Susi leads Indonesia into Japan Open semifinals
Susi leads Indonesia into Japan Open semifinals
TOKYO (AFP): World number one Susi Susanti showed no ill-
effects going on to beat Camilla Martin and storm into the
semifinals of the Japan Open badminton championships yesterday.
Indonesia strongly dominated the men's single event after its
only remaining challenger Jeroen van Dijk of the Netherlands was
edged out by defending champion Ardy Wiranata 5-15, 11-15.
The first Olympic champion from Indonesia got off to a slow
start to beat Kim Ji-hyun of South Korea 11-8, 5-11, 12-9 earlier
in the day but went on to win her second match of the day 11-6,
11-4 against the Dane in the quarterfinals.
"I lacked concentration in the first match, because it was
shortly after I got up in the morning. But I felt much better in
the second match," said the 23-year-old world champion.
Olympic silver medalist Bang Soo-hyun of South Korea, second
seed, and joint third seeds Ye Zhaoying of China and European
champion Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden clinched the remaining three
places in the semifinals.
Bang, losing finalist to Susi in Seoul last weekend, had to
steady herself in the decider to beat China's Han Jingna 7-11,
12-11, 11-1, while Ye also needed to recover from a game down to
beat South Korea's Ra Kyung-min 6-11, 11-6, 11-9.
Lim rallied to an 11-4, 11-9 victory over Indonesia's Uber Cup
heroine Mia Audina to set up a semifinal lineup against Bang
today.
Susi was never in trouble against Martin, continuing her
match-winning streak against European opponents since she lost to
Helen Troke of England in 1988.
"I'm not especially strong against European players. Even
against Asian players, it was in 1993 that Ye beat me at the
Indonesian Open final before Hisako Mizui beat me at the Asian
Games (in October last year).
"But I have to confess that I can beat European players
easier, because, compared with Asian players, they lose
concentration when I take a lead," she added.
In the men's semifinals today, Ardy will take on current All-
England champion Hariyanto Arbi, the winner over Hermawan Susanto
11-15, 15-5, 15-11.
In other quarterfinals, world champion Joko Suprianto
outgunned Fung Permadi 15-3, 15-9, while Alan Budikusuma, who won
the Barcelona Olympics with his fiancee Susi, kept a hope of
another 'golden double' beating Lioe Tiong Ping 11-15, 18-17, 15-
12.