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View all search resultsHome team left empty-handed
Host Indonesia finished empty-handed on Sunday, with last man standing Taufik Hidayat smashed by Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia in the men's final of the Djarum Indonesian Open Super Series, further extending the country's streak of poor showings in the popular sport it once dominated
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H
ost Indonesia finished empty-handed on Sunday, with last man standing Taufik Hidayat smashed by Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia in the men's final of the Djarum Indonesian Open Super Series, further extending the country's streak of poor showings in the popular sport it once dominated.
Losing 9-21, 14-21 to the world number one, Taufik will have to wait yet another year for a shot at breaking his record of winning the title six times, a record he shares with now-retired compatriot Ardy B. Wiranata.
"This year is indeed Lee's year. I admit that he is better at everything," Taufik, who turns 28 in August, told a media conference after the 31-minute match.
"If I still play in the Indonesia Open next year, I definitely will try again to break the record," added Taufik, who quit the national training camp early this year.
Taufik won the tournament in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006.
This year's victory was Lee's second, having won it in 2007.
"I did not expect I would win. I just tried to stay focused during the game," said the top seeded 26-year-old, who also defeated Taufik in this year's All England semifinal and the quarter finals of the Swiss Open.
Having the world's number one men's doubles and mixed double's pairs, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) had their eyes set on at least two titles in this year's series. But men's doubles pair Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan crumbled to South Korea's Lee-Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung. A day earlier, mixed doubles pair Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir went down to China's Zheng Bo and Ma Jin.
The South Korean and Chinese pairs went on to triumph in their respective finals Sunday.
In the women's division, 19-year-old Saina Nehwal of India claimed her first ever title at the Super Series event, outlasting China's third seed Wang Lin 12-21, 21-18, 21-9 in a 48 minute match.
It was a revenge win for Saina, the winner of last year's Taiwan Grand Prix Gold and World Junior Championships, after she was sent home by Wang in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open two weeks ago.
"I just can't believe I have won this. It is a dream come true for me *since* my realistic target was just to get through the first round," said Saina, who has been training with Indonesian coach Atik Djauhari for the past 10 months.
"My target is actually to get Saina into the top five world ranking by 2010. But, I think with her triumph just now, she will reach that target earlier than expected," said a visibly proud Atik.
Saina added her victory had raised her confidence of reigning supreme in the World Championship, to be held in India's city of Hyderabad in August.
Badminton juggernaut China, meanwhile, went home with just one title, despite having players contest in the finals of four of five divisions - all except the men's singles. Mixed doubles pair Zheng Bo/Ma Jin, seeded fifth, defeated second seeded South Koreans Lee Yong-dae/Lee Hyo-jung, 21-17, 8-21, 21-16.
China's men's doubles pair Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng lost to South Korean first seeds Jung Jae-sung/Lee Yong-dae 15-21, 18-21, while their women's doubles pair Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlie went down to Malaysia's top seeds Chin Eei Hui/Wong Pei Try 16-21, 16-21.
