Markis-Hendra pair takes upset win in men's doubles
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The young men's doubles pair of Markis Kidho and Hendra Setiawan caused a big surprise in a battle of national badminton's present and future at the US$250,000 Indonesia Open on Sunday.
Although local players were already assured the titles in all- Indonesia finals in the men's doubles and mixed doubles, pride was on the line as veteran teams took on their younger counterparts at Senayan, Central Jakarta.
In the mixed doubles final, despite fighting talk from Anggun Nugroho on Saturday that they would show who was the best on court, newly crowned World champions and top seeds Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir put seventh seeds Anggun and Yunita Tetty in their place with a 15-13, 15-1 win.
"In the first game, Anggun and Yunita did the right thing by hitting slow shots and forcing me to smash," Nova, 28, said after receiving the top prize of $15,250. "But in the second game, they went along with our fast pace and lost because of it."
The men's doubles final, pitting top seeds and world number one ranked Sigit Budiarto and Candra Wijaya against Markis and Hendra, was the match the packed crowd was waiting for. Sigit and Candra, aged 29 and 30 respectively, were coming off their run to the World Championship final in Anaheim, California.
Seventh seeded Markis and Hendra, both aged 21, were left off the team for the worlds and had something to prove by winning at home. Earlier this month they won the Asian Championships in Hyderabad, India.
The younger pair set the pace from the beginning with fast drives and sharply angled shots, preventing the veteran pairing from attacking. After opening up an 11-2 lead, they began committing errors, with hurried shots into the net or wide, and Candra and Sigit fought back to 10-13 before they closed it out.
Markis and Hendra seemed poised to finish off the match when they reached 12-9 in the second game, but again nerves seemed to get the better of them.
Sigit and Candra, the 1997 and 2001 Indonesia Open champions, held on with steady play to take the game.
Although they missed their second game opportunity, the younger pair did not fold when it mattered. They stepped up the pace once again, leading 8-0 and never allowing their opponents back into the match to win 15-10, 12-15, 15-3.
"This is evidence that we can win although our trip to the World Championship was canceled," said Markis, who shared $18,000 with his partner.
The pairs had never met before in tournament play, and Sigit, who received $10,000 with Candra as runners-up, gave credit to the winners.
"The young duo played very good today. Besides, we are already old."
In a field depleted by the absence of Chinese shuttlers, who chose to stay home for the national championships, and top European teams resting after the worlds, Markis and Hendra will have to show that the triumph was their breakthrough into the top ranks.
South Korea took home two titles in the men's singles and women's doubles.
Seventh seeded Lee Hyun Il, who defeated Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the semifinals, crushed eighth seeded Thai Boonsak Ponsana 15-10, 15-3, while the top seeded women's double duo of Lee Kyung Won/Lee Hyo Jung beat Malaysia's Wong Pey Tty/Chin Eei Hui 15-4, 15-5.
Hong Kong took the women's singles title when third seed Wang Chen overcame eighth seed Mia Audina Tjiptawan, who was born in Indonesia but now plays for the Netherlands, 11-7, 11-3.