Susi faces old foes at World Cup c'ship

Susi faces old foes at World Cup c'ship

JAKARTA (JP): Almost all of world's best shuttlers have set
foot here for the US$180,000 World Cup badminton championships,
with all eyes set on the thriller that awaits defending women's
singles champion Susi Susanti.

World number two Bang Soo-hyun of South Korea has opted out of
the invitational tournament, but world champion Ye Zhaoying of
China and All-England title holder Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden are
lining up to hand Susi another upset at home.

Unlike the men's singles, which will probably be controlled by
the host players, the women's singles at the Sept. 13-17
tournament promises a lot of action before a possible final
between Susi and Ye.

"I'm fully ready to win here," Lim said after a two-hour
practice at the Senayan badminton hall yesterday. "I'm sensing a
good time here after recovering from my injury," she added.

Lim, who leads the World Grand Prix in ranking points, twisted
her right ankle during a work-out prior to the U.S. Open in
Atlanta and was forced out of the tournament last month. "My leg
is fine now," she smiled.

The third seed gave no signs of pain during yesterday's light
practice. She displayed her classy court coverage and dynamic
foot-work as well as her searing strokes.

Lim has made several appearances here but Susi always left her
at bay. The China-born Swede claimed a rare win over her
Indonesian rival in the All-England semifinals on her way to her
historic triumph at the prestigious tournament in March.

"My earlier defeats don't matter to me. I enjoy each game I
play," she said.

Lim is expected to clear her toughest Group C hurdle in the
form of Han Jingna of China, before meeting with Susi in the
semifinals.

Ye also expressed guarded confidence that she would deal Susi
another big blow as she has done in four out of their nine
matches. Ye last pushed Susi to the brink of destruction with two
straight victories within one week at the World Badminton
Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland in May.

The two have avoided meeting each other for the past four
months.

"Susi is such a great player that it will be hard to beat her,
but I'll try," Ye said upon her arrival on Sunday. If the draw
goes as expected, the Chinese shuttler is tipped to meet Uber Cup
heroine Mia Audina in the semifinals.

More players from Malaysia, England and Netherlands are
scheduled to arrive today, before the tournament swings into full
action at the Senayan indoor stadium tomorrow. (amd)