Mia Audina returns to form at Euro c'ships
Mia Audina returns to form at Euro c'ships
Agence France-Presse
Geneva
Mia Audina Tjiptawan, who once clinched the Uber Cup for
Indonesia as a 14-year-old, suggested that now, fully a decade
later, she has at last returned to her best, reaching the final
of the European championships with a brilliant win on Friday.
The top-seeded Dutch international won a classic contest 11-4,
10-13, 11-8 against Camilla Martin, the former world and European
champion, after the courageous Dane had saved a match point at 8-
10 in the second game and led 7-6 in the decider.
The men's final will be between former world number one Peter
Gade, who is now certain to get an Olympic seeding, and his top-
seeded Danish compatriot Kenneth Jonassen.
Audina's clash with Martin was the stroke-player versus the
fighter. Audina's ability to slice and disguise the shuttle down
short and to mix it with deep punched clears narrowly gave her
the edge against an opponent who covered the court with fierce
determination but with waning strength.
Martin, who was stretchered off with a damaged ankle during
last month's All-England championships in Birmingham, had hoped
she had recovered sufficiently to win the title back in her last
Europeans before retirement.
But after a thrilling 58-minute tussle she had to settle for
the benefits of having advanced her physical recovery still
further and of some outstanding match practice in the build-up to
the last major event of her career, the Olympics in Athens in
August.
"If I can play like this when I am not fully fit, it's
encouraging. If I can play some more with the boys and put some
more speed in the rallies it will be good for Athens." said
Martin.
Audina had the look of someone whose career has taken in a
different dimension. Although it could have been costly when she
hit the shuttle long on her first match point in the second game
she maintained a series of beautifully controlled attacks in the
last dozen rallies, which gained her the result.
"I feel good. I know this is the best I have played since I
moved to The Netherlands," said Audina, who moved to Europe five
years ago.
"She has a goal - the Olympics - and that's why she's playing
so well. She has had some excellent practice in the last two
months." said The Netherlands' head coach Martijn van Dooremalen.
Audina, who looks certain to win an Olympic seeding in a medal
position, will play a final which for the second successive
occasion will be an all-Asian affair.
She faces Pi Hongyang, the second-seeded Szechuan-raised
French international, who triumphed 11-4,11-6 against Yao Jie,
another former Chinese national squad member from Szechuan.
Yao thus lost the title she gained two years ago in Malmo when
she beat Audina in the final.
In the men's semis, second seed Gade beat fellow Dane Anders
Boesen 15-6, 15-12 to set up an all-Danish final with Jonassen
who defeated Bjorn Joppien of Germany 15-4, 15-8.