It is time for badminton lovers to turn to Senayan for world-class matches featuring men’s singles champion, Lin Dan of China and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia as well as men’s doubles players Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, at the 2009 Djarum Indonesia Open Super Series at Bung Karno Stadium.
The US$250,000 tournament will see World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei challenged by Marc Zwiebler of Germany, while Lin Dan will face Indonesian qualifier Andre Kurniawan Tedjono. But the star of Wednesday’s match will be eighth seed Xie Xingfang of China, the 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist, facing the Olympic bronze medalist Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia in the women’s singles match.
The annual tournament is expected to end the national shuttlers’ title drought after men’s doubles pair, Kido and Hendra, the 2008 Olympic winners, and women’s doubles duo, Greysia Polii and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari, let slip their chances of winning the title at last week’s Singapore Open.
What made the tournament slightly different was the effort of former national shuttlers – including Hariyanto Arbi, Liem Swie King and Taufik Hidayat – to raise funds for the family of coach Indra Gunawan, who passed away on June 7. They will auction their rackets at a starting price of Rp 20 million ($1,960).
Taufik, who quit the national training center earlier this year, has set his eyes on winning his seventh title at the tournament and breaking Ardy B. Wiranata’s record.
In Tuesday’s qualification, Indonesia beat one women’s singles players, one men’s doubles pair and one mixed doubles duo.
Pia Zebadiah Bernadet and Fran Kurniawan Teng beat compatriots Ahmad Tontowi and Richi Puspita Dili 21-11, 21-17 in mixed doubles rounds to qualify for the main round.
Men’s doubles pair, Anggun Nugroho and Rendra Wijaya, reached the main round after winning 17-21, 21-12, 21-19 over Jurgen Koch and Peter Zauner from Austria.
Out of six Indonesian female shuttlers playing in Tuesday’s qualifiers, only 19-year-old Rizki Amelia Pradipta managed to go through to the main round after defeating Malaysian Anita Raj Kaur in a grueling 19-21, 21-18, 21-15 match.
