RI men make it four for four, Timy/Devota in another final

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The same two national pairings will meet once again in the men's final of the LA Menthol Indonesia Open Beach Volleyball Championship, while Ni Putu Timy Yudhani and Devota Rahawarin are poised for a clean sweep in the final stop of the women's four- leg series.

National number ones Agus Salim and Koko Prasetyo will meet No. 2 Andy Ardiansyah and Supriyadi at Senayan Plaza parking lot here on Sunday -- their fourth consecutive final duel.

Andy and Supriyadi won the opening two stops in Yogyakarta and Semarang, while Agus and Koko triumphed in the third in Surabaya.

Agus and Koko beat Reza Assari Naeini and Rachman Raoufi of Iran 21-17, 21-19, while Andy and Supriyadi stopped Thailand's Borworn Y. and Sonthi B. 25-23, 21-18.

Andy and Supriyadi bounced back from a defeat by the Iranian pair in the early rounds to reach the finals.

The pair looked loose before regrouping to seal a two-game win over Borworn and Sonthi.

After having been forced to fight hard in the first game, the Indonesian pairing had an easier time in the second.

"In the first game, we were caught up in the tactics employed by the Thais who wanted to slow down the game," Supriyadi said.

"We changed tactics in the second game. We sped up the game, because it's our nature to play fast."

The finals will be played on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m., with Timy and Devota looking for a perfect record in the series.

They will meet Kasinee Godtalang and Arawan Tongkamnak of Thailand. They brushed aside Gina Indri and Minarni of West Kalimantan 21-10, 21-17 in the semifinals.

It will be their second meeting in the series finals, with Timy and Devota triumphing in Semarang.

Timy and Devota have dominated throughout the series, including national rivals Engel Bertha Kaize and Ninik Nuraida in Saturday's semifinals.

They beat their rivals from Jakarta 22-20, 21-11, their fifth win over the pair in the series.

Devota was erratic at the outset, which led to a tight first game.

"I felt nervous a bit in the opening game. My receiving was not good but then I tried hard to calm down," Devota said.