Susi Susanti leads Indonesia

Susi Susanti leads Indonesia

Uber Cuppers into semifinals

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, with a dazzling Susi Susanti leading
the charge, scored a 5-0 triumph over Sweden to advance to the
semi-finals of the Uber Cup world women's team badminton
championships at Senayan indoor stadium last night.

Before the home fans, who gave her a rousing welcome as she
stepped onto the court, world champion Susi displayed ruthless
efficiency in her 11-2, 11- 0 destruction of Catrine Bengtsson in
the first singles match.

In the men's Thomas Cup, defending champion Malaysia moved a
step closer to reaching the semifinals after thrashing Thailand
5-0, but favorite Denmark struggled against diarrhea only to lose
2-3 to dark-horse South Korea.

With these results, the race for the semifinal slots is still
wide open in Group B, with Malaysia, Denmark and South Korea
having the same chances to make it through the last four rounds.

Needless to say, the match was a heavily one-sided affair,
with the high-flying Indonesian completely taking control of the
match from the onset, scoring point after point with ease.

Susi has won every world major title, but has yet to win a
Uber Cup winner's medal. She was unbeaten in the last Uber Cup
finals in Kuala Lumpur two years ago, yet Indonesia bowed out to
South Korea 1-4 in the semi-finals.

Despite having the world's top woman player, Indonesia has not
progressed beyond the semi-finals it its three previous Uber Cup
finals outings.

But never one to be daunted by the odds, Susi is confident
that this time around Indonesia will take the Uber Cup.

"We have been training very hard for this year's finals. The
last time Indonesia won the trophy was 22 years ago and we really
want to win it this time," Susi said shortly after her
comfortable victory over Bengtsson.

Inspired by Susi's great showing, former world junior champion
Yuni Kartika turned in an equally impressive performance in the
second singles match by making short work of Karolina Ericsson
11-1, 11-0 to give Indonesia a 2-0 lead.

Once again, it was a case of all give and no take, with Yuni
packing too much firepower for the Swede who was completely
outstroked, outfoxed and outwitted.

With the crowd urging her on, Yuni displayed an array of
attacking strokes and soon raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set.
She never looked back thereafter as she reeled off seven points
in a row to clinch the set.

The second set followed much the same pattern as the first,
with Yuni collecting point after point almost at will, leaving
Ericsson completely bewildered.

The pair of Lili Tampi and Finarsih gave Indonesia an
assailable 3-0 lead when they defeated Lim Xiaoqing and
Christine Magnusson 18-14, 15-4

Both Indonesians were forced to go the limit in the first set.

The match moved back and forth several times with neither side
showing clear superiority. Trailing 10-13, Chinese-born Xiaoqing
and Magnusson clawed their way back to force a deuce, thanks
mainly to left-handed Xiaoqing's searing cross court smashes and
deceptive dropshots.

The Swedish pair led 14-13 before the Indonesian players
struck a purple patch as they strung five points together to wrap
up the set.

Contrast

In stark contrast to the first set, the second was a subdued
affair, with Lili and Finarsih carving out an effortless 15-4 win
in less than 15 minutes. Apparently running out of steam after
the gruelling first set, Xiaoqing and Magnusson virtually
offered mere token resistance as they went down with a whimper.

It was the Indonesian players' second win in six meetings with
their Swedish counterparts.

Yuliani Santosa, the 1992 Asian Badminton Confederation
champion, proved too fast for Kristin Nielsen who lost 11-4, 11-
2.

Indonesia completed the shutout when the rapidly improving
second doubles pair of Eliza and Zelin Resiana dropped Maria Bengtsson
and Karolina Ericsson, 15-6, 15-8.

In its first Uber Cup Group B outing on Wednesday Susi and
company also routed Thailand 5-0.

Indonesia's last group match will be tomorrow when it tackles
Denmark. Barring an unforeseen circumstance Indonesia will have
little trouble beating the Danes who lost 2-3 to the Sweden in
their opening matches.

In-form Rashid Sidek led Malaysia's victory, dispatching
Sompol Kukasemkij 15-11, 15-7 in 45 minutes. The second match saw
the pair of Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang fight tooth and
nail against Thailand's Pramote Teerawiwatana and Sakrapee
Thongsari, whom they defeated 17-14, 15-10.

Thomas Cup debutant Ong Ewe Hock brushed aside Teenarun
Chiangta 15-9, 15-5 to give his team a winning lead.

Diarrhea was the main cause for the Danish shuttlers' poor
performances against South Korea. The Danes were unable to come
up with a much needed a win to make up for its 2-3 loss to
Malaysia on Wednesday; the runs hopelessly slowed down the games
of Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen, Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, Henrik Svaar,
Michael Soogard and Jim Laugesen.

Results

Thomas Cup

South Korea vs Denmark 2-1 (Korea first):
Kim Hak-kyun bt Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen 15-9, 15-5; Lee Suk-ho/Kim
Dong-moon lost to Thomas Lund/Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen 13-15, 17-
16, 12-15; Park Sung-woo bt Peter Espersen 15-10, 15-3; Yoo Yong-
sung/Choi Ji-tae lost to Jon Holst Christensen/Michael Sogaard 9-
15, 10-15; Ahn Jae-chang bt Soren B. Nielsen 15-6, 13-15, 17-15.

Malaysia bt Thailand 4-0 (Malaysia first):
Rashid Sidek bt Sompol Kukasemkij 15-11, 15-7; Ong Ewe Hock bt
Teeranun Chiangta 15-9, 15-8; Cheah Soon Kit/Soo Beng Kiang bt
Pramote Teerawiwatana/Sakrapee Thongsari 17-14, 15-10; Tan Kim
Her/Yap Kim Hock bt Siripong Siripool/Khunakorn Sudhisodhi 15-4,
15-10; Foo Kok Keong bt Vacharapan Kumthong 15-5, 15-10.

Uber Cup

Denmark bt Thailand 5-0 (Denmark first):
Camilla Martin bt Somharuethai Jaroensiri 11-3, 11-6; Pernille
Nedergaard bt Pornsawan Plungwech 11-8, 11-1; Mette Pedersen bt
Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn 7-11, 11-7, 12-9; Anne Mette
Bille/Marlene Thomsen bt Somharuethai Jaroensiri/Piyatip
Sansaniyakulvilai 15-8, 15-9; Lotte Olsen/Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen
bt Pornsawan Plungwech/Plernta Booyarit 15-8, 15-2.

Indonesia bt Sweden 5-0 (Indonesia first):
Susi Susanti bt Catrine Bengtsson 11-2, 11-0; Yuni Kartika bt
Karolina Ericsson 11-1, 11-0; Yuliani Sentosa bt Kristin Nilsson
11-4, 11-2; Lili Tampi/Finarsih bt Lim Xiaoqing/Christine
Magnusson 18-14, 15-4; Eliza/Zelin Resiana bt Kristin
Nilsson/Karolina Ericsson 15-6, 15-8.