Underdog Iwawaki stuns Lidya, entertains badminton lovers
Underdog Iwawaki stuns Lidya, entertains badminton lovers
JAKARTA (JP): When her name was called, everybody at the
US$150,000 JVC Asian Badminton Championships at Senayan Indoor
Stadium expected an easy victory for second seed Lidya
Djaelawidjaja of Indonesia.
When underdog Fumi Iwawaki walked onto the court, she brought
with her only two rackets, a towel and a black leather wallet,
and her clothes seemed too big for her skinny frame. Her
appearance elicited some laughter from the crowd.
But the 21-year-old Japanese shocked the spectators, Lidya and
Indonesian women's singles coaches Liang Chiusia and Kho Mei Hwa
with her all-out performance. She covered the entire court and
prevented the 1999 Indonesia Open winner from scoring with her
offensive strokes.
The smiling Iwawaki, an underdog at the event, played with
increasing motivation and self-confidence, a stark contrast to
Lidya, who seemed to be unable to overcome the pressure.
The crowd, which earlier laughed at her, was soon cheering
Iwawaki's passing shots, sharp smashes and neat net play.
When she won the match, she stared at the court in disbelief
and flashed a wide smile at her cheering teammates.
When she was asked what her strategy was in defeating Lidya,
Iwawaki only said: "No, I didn't have any strategy on the court.
I only wanted to perform well."
Her statement should be seen as a wake-up call for Chiusia and
Mei Hwa, with the badminton newcomer, going in without a
strategy, performing well enough to score this shocking upset on
Thursday.
Iwawaki was born in Ishikawa on Aug. 25, 1979. She first took
up badminton when she was 9 with her hometown club, where she was
coached by Yoshimitsu Matsuda, former Japanese national champion
and the father of men's singles player Keita Matsuda.
"When I started playing badminton, it was only as a hobby. But
afterward, the sport was very interesting and I decided to become
a serious player."
She is on the Waseda University badminton team, where she is
in her third year at the university's social science department.
Iwawaki's first international tournament was the Jakarta Open
in 1995.
Asked if she wanted to follow in the footsteps of 1998 Asian
Games gold medalist Kanako Yonekura and Olympian Yasuko Mizui,
Iwawaki said she has not yet given it any thought.
"I just want to enjoy playing badminton. I don't want to think
about targets or ambitions. All I have to do is perform well,"
she said, once again flashing her wide smile. (yan)