Shuttler Johan top seed in German Open
Shuttler Johan top seed in German Open
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Johan Hadikusuma is the top seed in
the German Open, while compatriot Ronny Agustinus has been seeded
third for the US$50,000 tournament which will run from Wednesday
to Sunday in Bremen, Germany.
Johan, ranked 16th in the world, will face Juergen Koch of
Germany in his opening match on Wednesday.
Coach Agus Dwi Santoso expressed his hope the two Indonesian
shuttlers could improve their world rankings with strong showings
in the two-star tournament.
"In this tournament they are not looking for experience, but
they are looking to win. In the next two years, they must prove
they are reliable players who can replace their veteran
colleagues," Agus said at the Indonesian Badminton Center in
Cipayung, East Jakarta.
Johan and Ronny, both quarterfinalists in the Indonesia Open
in Bali last month, will be sorely tested in Germany by the
European shuttlers.
The towering Thomas Johansson of Sweden, seeded second in the
tournament, will be a threat to both players. They must also be
wary of dark horse Ji Xinpeng of China, ranked 26th in the world.
In the women's singles, Zhou Mi of China is the strong
favorite, although Yasuko Mizui and Kanako Yonekura of Japan will
not simply bow out of the tournament without a fight.
In the men's doubles, Indonesia's Ade Lukas and Santoso
Sugihardjo are seen as strong contenders. Their way to the title
will not be easy, though, as the top seeded pairing of Peter
Axelsson and Par Gunnar Jonsson of Sweden will be looking to
avenge their loss in the Indonesia Open.
In the women's doubles, China will likely dominate with its
world number five pairing of Qin Yiyuan and Gao Ling. The Chinese
shuttlers will be put to the test by the Japanese duos of Haruka
Matsuda and Yoshiko Iwata, and Hiromi Yamada and Naomi Murakami.
Germany is also hoping for women's doubles glory with its
third seeded pairing of Kareb Stechmann and Nicole Greather.
Indonesia will be represented in the women's doubles by Eny
Widiowati and Angelina de Pauw.
In the mixed doubles, Indonesia's is sending Santoso and Eny
to attempt to upset the top seeded duo of Michael Keck and Nicol
Pitro of Germany. (yan)