RI relying on Susi and Joko in Grand Prix Finals

BOGOR, West Jakarta (JP): Indonesia is banking on veterans Joko Suprianto and Susi Susanti for gold medals at the Lipton World Grand Prix Badminton Finals in Denpasar, Bali, next month.

Defending champion Joko, the country's No. One men's singles player, has been named the third seed in the tournament after top seed Denmark's Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen and Malaysian Ong Ewe Hock.

"I will fight tooth and nail to win the tournament, especially because of the alluring prize money," Joko said yesterday when asked about his chances in the US$350,000 tournament, which only features a selected group of world beaters.

The tournament, which will take place from Dec. 2 to Dec. 8 in the Yuwana Mandala Stadium, is the climax of this year's 19 Grand Prix events.

Another national men's shuttler eligible to compete in the tournament is Hermawan Susanto, seeded 10th among the 16 players in the men's singles field. Indonesian Heryanto Arby is likely to miss the tournament due to a nagging back injury.

"We really hope that Heryanto will be able to recover in time for the tournament. However even if he does, his current world ranking will not make him eligible for the event,"Sumaryono, an official of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (BAI), said.

The former All-England champion, known for his leaping smashes, is currently ranked 18th in the world. But he could make the elite field if two players pull out.

In the women's singles, third seeded Susi is being challenged by China's Zhang Ning and Dane Camilla Martin. Defending champion Ye Zhaoying, seeded eighth, will also pose a threat to Susi, who won the tournament five times in a row from 1990 to 1994.

Olympic silver medalist Mia Audina will have to labor hard in two other Grand Prix events; The Hong Kong and Thailand Opens, to improve her ranking.

"If Mia reaches the semifinals in the two tournaments, she will be eligible for the 12-player field in the Grand Prix Finals", Hadi Nasri, another BAI official said.

Sumaryono said although Joko and Susi have qualified for the tournament, they will take part in the less prestigious Thailand Open as a warm-up outing prior to their participation in the Grand Prix Finals.

Indonesia only managed two titles, in the men's singles and mixed doubles, in last year's tournament in Singapore. The country's top shuttlers ruled the roost in the 1990 tournament in Bali where they swept four out of the five titles in convincing fashion.

Justian Suhandinata of the International Badminton Federation urged the organizing committee to pay more attention to the venue.

"I hope we will not repeat what happened in Medan, North Sumatra, during the Indonesian Open last August when there were leaks in the venue's roof," he said. (yan)