Markis-Hendra pair takes upset win in men's doubles
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.