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Former star offers morale booster to players in match against China
Susi Susanti: (JP)Indonesian players have been encouraged to look back to a victorious moment in 1989 for inspiration in their quarterfinal matches against China in the Sudirman Cup
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Susi Susanti: (JP) (JP)
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span class="inline inline-left">Susi Susanti: (JP)Indonesian players have been encouraged to look back to a victorious moment in 1989 for inspiration in their quarterfinal matches against China in the Sudirman Cup.
The players suffered a 5-0 rout at the hands of the eight-time champion in the group matches and they will face the same opponent on Thursday at the Putera Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
It could be time for redemption or another banishment.
Susi Susanti, who steered the team to the 1989 championship title, warned against the players being overawed by the powerful opponents.
'It ain't over till it's over,' she said.
No, this is not about Lenny Kravitz, but it is exactly the principle held dearly by the 1992 Olympic champion.
Susi recollected how the never-surrender spirit helped her and the team to win Indonesia's first and only trophy in the world mixed team badminton championship.
In the final game against South Korea, Indonesia found itself 0-2 after Park Joo-bong/Kim Mon-soo beat Eddy Hartono/Gunawan 15-9, 8-15, 15-13 in the men's doubles event and Hwang Hye-young/Chung Myung-hee won 15-12, 15-6 over Verawaty Fajrin/Yanti Kusmiati in the women's doubles.
Playing in her first major international event, Susi, then 18 years old, saw a tough task against All England winner Lee Young-suk.
'At that time the highest achievement I had was junior world championship title. But that made me play loosely, because I did not have a rank or title that I had to defend,' she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Susi narrowly lost 10-12 in the first set, and by half time in the second set Young-suk led 10-2 and the home team was on the brink of defeat.
The situation looked gloomy and the supporters had lost their spirit to cheer Susi.
'Some of them had left their seats and were about to exit the stadium. But for me the game wasn't over until it was over, which meant I still had a chance of winning the game no matter how slim that chance was,' Susi said.
'I unhurriedly collected point by point until the score was even 10-10, and she seemed tense in the remaining set. I took advantage of her condition and I finally wrapped it with 12-10'.
In the third set, Young-suk seemed to have lost her fighting spirit, which resulted in a rousing 11-0 win for Susi.
'I only opened the opportunity for our team to win,' Susi said.
Susi's remarkable comeback boosted the Indonesian team with Edy Kurniawan later breezing past Han Kok-sung 15-4, 15-3 in the men's singles and Eddy Hartono/Verawaty Fajrin sealing Indonesia's victory with 18-13, 15-3 defeat of Park Joo-bong/Chung Myung-hee in the mixed doubles.
According to Susi, aside from the solidity of the whole team, they were encouraged by the support from the spectators to give their best for the nation.
'The Indonesian team is the underdog, but it doesn't mean we will lose hope,' she said.
Coach Herry Imam Pierngadi urged the players to focus on the game and shield themselves from negative thoughts.
'It's no longer a matter of their technicality,' he said as quoted by Antara news wire.
Other quarterfinal matches will pit South Korea against Germany; Chinese Taipei against Denmark and Japan against Thailand.
Indonesia-China quarterfinal lineup
XD: Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir vs Ma Jin/Xu Cen
MS: Tommy Sugiarto vs Chen long
MD: Rian Agung Saputro/Angga Pratama vs Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun
WS: Lindaweni vs Li Xuerui
WD: Liliyana Natsir/Nitya vs Yu Yang/Wang Xiao Li
