Malaysia labors to beat S. Korea 3-2 in Thomas Cup
Malaysia labors to beat S. Korea 3-2 in Thomas Cup
JAKARTA (JP): The second string doubles pair of Tan Kim Her
and Yap Kim Hock played a pivotal role in Thomas Cup holder
Malaysia's 3-2 win over South Korea in their Group B match at
Senayan indoor stadium on Wednesday.
While Malaysia faced stiff opposition before carving out that
win, Denmark strolled to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Thailand in
Wednesday's other Thomas Cup tie.
Denmark benched its third singles player Peter Espersen,
fielding Soren Nielsen instead. The Danes also jumbled their
doubles pair, fielding the unlikely combination of Thomas Lund
and Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen.
Despite that, the Danes still had too much firepower for the
gritty but outclassed Thais.
Malaysia also sprang a surprise by fielding the up-and-coming
pair of Yap Kim Hock and Tan Kim Her at second doubles in place
of the aging Razif and Jalani Sidek. But Yap and Kim did not let
the Malaysian camp down.
Tan and Yap, runners-up in the recent Asian championships,
upset South Korea's Yoo Yong-soon and Kim Dong-moon 15-8, 15-12
to give their squad an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
The Malaysian players fought tooth and nail despite a hostile
crowd of 4,000 that delighted in booing them at every
opportunity.
Kim dominated for most of the first set to open up a 13-9 lead
and appeared poised to clinch the set. But Rashid, the hero of
Malaysia's 1992 Thomas Cup triumph, clawed his way back to take
the first set 18-13 and found little resistance in the second,
winning it 15-8. It was Rashid's fifth win over Kim in as many
encounters.
The Malaysian number one doubles pair of Cheah Soon Keat and
Soo Beng Kiang breezed past Lee Kwang-jin and Lee Suk-ho 15-3,
15-1. But Malaysia's second singles player Ong Ewe Hock fell in
an upset 16-18, 15-6, 16-18 to wily Park Sung-woo.
In a match which was of academic interest, South Korea's Lee
Kwang Jin came from behind to beat Asian champion Foo Kok Keong
12-15, 15-4, 15-5.
Jon Holst-Christensen formed a solid partnership with Michael
Soegaard to give Denmark an unbeatable 3-0 lead after their 15-9,
15-12 win over Siripong Siripol and Khunakorn Sudhisodhi.
Thomas Lund also teamed up well with Stuer-Lauridsen as the
makeshift Danish pair downed Promote Teerawiwatana and Sakrapee
Thongsari 15-10, 15-12.
Uber Cup
In the Uber Cup, world badminton queen Susi Susanti
spearheaded the Indonesian women as they began their drive for
the title with a 5-0 rout of minnow Thailand.
Displaying an unusually aggressive style, Susi, who has won
every major world singles title, needed less than 20 minutes to
disposed of Somharuethai Jaroensiri 11-2, 11-3.
Sweden came from behind for a 3-2 win over Denmark when Danish
singles ace Camille Martin was upset by Chinese-born Lim Xiao
Qing in a three-set thriller 11-8, 5-11, 11-12.
The clash between the two Scandinavian countries saw four
matches end in three sets. The Swedish number one pair of Maria
Bengtsson and Catrine Bengtsson contributed a point to their team
by nipping Anne Bille and Marlene Thompson, 15-9, 10-15, 17-16.
(amd)
Wednesday's results:
Thomas Cup
Malaysia 3 Korea 2
Denmark 5 Thailand 0
Uber Cup
Indonesia 5 Thailand 0
Sweden 3 Denmark 2