When Indonesia meets China in the final of the Uber Cup on Saturday, it will be like David versus Goliath. The Chinese players, given their world rankings and their record, look invincible.
But Susi Susanti, who in the past knew how to tackle her Chinese opponents, said, "There is nothing to fear. They are not invincible."
Susi referred to China's passage to the final. China struggled against the Netherlands, going through with a 3-2 victory, and they dropped a point against South Korea in the semifinals.
Indonesia is ready to take on China despite the odds, given China's outstanding record at international tournaments, while recently Indonesians have hardly made an appearance.
Chin's Xie Xingfang came into the Uber Cup with a Swiss Open title already under her belt. Lu Lan was runner-up at the Malaysian Super Series and Zhu Lin runner up the All England. First doubles pair Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen have won two titles, most recently the Swiss Open after beating compatriots Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen, who are the second doubles for China.
The Chinese are all ranked within the world top five, with a top two rank in both the singles and doubles.
While Indonesia's Pia Zebadiah and her possible opponent Zhu Lin, should the contest extend beyond four rubbers, would be meeting for the first time, other pairings have met before, ending in wins for China.
Pia told The Jakarta Post she is optimistic she can crush any Chinese singles player during the final of the Uber Cup on Saturday.
"I am now more confident because I haven't lost any games yet," she said.
She said she and her teammates would give their best performance and were enthusiastic about winning the prestigious trophy.
"I prefer to avoid calculating our chances of whether or not we can win the Cup. The most important thing is that we keep our spirit right up until the dying minutes of the match," said the sister of men's doubles player Markis Kido.
"What matters most during the last game is not tactics, but rather our morale," said the 19-year-old shuttler.
Coach Aryono Minarat said the players are in good psychological shape.
"The result will not be based merely on technical skills, the mentality of the players will also count. The players are highly confident at the moment," he said.
"During the semifinal match we saw their top form. We hope they can maintain their momentum and consistency for their game on Saturday."
Indonesia's team manager Lius Pongoh urged the players to go all out.
"We should fight and fight," he said.
It will be the fourth time the two teams have met in the finals, with the teams equal at 2-2. After losing in 1986, Indonesia beat China in 1994 and 1996, before China won back the trophy in 1998.
The 1986 cup in Jakarta might have been a loss for Indonesia, but for Ivana Lie, players can look back to the event for a lesson.
Indonesia bravely defied the odds by reaching the final at the expense of Japan. Although Indonesia lost to China, Ivana said the run to the final was as an achievement beyond expectation.
The players must take a further step this time around. (ind/ewd)
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