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)