians Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang in the men's
doubles. Cheah and Soo reached the quarter finals with a 15-5,
15-2 win.
Bambang makes a formidable combination with his usual doubles
partner Rudy Gunawan, who has been fielded here in the mixed
doubles.
Also into the quarterfinals were Chinese number one Dong
Jiong, Malaysia's Ong Ewe Hock, Korea's Kim Hak-kyun and Japan's
Fumihiko Machida, who all recorded straight-game victories.
Dong downed Taiwan's Chang Jeng Shyuan 15-7, 15-10, Ong
brushed aside Japan's Takahiro Suka 15-4, 15-4, Kim was a 15-4,
18-15 winner over Malaysian K. Muralidesan and Machida conquered
Tan Sian Peng of Singapore 15-11, 15-2.
Dong, the number four seed, and Ong will battle each other for
a place in the last four while the third-seeded Kim will meet
Machida.