Badminton: Troubled Indonesia withdraw their top stars
News 3:36 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: The best of Indonesia will not feature in the Malaysian Open, which begins on Wednesday at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. And it has sparked off speculations that all is not well in their badminton camp.
It was confirmed yesterday that their senior shuttlers, singles players Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso and the top men’s pair of Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan, will not be making the trip to Malaysia. The Indonesian national stars also did not make it to Seoul for this week’s season-opening Korean Open.
In their absence, Indonesia will bank on independent player Taufik Hidayat.
Their challenges in the men’s doubles will be carried by their national back-up pairs, Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan and Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano, and the independent combination of Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) said that the All-Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) did not give any reason for the last-minute withdrawal of their top players from the Malaysian Open. But it could be linked to the PBSI’s new contract for players in the national camp in Cipayung.
Malaysia’s doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky did not want to read too much into the absence of the Indonesian players.
“It will be business as usual for us,” said Rexy, who is an Indonesian.
“Our goal still remains the same. The players will have to make the best of the situation to end the country’s three-year wait for an Open title at home.”
The last win for Malaysia in their home Open was through the men’s pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in 2007.
The absence of Markis-Kido could narrow down the fight for the men’s doubles crown to the top two seeds – Kien Keat-Boon Heong and Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung.
The other top pairs not in the fray are China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng and Denmark’s Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen and Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen.
Meanwhile, the BAM also confirmed that fourth seeds Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen of Denmark have pulled out of the tournament.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 3:36 PM.
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