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China deprives Indonesia from third Asia Cup success
May 06, 2001 - Source : IBF
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After many turnovers, China finally beat the two-time Asia Cup champions Indonesia for a spot in the final, where they will meet a strong Korean team.
There was something in the air when Chen Hong and Taufik Hidayat lined up to listen to their national anthems. Something in Chen’s eyes which showed how ready he was to take on the young Indonesian wonder, who he had never defeated. The last time the two met, Chen had to leave the 2000 Malaysianafter a 15/0 loss in the third game. But this was before Chen’s best performances. And yesterday, he had the heart to prove that his world number four ranking and best Chinese spot was well deserved.
The two young men didn’t wait long to get into the game, each of them going for a set of high jump smashes during the first two points. Each showed a wide variety of play during the first game. Taufik was inspired on his back hand drives aiming directly at Chen’s body, which disturbed the Chinese, leading him to win the first game 15/9. And it looked as if the second one could have been just going the same way, when the young Indonesian cleverly kept the shuttle at net height to prevent the Chinese from attacking, because he knew that Chen is just unstoppable once the shuttle goes over his head.
Reaching 13/8, Taufik had luck on his side, as many shuttles dropped on the right side of the net after touching the tape. The whole Indonesian community was up – even the VIP section of Singapore’s Indoor stadium – when Taufik led 14/10. Little white and red flags were once again floating in the air, and the public started their traditional way of following the rallies with "ouhs" and "ahs" depending on the player striking.
But Chen remained focussed on his game and took each point at a time, saving two match points before getting back 14/14. Once reaching 16/16, both players had their chance to conclude the game, but Chen finally took it on a perfect last attack, after saving 5 match points.
The last game was just as intense, with a quick lead from Taufik 6/1, but he soon began to commit unforced errors to let Chen come back and change end on a 8/6 advantage. The net was still on Taufik side, but Chen’s strong will eventually paid off. Two superb backhand attacks from the Chinese provided him with a chance to wrap it up. This time, it took only once to finish and China could enjoy its 1/0 lead over favourites Indonesia.
Yet the best was to come: in the men’s doubles, Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto were facing Zhang Jun and Zhang Wei, once again after a near victory at the All England a couple of month ago. No offence to the other pairs, but these two might very well be facing each other for a final in two weeks time in Seville with what they showed on court today. The Chinese were unreachable in the first game. Hitting the shuttle with incredible power, they defied the Indonesian defence which is amongst the best in the world. It took very little time for them to gain the first game 15/4. "I had some trouble getting my concentration in the first game and they played really well," said Wijaya. "There was some added pressure because Taufik had just lost his match, but Sigit and I were still confident we could win."
The wind changed side when Wijaya and Budiarto easily won the second game, thanks to a adjustment in their tactics, using much more variety in their game than just straight attacks. The Indonesians came back on court with their black shirts on. A bad sign for the Chinese pair, who still played at their best. They even led 11/10 before Sigit and Candra took over to reach 13/11. Yet the attacks of the Indonesians found a wall to bring the shuttles back in, no matter what speed, angle or spin they used.
Every one held their breath when it was once again going to overtime at 14/14, after Indonesia missed one match point. The Zhang brothers had a shot at victory once leading 15/14 on their first serve. They were two points away from bringing China in the final, but Budiarto saved his country by two magnificent shots. One back hand cross block and a splendid round the head interception who left the Chinese on their feet. 17/15, and it was all to be decided in the last match of the day, between Olympic Silver medallist Hendrawan and young Chen Yu who had made his international debuts just last year.
And another thriller was on the way. The young Chen showed high capacities of accelerating the game at a pace that the Indonesians were not able to follow, winning 15/12. Hendrawan as an old fox started using tricky shots, which helped him take an easy lead 14/8 before he was hit in the left eye by one of Chen’s net rush shuttle. The eye quickly swelled and a doctor came on court before sending back Hendrawan on court. The latter could eventually finish up the game, but would be quite handicapped for the remaining set.
A few times, his swings missed the shuttle and many hit the frame during the last game. His only chance was to end up the rallies as soon as possible, which he was able to do to a certain extent. But the Chinese remained focussed and took this unexpected sign of fate to win the match, 15/12. "I just tried my best and I didn’t think about Hendrawan’s eye during the game," said Chen, who should indeed be credited with a splendid semi-final match.
"I’m not surprised by my player’s level of play. I’m glad that Chen Yu and Chen Hong were able to play at their standard level. As far as the doubles are concerned, we lost closely today, but our efforts in this event are paying off," added the Chinese Coach Zhong Bo.
The Indonesian team can be bitter, as they will not be participating in the Asia Cup’s final for the first time. They were just one point away from the final, when Taufik had 5 match points. One point too many…
China will meet Korea in tomorrow’s final, after the latter beat Thailand in the second semi-final. Boonsak Polsana once again pulled off an incredible match against Lee Hyun Il and was closed to be the world number 10 Korean. After leading 11/8 in the last game, he lost precision in his net play which allowed Lee to come back and win 16/17 – 15/4 – 15/11. Lee and Chung put an end to the suspense in the tie by winning the doubles. The third singles wasn’t played.
Results :
Semi Final 1:
China bt Indonesia : 2/1
Chen Hong (CHN) bt Taufik Hidayat (INA) : 9/15 – 17/16 – 15/12
Budiarto/Wijaya (INA) bt Zhang/Zhang (CHN) : 4/15 – 15/6 – 17/15
Chen Yu (CHN) bt Hendrawan (INA) : 15/12 – 9/15 – 15/12
Semi Final 2 :
Korea bt Thailand : 2/0
Lee Hyun Il (KOR) bt Boonsak Polsana (THA) : 16/17 – 15/4 – 15/11. |
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