RI best shuttlers return to GP races
RI best shuttlers return to GP races
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's best shuttlers return to the courts
this week as the world badminton season comes to an end.
There are three grand prix tournaments remaining, starting
with the Hong Kong Open tomorrow, before the world's best players
gather in Singapore for the Grand Prix finals at the end of
November.
World champion Hariyanto Arbi will lead a 16-strong team to
the Hong Kong Open after a two month lay-off. Olympic gold
medalist Alan Budikusuma will also go to uphold Indonesia's quest
for three titles in Hong Kong.
Hariyanto is expected to win the men's singles crown at the
five-day tournament. Indonesia hopes to win the other two titles
with the world men's doubles champions Rexy Mainaky and Ricky
Subagja and the mixed doubles team of Minarti and Trikus
Heryanto.
In the absence of world number one Susi Susanti, Indonesia
banks on the country's teenagers Mia Audina and Cindana in the
women's singles. Susi will play in the last two tournaments in
Thailand and China.
China Open
The China Open in Chengdu and the Thai Open in Bangkok will
follow the Hong Kong Open. Grand prix tournaments always start on
Wednesday and conclude on Sunday.
Training Director of the Badminton Association of Indonesia,
Iwan Setiawan, said over the weekend that his best players needed
only to play once to assure themselves trips to Singapore.
"Barring unexpected injuries, they are going to make a trip to
Singapore," Iwan said.
Hariyanto, who wasn't included on the list for 18th Southeast
Asian Games in December, will not go to China or Thailand. Former
world champion Joko Suprianto will play once in China, missing
his title defense in Bangkok. Joko won the German Open two weeks
ago.
The latest world grand prix rankings put six Indonesian men's
singles, two women's singles, four men's doubles, one women's
doubles and one mixed doubles among the world's top.
Only eight singles players and eight doubles teams from each
gender plus eight mixed doubles teams qualify for the world grand
prix finals between Nov. 29 and Dec. 3. They are vying for
US$750,000 in cash prizes, the biggest prize money offered in the
history of badminton.
The International Badminton Federation has decided to use
grand prix tournaments as qualifying rounds for the Olympic Games
in Atlanta next year.
Indonesian players will rest for a week before returning to
Thailand for the SEA Games in Chiang Mai in December . (amd)