Yuliani vows better performance despite her success in Uber Cup

JP/10/YULI

Yuliani vows better performance despite her success in Uber Cup ) 4 cols 2 lines

JAKARTA (JP): It took years for this bridesmaid to stand eye- to-eye with her queen, but how long will it last?

Yuliani Sentosa has long been overshadowed by training camp colleague and world number one Susi Susanti, but on Tuesday night she was without a doubt the toast of Indonesia.

Making her second appearance at the women's Uber Cup badminton championships, the Indonesian number three made short work of South Korea's Ra Kyun-min to secure a berth in the finals for her country.

"Never call me a heroine. I just want to build a base toward reaching better performances after this Uber Cup," the 22-year- old economics student at a Jakarta-based private university said yesterday.

Playing as second singles, Yuliani unleashed her entire arsenal of strokes to dent her lanky opponent's armor. "She is the most well-prepared shuttler to play second singles," team manager Lutfi Hamid said after Yuliani's herculean showing.

Yubing, as Yuliani is called by her close friends, showed no trace of jubilation yesterday. She received a meal and a can of milk from her mother who, as usual, stopped by the hotel where she and her teammates are staying during the championships. She was scheduled to have a training session later in the afternoon.

"Susi is still the best-ever women's shuttler," Yuliani said of her teammate and idol whom she has never beaten. "I idolize sportswomen who rarely concede a loss."

Although she triumphed in the 1991 Asian championships, the myopic Yuliani has been dubbed an erratic player, collecting only four international titles since entering the centralized training camp in 1990. She last fell in the final hurdle at the hands of Chinese-born Swede Lim Xiaoqing in Taipei early this year.

Challenge

Yuliani faces an uphill challenge against China in tomorrow's final. She has come up short against China's first singles Ye Zhaoying in their five encounters. The Indonesian has also been defeated by third singles Liu Yuhong in both of their prior matches.

"I'll have to battle it out to score a win, whoever my opponent will be," she vowed.

The Semarang, Central Java native was introduced to badminton 10 years ago. Growing up in businessman Teguh Sentosa's family, Yuliani said she never dreamed that someday she would don the national colors in badminton competitions. It was her elder brother who guided her toward the country's major sport.

"I could see how my brother was admired by cheering crowds whenever he stepped onto the podium to receive a medal," Yuliani recalled. At 15, Yuliani got her first taste of victory in a national badminton competition in Pasuruan, East Java. A year later she was included among the national junior shuttlers.

Living apart from her family seemed unavoidable when Yuliani accepted a call-up from the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) four years ago.

"I started a new life, meeting with the same people and training, eating and watching TV with them," she said. "I always tell myself not to get bored with such a routine if I want to make a career out of badminton."

Yuliani admitted she has yet to realize her dream. "I'm eying a place in the 1996 Olympics, whether I manage to take top honors or not," she said confidently. (amd)