RI crushes China to keep Thomas Cup

RI crushes China to keep Thomas Cup

By Primastuti Handayani

KUALA LUMPUR (JP): As China's Ji Xinpeng failed to return
Taufik Hidayat's overhead, about 12,000 Indonesian spectators
erupted in elation on Sunday as Indonesia won the Thomas Cup for
the 12th time.

Led by Taufik, the Indonesian players blanketed themselves in
red-and-white flags and took a victory lap accompanied by the
national anthem Indonesia Raya sung by their compatriots.

World number five Taufik, 18, defeated Ji 15-9, 17-14 in 61
minutes to allow Indonesia to tame China 3-0 in badminton's most
prestigious men's team competition.

"I was very nervous but I believed that Ji was even more
nervous. I gained confidence as Indonesia was already leading 2-
0. I wanted to be the decider and I'm proud that I won and
brought home the Thomas Cup in my first encounter.

"I made unforced errors in the second game when I was leading
at 13. During deuce at 14-14, I knew I had to be very careful and
Ji was more nervous as he made unforced errors."

Under a new rule, the final two meaningless matches were not
played.

Datin Siti Hasmah Mahathir Mohamad, patron of the Badminton
Association of Malaysia (BAM), presented the Thomas Cup to
Indonesian team manager Sumaryono.

"I am very proud the youngsters gave their best efforts to win
the match. They have proved their mounting motivation on the
court," said Sumaryono.

The squad of Hendrawan, Rexy Mainaky, Tony Gunawan, Taufik,
Candra Wijaya, Sigit Budiarto, Marlev Mainaky and Hariyanto Arbi
equalled the feat of the "magnificent seven" -- Christian
Hadinata, Iie Sumirat, Ade Chandra, Liem Swie King, Tjun Tjun,
Johan Wahyudi and Rudy Hartono -- who won the title four
consecutive times in the 1970s.

World number two Hendrawan put the team ahead by overcoming
1999 All England champion Xia Xuanze in a thrilling 11-15, 15-7,
15-9 tussle in 85 minutes.

Hendrawan, who will turn 28 next month, was shaky in the first
game and allowed the Chinese player to dictate the points.

In the second game, Hendrawan slowed the momentum by forcing
Xia into long rallies.

In the decisive game, Xia took control to lead 7-5 before
Hendrawan grabbed eight points to go ahead 13-7. Xia earned two
more points thanks to powerful smashes. However, with three
service overs, Hendrawan sealed the victory when Xia hit a smash
out.

"Slowing down the rhythm and forcing long rallies was my
strategy to reduce his stamina. I was able to do it even though I
was really exhausted after the three-game semifinal match against
Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark.

"Xia has a better speed and attacking but by using my strategy
I forced him to move all over the court. I managed to tame him."

Leaping smashes

The doubles team of Rexy Mainaky and Tony Gunawan maintained
their forceful smashing and deft net play of earlier rounds to
defeat Chen Qiqiu and Yu Jinhao 15-9, 15-2 in 43 minutes.

"The Chinese played under pressure as they are very young and
they were also shocked at learning of this random partnership
between me and Tony," said Rexy, 32, who plans to retire after
the Olympic Games. He usually plays with Ricky Subagya.

"I think the team is in a very good condition as some players,
including Hendrawan and Tony, ignored minor injuries to help the
team win the trophy."

Hendrawan was suffering from exhaustion after playing three
long matches in the round robin and semifinals. Tony injured his
left ankle during the semifinal against Denmark.

Head coach Christian Hadinata said: "The split in the doubles
was our strategy to divide our strength in both matches. I was
confident that we would win as Hendrawan managed to accomplish
his task."

The team is scheduled to arrive in Jakarta at about 3:30 p.m.
on Monday.

Host

International Badminton Federation (IBF) president Lu
Shengrong announced on Sunday the federation did not decide on
the host for the 2003 Thomas and Uber cups during its annual
general meeting held concurrently in Kuala Lumpur.

However, the IBF confirmed the European qualification would
take place in the Czech Republic while Australia would host the
Australia-Asia qualifying round.

IBF also mentioned four candidates to host the 2003 Sudirman
Cup and World Championships -- Canada, China, Bulgaria and the
Netherlands.

The 2001 Sudirman Cup and World Championships will take place
in Seville, Spain.

The IBF is also considering introducing yellow and red cards
to discipline players on court.

"The yellow card will be a warning which will then be followed
by point deductions. The red card, which will be for
disqualification, will be used for repeat offenders," Lu said.

Results

Indonesia bt China 3-0

Hendrawan bt Xia Xuanze 11-15, 15-7, 15-9
Tony Gunawan/Rexy Mainaky bt Chen Qiqiu/Yu Jinhao 15-9, 15-2
Taufik Hidayat bt Ji Xinpeng 15-9, 17-14
Candra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto vs Zhang Wei/Zhang Jun -- not played
Marlev Mainaky vs Lou Yigang -- not played