S. Korea unlikely to beat Indonesia in Thomas Cup

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)