Top ranked men's pair withdraw from Grand Prix
Top ranked men's pair withdraw from Grand Prix
SINGAPORE (Reuter): Top ranked men's doubles pair Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky of Indonesia have pulled out of the World Grand Prix Finals starting yesterday, badminton officials said.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) said the two will be replaced by the Malaysian pair Soo Beng Kiang and Tan Kim Her who are tenth in the world grand prix rankings.
Ricky has an injured back which worsened during practice on Tuesday, forcing the Indonesian pair's withdrawal.
Substitution for Ricky alone is not possible as the two players qualify as one pair, the IBF said in a statement.
The Indonesians were hot favorites to win the doubles title for the third time.
The groupings for the men's doubles have been changed to accommodate the Malaysian pair in group B. The Indonesians' spot at the top of group A is taken over by Jon Holst-Christensen and Thomas Lund of Denmark.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's Mia Audina, the youngest women's player in the Grand Prix Finals, said on Tuesday she believed she had a good chance of winning her first international badminton title.
"I hope to win my first title at the Grand Prix Finals," said 16-year-old Audina, who heads Group A in the singles. The finals start on Wednesday and finish on Sunday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Good chance
Mia said the withdrawal of two key players, compatriot Susi Susanti and Hong Kong Open champion Bang Soo-hyun of South Korea, had left her with a good chance of the title.
Susi, the holder, pulled out because of injury, while organizers said Bang had declined an invitation without giving a reason.
Mia said she expected tough competition from All England Champion Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden and Ye Zhaoying of China, who she beat in the semifinals at the recent Hong Kong Open.
Top ranking Lim, who heads Group B, said she did not expect to face much competition from China's Han Jing Na and Indonesia's Yuliani Sentosa.
Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen of Denmark said that despite holding the All England crown, he regarded himself as an underdog and considered world champion Hariyanto Arbi hot favorite for the men's singles title.
The 30-year old Larsen, one of the tournament's oldest players, said he still has two more good playing years ahead of him.
"My improvement has been gradual and I hope to maintain that improvement for the next one to two years," Larsen said. "I am aiming for the Olympic title. If you look at sprinter Linford Cristie, he is still improving at 35 years old."
China's Dong Jiong, pitted against Indonesia's Joko Suprianto in Group C, said his game has improved recently by switching from his usual attacking game to a more defensive one and by attacking at the net.