Taufik expected to reach All England finals

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat is expected to at least repeat his achievement of last year by reaching the men's singles final of the Yonex All England Championships, which starts on Wednesday.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) training director, Christian Hadinata, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the absence of second seeded Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark would smooth Taufik's way to the final for a likely repeat showdown with defending champion Dane Peter Gade Christensen.

"However, I warned Taufik to be very careful in facing Chinese dark horse Chen Gang in the second round should Taufik beat Mark Constable of England in the first round," he said.

Taufik, the third seed, is likely to meet fifth seeded Chen Hong of China in the quarterfinals in the event played at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

Reuters reported that 1996 Olympic gold medalist Hoyer-Larsen and 1997 world champion Peter Rasmussen, also of Denmark, joined world number one Sun Jun in withdrawing from the most prestigious event in the sport.

Sun and Rasmussen are injured while Hoyer-Larsen is staying home to be with his wife Heidi, who has been struck by a mystery illness described as "serious but not life-threatening".

Christian said Budi Santoso had a slight chance of reaching the last 16 because he would face Gade Christensen in the third round. Ninth seeded Budi will meet Dicky Palyama of the Netherlands in the first round.

Fourth seeded Hendrawan is also likely to come up against a tough challenge from either Anders Boesen of Denmark or Ismail Saman of Malaysia in the third round.

Hendrawan has been worried about his physical fitness since suffering a bout of typhoid last year. Coach Agus Dwi Santoso said Hendrawan was recovered from his illness but was yet to reach his top form.

Speaking about two young players, Ronny Agustinus and Johan Hadikusuma, Christian said their underdog position could help them surprise their rivals.

"Technically they are good, especially Ronny who is very tall and has good offensive skills. Both Ronny and Johan must realize and take advantage of their opportunities," he said.

In the men's doubles, Christian said he was not worried about PBSI's goal to retain the title in the event. With five Indonesian pairs competing in the championships, the world's top duo of Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan has the biggest chance of bringing home the title for a second time.

But Christian was pessimistic about the Indonesian women's chances, with no Indonesian women seeded in the event.

Lidya Djaelawidjaja, who has a bye in the first round, will face sixth seeded Zhang Ning of China in the second round. Ellen Angelina meets Judith Meulendijks of the Netherlands. Should Ellen manage to reach the second round, she will face either Zeng Yaquioin of England or a qualifier. A win could bring her up against seventh seeded Yasuko Mizui in the third round.

"I hope both Lidya and Ellen will be motivated by their underdog positions. I really expect them to play better against higher ranking players," Christian said.

In the women's doubles, Etty Tantri and Cynthia Tuwankotta may make an early exit from the event as they will face top seeds Ge Fei and Gu Jun of China in the first round. The Chinese pair has been almost invincible in the last three years.

"They may give the Chinese a match but they have a very slight chance. The draw puts them in a difficult position," Christian said. (yan)