JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) — South Korea advanced to Thomas Cup men's badminton final after beating host nation Indonesia 3-0 Friday night in the semifinal showdown at the Bung Karno Sports Hall here. South Korea's Park Sung Hwan beat Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-12, 12-21,21-18. After losing the first game, Indonesian pair Markit Kido/Hendra Setiawan lost to their South Korean rivals Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae 19-21, 21-18, 10-21 in the doubles.
South Korean second singles Lee Hyun Il demolished Taufik Hidayat 21-13, 21-14.
In a news briefing after the match, South Korea's team manager Kim Jong-Soo said that it is the first time for his team to advance to Thomas Cup final and "we will try our best to win the championship in the final".
He said South Korean singles players performed very well that gave a big psychological boost to their teammates.
The Chinese Thomas Cup squad, which are looking to retain the trophy for the seventh time, beat Malaysia 3-2 in the badminton semifinal tournament Friday afternoon and will meet South Korea in the final scheduled for Sunday.
