RI shuttler eyes title in S'pore

RI shuttler eyes title in S'pore

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat hopes to win another title at
the US$170,000 Aviva Singapore Open badminton tournament from
Nov. 15 to Nov. 21 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The 24-year-old Indonesian will start as a pretournament
favorite. Taufik, who resided and trained in Singapore briefly in
2001, is currently coached by Mulyo Handoyo, who used to guide
Singapore's top player, Ronald Susilo.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia's chief of development
affairs, Icuk Sugiarto, told The Jakarta Post on Friday he
expected victory in the men's singles at the tournament.

Indonesia will send four men's singles shuttlers to the event
-- Taufik, Marleve Mainaky, Simon Santoso and Wimpie Mahardi.
Icuk said he expected Indonesian shuttlers at least to make it to
the finals of the men's singles and doubles at five-star event.

Olympic bronze medalist Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who bombed out of
the ongoing China Open badminton tournament with a third round
loss to unheralded Li Yu of China, will miss the Singapore event.

Indonesia will be sending a full squad to this International
Badminton Federation Grand Prix series in Singapore. There will
be the four men's singles shuttlers, three men's doubles pairs,
three women's doubles pairs and two mixed pairs.

World number one men's pair Alven Yulianto/Luluk Hadiyanto,
who missed the six-star tournament in Guangzhou earlier this
week, and former world champions and recently reunited Candra
Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto are scheduled to grace the badminton court
in Singapore.

Another men's doubles pair participating in the event is
Flandy Limpele/Eng Hian. The pair won the event two years ago
while competing for England, but this time they will be flying
the Indonesian flag.

Several of the country's younger players will get an
opportunity to shine in Singapore. Young singles player Simon
Santoso, junior pair Hendra Setiawan/Markis Kidho and the newly
paired mixed doubles teams of Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir and
Anggun Nugroho/Yunita Tetty will be eager to make an impression
at the event.

Women's doubles pairings Jo Novita/Lita Nurlita, Greysia
Polii/Heni Budiman and Rani Mundiastuti/Nathalia Poluakan will
get a rare chance to compete in an international tournament and
gain some needed experience.

"I don't have very high expectations for the women's doubles
and mixed doubles.

"The women's doubles lack experience while the mixed pairs are
still new. Therefore, it would be good if the mixed pairs could
make it to the semifinals, while the quarterfinals would be good
enough for the women's doubles," Icuk told the Post.

The event, which will feature 22 countries including host
Singapore, will not include world number one men's singles
shuttler Lin Dan of China, who has decided to skip the
tournament.

However, China will still send defending champion Chen Hong
and reigning world champion Zhang Ning, who will lead the
country's 27-strong squad.