RI female shuttlers have slim chance in World C'ship

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian shuttlers have a slim chance of success against China in the women's singles at the upcoming World Badminton Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, next month.

Coach Liang Chiusia, for the Indonesian team, said yesterday that Susi Susanti and Mia Audina will first have to handle China, which will send eight shuttlers, at the championships scheduled for May 26 to June 1.

"Susi and Mia will have to work extra hard in the first rounds because they will face mostly Chinese players," she said.

Based on the latest IBF ranking, dated March 25, eight Chinese shuttlers are listed in the top 16. They include Ye Zhaoying (No. 1), Gong Zhichao (No. 3), Zhang Ning (No. 6) and Wang Chen (No. 7).

Mia is ranked second and Susi is fourth. Juniors Meiluawati and Cindana are in the 14th and 16th places respectively.

Denmark will feature Camilla Martin and South Korea will rely on Ra Kyung-min and Kim Ji-hyun.

Chiusia said that since the World Cup in Jakarta in December, Susi had been ill-prepared for the All England and the Swiss Open tournaments.

"First, there was a riot in her hometown of Tasikmalaya (West Java), second she was preparing her marriage and third, she is still on honeymoon," she said.

The 1992 Olympic gold medalist Susi, who married another gold medalist Alan Budikusuma, was scheduled to return from Paris yesterday.

She lost to Gong Zhichao of China at the All England championship quarterfinals three weeks ago.

Chiusia said although Susi will practice harder, she will still have trouble overcoming China's domination.

"She has to beat four Chinese shuttlers if she wants to win," she said.

Retno Kustiyah, Mia's coach, said the 17-year-old shuttler will have to improve her physical condition for the tournament.

"Since winning the Japan Open, Mia is rarely working out. She just realized it after losing at the All England. But she has practiced harder recently," she said.

Sudirman Cup

Men's singles coach Indra Gunawan said he would select only senior players for the country's team at the Sudirman Cup, scheduled for May 19 to May 25 also in Glasgow.

"The senior shuttlers' mental condition has been tested in the team championships, like the Thomas Cup, so I prefer to select them for the team," he said.

With only 37 days to go, the seniors only need to increase their physical condition. They are being trained by national coach Tahir Djide, who successfully helped Indonesia take home the Thomas Cup last year.

Indra said the shuttlers' loss at the All England and the Swiss Open tournaments was not merely due to physical conditions.

"There were other factors which also caused the loss," he said, without elaborating.

But, he added, "By receiving more attention, players and coaches will concentrate and prepare better." (yan)