S. Korea unlikely to beat Indonesia in Thomas Cup
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is the odds-on favorite against dark- horse South Korea in this evening's semifinal at Senayan indoor stadium.
In fact the host nation, with six of the world's top 10 singles players, looks firmly on course to lift the cup for the first time in a decade.
Indonesia has won the Thomas Cup a record eight times before, the last in 1984 when it edged China 3-2 in the final, avenging a 5-4 defeat by the Chinese in the 1982 final.
"The Thomas Cup is very important to me and the team. I really want to win this for Indonesia and for all our fans," said Joko Suprianto, Indonesia's first singles player and world number one.
South Korea, which made the semi-finals at the expense of more favored Denmark, readily admitted that it faces an uphill task against the seemingly invincible Indonesians.
A South Korean official put on a brave face when he told a press conference yesterday that his team "would do its best."
"It will take a herculean effort for us to beat Indonesia in the lion's den. We knew all along that the odds are heavily stacked against us, and we are not given even a ghost of a chance to pull off an upset. But we will not throw in the towel as we will fight it out and do our best," said Han Sung-gei, international affairs official for the South Korean badminton federation, who represented team manager Kim Joong-soo at the press conference.
He added, however, that his team might have a chance "if our first singles player Kim Hak-yun beats Joko." Han said Kim has thoroughly studied Joko's style by video.
That possibility seems very remote, given the wide gap in world rankings between the two players, but Han said: "Everything can happen in a team event."
South Korea suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Alan Budikusuma-led Indonesian team in the semifinals at the 1992 championships in Kuala Lumpur. Indonesia went on to reach the final, only to be beaten 3-2 by the fired up and highly motivated Malaysian team in the final.
Kim upset top seed Joko in last January's Korean Open, eventually won by Indonesia's Ardy Wiranata defeating teammate Hariyanto Arbi.
Joko, Hariyanto and Ardy are almost certain to play first, second and third singles against South Korea which will most likely field Kim, Park Sung-woo and Lee Kwan-jin in the singles.
The manager said he was not sure if his team will use veteran doubles specialist Kim Moon-soo in the match. "He always joins the training sessions, but whether we will field him tomorrow will much depend on the situation," Han said without going into details.
Kim formed a formidable partnership with Park Joo-bong in the 1980s, when they won almost every major men's doubles title, culminating in the duo's gold-medal victory at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
South Korea has benched Kim for the last three matches.
Han complained that the Indonesian spectators are not very pleasant to the foreign players. "The Indonesian people like badminton very much, but they only reserve their vociferous cheers for their players. They shower derisive jeers on whoever rivals the Indonesian players," he lamented.
He said badminton spectators in his country cheer any player, regardless of his or her nationality, who performs well. "They appreciate a good performance no matter who the players are."
Han expressed deep concern that the excessive support given by the hometown fans to the Indonesian shuttlers might adversely affect the performances of his unexperienced players.
Hundreds of T-shirted crowds have used trumpets and drums, unfurling banners as means of massive support for both the Indonesian men's and women's squads.
Optimism
Indonesian team manager Lutfi Hamid expressed overwhelming optimism that his side would win a ticket for the final. "We will sweep three points as soon as possible from either the singles or doubles matches," Lutfi said.
Lutfi hinted that there might be some changes in the singles line-up."Anyway we will field our strongest team," he said.
He said that Joko was not his usual self when he lost to Kim in the Korean Open. "But things are different now. We will not only beat South Korea en-route to the final, but also the championship," he said.
While Uber Cup title holder China continued its regular training session for today's semifinals, the rival Swedish team took a break with a trip to the Seribu Islands, a popular destination for tourists north of here.
Chinese coach Chen Yie said his squad will take more than three points to win a place in the final. "All my players are in tip-top conditions to retain the title," he said after a workout yesterday.
China upset old nemesis South Korea 3-2 on Friday to top Group A.
China won its fifth consecutive Uber Cup title in Kuala Lumpur in 1992 by scoring a 3-2 win over South Korea. China and South Korea have contested the last three Uber Cup finals, with the Chinese emerging triumphant each time. (amd/bas)