Young shuttler Fitria dreams of filling Susy's shoes

Young shuttler Fitria dreams of filling Susy's shoes

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Since the retirement of
badminton queen and 1992 Olympic champion Susy Susanti, Indonesia
no longer has a reliable shuttler in the women's singles.

But a new talent has shown up in Fitria Firdaus, despite the
fact that she had to bow out to Lilyana Natsir of the Jakarta-
based Tangkas Bogasari 4-11, 1-11 in the girls singles match of
the 2001 Milo Junior Indonesia Open on Wednesday, due to a right
ankle injury.

"I'm really inspired by Susy and I'm dreaming of becoming
Indonesia's number one shuttler, replacing the seniors within
three years," Fitria told The Jakarta Post.

"I aim to be more patient in every match, instead of rushing
to hit the shuttlecock without any strategy."

Fitria said the victory of Indonesia's men's doubles Tony
Gunawan and Halim Heryanto in last week's World Championships has
also inspired her.

"They are very tough to be able to cope with the pressure. I
see myself in the next three years as a combination of Susy,
technically, and Tony and Halim, mentally.

"But for now I have to focus on my achievements before the
evaluation in August to stay at the Indonesian Badminton Center.

Fitria targeted a title at the SGS circuit in Bandung to cure
her disappointment here.

"I had an ankle injury on Tuesday when playing Wiwis Meilyana
of Djarum Kudus," she said. "Today I forced my self to play, but
I couldn't stand the pain.

Fitria had to work very hard before defeating Wiwis 13-11, 13-
11 in the second round.

Born on Dec. 25, 1984 in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Fitria
started to play badminton when she was about nine years old.

"I followed in my mom's footsteps, as she was a shuttler in a
club in our hometown. She was quite a player at that time," she
said.

"I joined ICLI Gowata badminton club when I was in elementary
school, before being admitted to the Ragunan Sports School in
South Jakarta when I started junior high school."

The fourth of six children, she was then recruited to the
Indonesian Badminton Center (PBI) in Cipayung, East Jakarta, in
Feb. 2001, following her good achievements.

Fitria won the girls' singles title at the 2000 Aqua Master in
Medan, North Sumatra. She managed to reach the 2001 National
Junior Championships semifinals in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan,
bowing out to eventual runner-up Maria Kristin of Djarum Kudus.

"Joining a centralized training program at the center has
helped me improve my technical skills. I also get more on match
strategy," she said.

"I also managed to improve my lower backhand and forehand. I
used to swing my arm as when playing tennis. I also refined my
upper backhand and forehand."

Fitria expressed optimism that she would do better in the
future.

"I hope PBSI will send me to more international events to
enable me to gain experience. But I know I must first prove that
I deserve a chance," Fitria said. "I will simply do my best."
(nvn)