RI chases three titles at All England
RI chases three titles at All England
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top badminton players are set to
resume their race for more laurels at the All-England
championships next week, with a repeat of last year's triple
sweep in sight.
Men's singles champion Hariyanto Arbi, winner in the women's
singles Susi Susanti, and the solid pair of Ricky Subagja and
Rexy Mainaky, the men's doubles title holders, were seeded top at
the prestigious tournament in Birmingham.
Hariyanto is out to confirm his world number one spot with a
rare men's singles crown hat trick. The 23-year-old player, armed
with his steamrolling smashes, remains far from matching his
predecessor and All England living legend Rudy Hartono who racked
up eight titles during his heyday in the 1970s.
But as far as statistics count, Hariyanto looks to be the
favorite after his fine start this season. He scored two
victories in two appearances in Japan and Korea Opens last
January.
All England men's singles is expected to rerun last year's
final showdown pitting Hariyanto and Ardy Wiranata, who is now
seeded second. World champion Joko Suprianto was ranked third,
followed by Olympic gold medalist Alan Budikusuma and Taipei Open
winner Hermawan Susanto.
Hariyanto's fellow top seeds Susi and the combination of Ricky
and Rexy also carry equally perfect records, triumphing in two
world badminton tour openers they took part in, in Tokyo and
Seoul.
Susi, who has collected all major trophies, is poised to
secure her fifth All England title, while the world number one
men's pair are gunning a sweet consolation for their bitter loss
to compatriots Bambang Suprianto and Rudy Gunawan in last year's
final.
"They emerge as the hot favorites, but they, especially Susi,
are suffering from big pressures. They may fall if they fail to
overcome their nerves," badminton maestro Rudy said yesterday.
"Non-technical skills will be the key factor on their way to
claiming their titles," said Rudy.
Susi leads a pack of three players who join the seeding list.
Uber Cup heroine Mia Audina, whose bright run was halted by
eventual finalist Ye Zhaoying of China last year, was seeded
sixth, three places ahead of veteran Yuliani Sentosa.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia has set a reasonable
target of retaining the three titles. The national badminton body
excludes a possible victory by the slumping women's pair of
Finarsih and Lili Tampi who were seeded third this year.
All top players will skip two European trips to Sweden and
Switzerland which serve as the warm-up for the All England.
Marleve Mainaky leads Indonesian second stringers in the Swiss
Open which starts tomorrow. (amd)