Sigit, Candra edged out in Korea
Sigit, Candra edged out in Korea
Agencies, Incheon City, Korea
Danes Martin Lundgaard Hansen and Jens Eriksen had the measure of Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto in the Korea Open men's doubles final on Sunday, but the Indonesian veterans pushed them to the limit.
After 66 minutes on court, the second seeds finally overcame the resistance of their longtime foes 7-13, 15-13, 15-13, thanks to the brilliant smashing of the 192 cm Eriksen, one of the game's oldest players at 34.
Although they finished runners-up on the day, the unseeded Indonesians will be heartened by their showing at the event, after joining forces once again following several difficult years.
On their way to the final, the 1997 World Champions defeated two seeded pairs and showed they will be contenders for the All England -- the last title they won together in 2003 -- in March.
The two other Indonesian doubles teams -- defending champions and top seeded Luluk Hadiyanto and Alven Yulianto and Markis Kidho/Hendra Setiawan -- both lost in their opening matches.
Although they have played with different partners, Candra, 30, and Sigit, 29, have enjoyed their greatest success together.
"We want to compete in many tournaments and will focus on the All England and World Championships," Candra told The Jakarta Post last year.
It was a day to celebrate for Denmark, who also took the men's singles title, and the host team.
Top seeded Peter Gade of Denmark beat his compatriot, second- seeded Kenneth Jonassen, 7-15, 15-4, 15-5 in the men's singles of the US250,000 tournament.
In the women's singles, second-seeded South Korean Jun Jae- Youn defeated third-seeded Hong Kong rival, Wang Chen, 11-7, 11- 8.
Lee Kyung-Won and Lee Hyo-Jung, fifth-seeded, won the women's doubles after the seventh-seeded English duo of Gail Emms and Donna Kellogg retired due to Kellogg's knee injury.
In the mixed doubles, the seventh-seeded South Korean pair of Lee Jae-Jin and Lee Hyo-Jung outlasted the second-seeded Danish duo of Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager 17-14, 15-9.