RI expects good start at Thomas, Uber Cups
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia expects a comfortable start in its defense of both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup world badminton team titles in Hong Kong where it will meet low-rated contenders in opening matches.
The women's team will start its defense of the Uber Cup by playing its first match against England on May 15, while its male counterpart will meet the Netherlands in their Thomas Cup opener May 16.
According to the match drawing conducted by the International Badminton Federation (IBF) Tuesday in Hong Kong, the Indonesian men's team is to meet South Korea on May 18 and play Malaysia in a possible Group B top-of-the-table match two days after.
After taking on England, Indonesia's Uber Cup squad will face the Netherlands on May 17 and meet the tournament's top ranked South Korean team May 19.
Indonesia's opening matches are scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. Hong Kong time (11:30 a.m. West Indonesia time).
The Indonesian Badminton Association's athlete development deputy, Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, was quick to express satisfaction over the drawing.
"It's supposed to be a good start for us to avoid early meetings with strong teams. The drawing allows us to warm up for further but tougher matches," Siregar said as quoted by Antara.
He said he had nothing to worry about his teams playing at noon.
"No problem with the timetable. Our players can make themselves used to playing noon matches," Siregar said.
The drawing, however, gave Malaysia, the 1992 Thomas Cup winner, a headache. It must set out on its bid to regain its past glory with a do-or-die battle against dark horse South Korea on May 16.
In the day's other Thomas Cup developments, top seed China was placed to meet Sweden in a Group A match which may serve as an appetizer for the Asian team. China will face its toughest hurdle May 20 when it plays Europe's best hope, Denmark.
Underdog Hong Kong, which qualified for the championships as the host, faces a daunting task in its early stages. It must play China in the Uber Cup on May 15 and Denmark in the Thomas Cup opener May 16.
The May 15 to May 24 badminton championships will be played at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. (lnt)
Order of play
Uber Cup: Indonesia vs. England, South Korea vs. Netherlands, China vs. Hong Kong, Denmark vs. Japan (May 15); Indonesia vs. Netherlands, South Korea vs. England, China vs. Japan, Denmark vs. Hong Kong (May 17); Indonesia vs. South Korea, Netherlands vs. England, China vs. Denmark, Japan vs. Hong Kong (May 19)
Thomas Cup: Indonesia vs. Netherlands, China vs. Sweden, Malaysia vs. South Korea, Denmark vs. Hong Kong (May 16); Indonesia vs. South Korea, Malaysia vs. Netherlands, China vs. Hong Kong, Denmark vs. Sweden (May 18); Indonesia vs. Malaysia, Netherlands vs. South Korea, China vs. Denmark, Sweden vs. Hong Kong (May 20)