RI shuttlers win three final berths

BANGKOK (JP): Indonesia assured itself of three final berths plus one consolation bronze in the semifinals of the 13th Asian Games badminton competition at the Thammasat University sports complex on Wednesday.

Hendrawan proved himself the strongest contender for the men's singles crown as he upset world number two and top seed Sun Jun of China 6-15, 15-12, 15-9 in one hour and 24 minutes. It was Hendrawan's second straight victory over Sun in one week and his fourth successive victory in their seven career meetings.

The Indonesian world number five will now face China's Dong Jiong, who booked his place in the final with a 15-5, 15-10 victory over Malaysia's Yong Hock Kin.

"We stand an equal chance of winning the gold medal. I'm a bit unwell, but that can't be an excuse. This is my chance to prove that I deserve the crown," said Hendrawan, who lost to Dong in their only previous encounter at the 1997 Grand Prix finals in Jakarta.

The 26-year-old Hendrawan has been battling against a fever for the past two days.

State-owned TVRI will broadcast the Asian Games badminton finals live on Thursday at 2.30 p.m. Western Indonesia Time.

Men's doubles favorites and defending champions Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky also went through to the final with a 15-10, 15- 11 victory over the Chinese duo of Liu Yong and Yu Jinhao.

The women's pairing of Elysa Nathanael and Deyana Lomban scored the upset of the day when they toppled the Chinese world number two pairing of Qin Yiyuan and Tang Hetian 15-10, 15-5.

The mixed doubles team of Tri Kusherjanto and Minarti Timur, ranked number two in the world, were the only Indonesians to bow out of the competition on Wednesday. They crashed to a 16-17, 9- 15 defeat against South Korea's Lee Dong-soo and Yim Kyung-jin and will now have to settle for a bronze medal.

South Korean made certain of claiming the mixed doubles title after the country's other pairing of Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung- min strolled to a 15-3, 15-6 win over China's Zhang Jun and Qin Yuyuan in the other semifinal.

Playing before the constant cheers of 150 Indonesian supporters, Hendrawan had no answer to the aggressive tactics deployed by the reigning All-England champion Sun, who piled the pressure on his opponent early in the match.

However, Hendrawan gained the upper hand in the second set when his opponent switched to energy conserving tactics.

Hendrawan defied his age and gave his younger opponent a lesson in endurance, matching him stroke for stroke in long, exhausting rallies which he frequently won.

The match was virtually settled when Hendrawan raced to a 12-9 lead in the deciding set. Sun was totally defenseless and left the door open for Hendrawan to pile down smash after smash.

"I almost gave up. But I regained my confidence when I remembered that I was just a step away from the final. I need to prove to myself that I'm a true champion," Hendrawan said.

There was an emotional celebration on the Indonesian side after Deyana and Elysa notched an upset win over the Chinese favorites, with coach Imelda Wiguna hugging and kissing her players in tears of joy.

"I never expected them to win, but they shrugged off the odds and pulled out a never-say-die performance. Hopefully they can now go all out for the gold," Imelda said.

Elysa and Deyana will meet the top seeds and reigning world champions Ge Fei and Gu Jun of China, who eliminated Ra Kyung-min and Chung Jae-hee of South Korea 15-11, 15-9.

In the men's doubles, Ricky and Rexy will face Pramote Teerawiwatana and Siripong Siripool from the host nation, who upset South Korea's Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung 16-17, 15-6, 15-7.

The women's singles final will pit Chinese second seed Gong Zhicao, a 6-11, 11-4, 11-4 winner over Lee Joo-hyun of South Korea, against Japanese giantkiller Kanako Yonekura, who crushed home favorite Sujitra Eakmongkolpaisarn 11-5, 11-2. (yan)