SGS shows who's boss at national club championship
SGS shows who's boss at national club championship
Musthofid and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
After teetering on the brink of defeat in previous rounds, SGS
Elektrik made short work of Suryanaga Gudang Garam in the final
of the National Mixed Team Championships at Amongrogo sports hall
here on Saturday.
SGS, stretched to the limit against Keshab Timur of East
Kalimantan in the quarterfinals and Djarum Kudus in the semis on
Friday, quickly secured an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the best of
five match tie.
Flandy Limpele and Lita Nurlita started things off with a 15-
4, 15-13 win over Ronny Agustinus and Dewi Tira in the mixed
doubles. Yuli Marfuah, who had lost in her last two matches, then
made amends by crushing 11-2, 11-6 win over Nining Kustyaningsih.
"I picked up the pace. I couldn't slow down, otherwise she
would have probably forced rallies that would have tired me out.
I took the initiative to attack from the start," Yuli said.
Taufik Hidayat, called up for double duty on Friday with
Flandy as SGS squeaked by Djarum, recouped from a first game loss
for a 5-15, 15-3, 15-8 victim over Jeffer Rosobin and take the
title.
Team manager Herman Subarjah attributed their success to their
narrow escape in the semifinal.
"It was a tough battle against Djarum. We could have been
eliminated. In the finals, the players appeared more relaxed."
His Suryanaga counterpart, Wijanarko Adimulya, said the result
turned out as he expected.
"Our lineup is a rank below their players. We came to the
tournament without our three key players. What was left in our
weaponry was our fighting spirit."
As usual, Olympic champion Taufik was the player fans came to
watch, but he appeared sluggish as he lost the first game.
Taufik forced the pace in the second, racing to a 6-0 lead,
and then 11-1 before closing it out.
He went ahead 6-0 once again in the third, but Jeffer held on,
reaching 8-9 before Taufik lifted his game.
"Taufik looked slow at first so I could match him in the
opening game. But in the second and third games, Taufik changed
to a faster performance and I was left trailing. I ran out of my
stamina," Jeffer said.
SGS's top prize was Rp 40 million, with Suryanaga receiving Rp
30 million. Semifinalists Djarum and Sinema Sukabumi pocketed Rp
15 million each.
Earlier, heavily favored Andre Kurniawan of Central Java won
the boys' singles title with a no-nonsense 15-4, 15-4 dissection
of Fauzi Adnan of East Java.
Central Java collected another title in the mixed doubles
through Bona Septono and Meidyani who beat Lingga and Yulianti
15-13, 15-4.
It was Jakarta all the way in the other three finals, which
all pitted players from the capital.
Pia Zebadiah triumphed over Nintya Krishinda 7-11, 11-3, 11-5
in the girls singles. They then teamed to beat Nadya Melati and
Meidyani 15-11, 15-5 in the doubles.
Aditya Dwi Putra and I Made Agung labored in the second game
before dispatching Andhika Harjanggi and Muhamad Ahsan 15-7, 17-
15 in the boys doubles.