Indonesia guaranteed a title at BAC

Musthofid ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Johor Bahru, Malaysia   |  Sun, 04/20/2008 10:57 AM  |  Sports

Indonesia is guaranteed a title at the Badminton Asia Championship in Malaysia, but Sony Dwi Kuncoro has suffered a setback in his chase for a fourth title.

Sony, who won the championship in 2002, 2003 and 2005, had battled his way through to the semifinals but was unsettled by Park Sung-hwan on Friday.

Sony lost 14-21, 21-16, 21-19, in a collapse attributed to his indecisiveness.

A string of unforced errors by Sony, who had won the first game and was leading 16-13 in the second, allowed Park to charge back to force a third game.

Sony had a chance to get back into the game after trailing early, but was punished by his own recklessness. At 19-19 he sent a strong smash off a weak return from Park, but did not manage to direct it inside. He also squandered a chance to save match point when a hard hit from a far range landed outside the court.

"Park looked stretched by Sony's fast game, but Sony looked indecisive, which let Park rediscover his fighting spirit," said coach Hendrawan.

Park will take on Chen Jin, who was given a 21-13, 21-14 win over Lin Dan. Lin Dan was expected to give way to Chen Jin, in a repeat of their All England finals match. The strategy was for the intentional loss to enable the younger team member to keep his place in the top four on the world rankings for a guaranteed berth in the Beijing Olympics.

"I know for Chen to go to Olympics, Lin Dan has to lose. But I don't care," Park said.

"I have been preparing hard in Korea for the championship and I'm confident about that."

China has three of the top four players, with Lin Dan (1), Bao Chunlai (3) and Chen Jin (4). Lee Chong Wei, who lost in the quarterfinals at the championship, expects his position in second place to be secure.

An Olympic-related battle has also taken place in the mixed doubles with Indonesia setting out to prevent China from taking three places in the Olympics. Their mission was accomplished as early as Friday when Nova/Lilyana, whose top ranking has remained intact, defeated Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen, preventing the Chinese from breaking into the qualifiers and assuring Indonesian compatriots Flandy Limpele/Vita Marissa of keeping their fourth place in the world rankings.

Saturday's wins by the two Indonesian pairs not only consolidated their world rankings but also gave the team virtual winners in the mixed doubles.

Flandy/Vita defeated Fang Chieh Min/Cheng Wen Hsin of Chinese Taipei 21-17, 21-15, while Nova/Lilyana chalked up a 21-14, 21-17 win over He Hanbin/Yu Yang to add to their collection of Chinese scalps.

Nova will have another shot at the laurels with Candra Wijaya. The pair, who partnered up only recently and practiced for only a week before the tournament, brushed aside Korean pair Hwang Ji-man/Lee Jae-jin 21-15, 19-21, 21-17.

They will take on another Korean pair, Jung Jae-sung/Lee Yong-dae, who wrecked Malaysian hopes with a 16-21, 21-16, 21-18 defeat of top seeds Koo Kien Kiet/Tan Boon Heong, who became the last home players to fall.

China is assured of one title and stands a chance to add another.

Wang Lin and Jiang Yanjiao will face each other on Sunday in an all-Chinese affair. Wang Lin beat Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong 21-14, 21-18 while Jiang Yanjiao defeated Wang Chen, also from Hong Kong, 21-17, 21-16.

The women's doubles will pit Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen, the 21-10, 21-16 winners over Indonesian Lilyana/Vita, against Cheng Wen Hsin/Chien Yu Chin of Chinese Taipei, who cruised to the final with a 21-18, 21-5 win over Korean players Lee Hyo-jung/Lee Kyung-won.

Badminton Asia Championship finals

Pairings for final matches at the Badminton Asia Championship in Bandara Indoor Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Sunday:
Chen Jin (Chn) v Park Sung-hwan (Kor)
Jiang Yanjiao (Chn) v Wang Lin (Chn)
Candra Wijaya/Nova Widianto (Ina) v Jung Jae-sung/Lee Yong-dae (Kor)
Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen (Chn) v Cheng Wen Hsin/Chien Yu Chin (Tpe)
Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir (Ina) v Flandy Limpele/Vita Marissa (Ina)

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