Lidya through Asia Cup semis

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Uber Cup player Lidya Djaelawidjaja rallied to beat her Chinese counterpart Zhang Ning 11-6, 4-11, 11-9 for a place in the semifinals of the Ciba Asia Cup badminton championships in Seoul yesterday.

Indonesian second string shuttlers advanced to the semifinals in four divisions, but they lost the chance to win the men's singles title.

Rising stars Tony Gunawan and Rudi Wijaya topped the Group A with a 15-5, 15-12 win over South Korea's Thomas Cup tandem of Kim Dong-moon and Yoo Yong-sun. Another Indonesian men's doubles pair, Ade Sutrisna and Chandra Wijaya, also finished unbeaten in Group B, thanks to their 15-5, 15-6 victory over Thailand's Pramotee Terawiwathana and Sakraphe Thongsari.

Indonesia's makeshift mixed doubles team of Isolina Indarti and Sandiarto came close to a shocking win over South Korean number one pair of Park Joo-bong and Ra Kyung-min who finally survived 15-3, 10-15, 15-9. Both couples qualify for today's semifinals. (arf)