Ricky/Rexy cruise to Korea Open men's double final

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian veterans men's double pair Ricky Ahmad Subagja and Rexy Mainaky seemed to revive their glory days by cruising to the final of the 2000 Samsung Korea Open at Hanra gymnasium in Cheju Island, South Korea.

Looking forward to performing in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney in September, the 1996 gold medalists outclassed their junior countrymen Flandi Limpele and Eng Hian 15-13, 15-8 at the semifinal on Saturday.

Ricky and Rexy, currently rank 11th in the world, will challenge host pair Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung, who went to the final match after overwhelming another Indonesian hope, Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan, 7-15, 15-8, 14-17.

However, Indonesian veteran mixed double pair Tri Kusharyanto and Minarti Timur disappointed badminton fans following their 13- 15, 3-15 loss over world runner-ups, Koreans Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung-min, in Saturday's final.

Team manager and men's double coach Herry Imam Pierngadi told The Jakarta Post that Ricky and Rexy were expected to win the men's double event at the final of the US$250,000 six-star event on Sunday.

"They can win the match as long as they can maintain their form and apply the same strategy as when they fought Ha Tae-kwon and Kim Dong-moon. They are motivated to win the match, and they can do it regardless of the non-technical factor," he said.

Herry was referring to the second round match on Thursday, when Ricky/Rexy overcame the world no. 1 team, Koreans Ha and Kim.

He said that Ricky and Rexy could benefit from their experiences but were down on physical endurance.

"Ricky and Rexy are more seasoned than the South Korean pair. But they might not be as strong as Lee and Yoo, who are younger," he said.

He also regretted Candra's and Tony's loss. "We could have created an all-Indonesian final if Candra and Tony had won the match," he said.

He said that Candra and Tony, who are the world's runner-ups, had skills equal to the South Korean pair.

"But the host shuttlers are fortunate because we play in their country. Candra and Tony can win if they play in a neutral venue. They had won two out of three matches in their previous meets," he said.

He also complained of biased officiating by the Koreans.

"The Indonesian pair's services were often called faults, while the South Koreans' hardly ever were. In the double match, service is very important," he said.

Commenting on Tri and Minarti's match, Hery said that they were outclassed by the South Korean pair.

"In the first set, Tri and Minarti could match the South Koreans. But Ra's striking power was better than Minarti while Tri can measure up with Kim. By the end of the set, Minarti often lobbed the ball which made it easier for the Koreans to hit back," he said.

Danish top women's shuttler Camilla Martin won the women's single's title after defeating Yasuko Mizui of Japan in the final on Saturday.

Martin's off-court partner, Peter Gade-Christensen, will play senior Malaysian shuttler Rashid Sidek in Sunday's men's singles final. In the semifinal Saturday, Gade-Christensen beat Luo Yi- gang of China, and Rashid overpowered teammate Saman Ismail.(ivy)