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.