RI shuttlers reach Asia Cup final in Ho Chi Minh City
RI shuttlers reach Asia Cup final in Ho Chi Minh City
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian shuttlers reached the final of the
US$100,000 JVC Asia Cup in Ho Chi Minh City after defeating top
seeds China 3-0 in Saturday's semifinals.
First singles Taufik Hidayat, world ranked three, had to work
hard to upset world number one Sun Jun 15-12, 15-14.
Both players played world-class games, but Taufik was more
accurate in the first game to win 15-12.
In the second game, Sun led 12-6 before 18-year-old Taufik
managed to trail 9-13 and equaled 13-13. World champion Sun
earned one more point to extend the match, but Taufik, the All
England finalist, once again tied 14-14.
Sun, is suffering from a back injury after competing in the
National Championships in China, declined for a deuce, but Taufik
managed to overcome the pressure to conclude the match 15-14.
The Indonesian doubles of Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan
hardly broke out in a sweat to defeat the Chinese young duo of
Zhang Jun and Yu Jinhao 15-4, 15-6.
Second singles Hendrawan had no trouble eliminating Chen Hong
15-7, 15-4 for a perfect victory 3-0 against China.
Coach Herry Imam Pierngadi said that Hendrawan managed to play
his best game after late starts in the first two days of Group B
round robin matches.
"Hendrawan played perfectly. His nettings were incredible. He
controlled the match and made Chen unable to overcome the
pressure," said Herry, the doubles coach.
In another semifinal, South Korea and Malaysia were still
fighting for the final ticket.
Herry said he preferred to face Malaysia in the final.
"We defeated Malaysia 3-0 in the round-robin on Friday. We
have a great chance to repeat our victory. South Korea has the
strongest doubles in the world. Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon are
the world number one. Candra and Tony have an equal chance to win
over them," he said.
Indonesia won the title in the 1997 Asia Cup in Jakarta.
On Friday, Taufik had to work hard to overcome Malaysian Jason
Wong 15-12, 13-15, 15-8.
In the first game, Wong led 12-7 before Taufik managed to
equal 12-12, thanks to his smashes, before he finally won 15-12.
In the second game, Taufik controlled the ball to lead 13-9
before Wong took over the ball to conclude the game 15-13.
In the deciding game, Taufik took advantage from Wong's
exhausted condition to easily win 15-8.
In the doubles, Candra and Tony had no trouble beating Rosman
Razak and Chew Chun Eng 15-5, 15-8 in only 22 minutes. Hendrawan
also beat Ismail Saman 15-9, 15-13. (yan)