The Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com) Fri, 02/12/2010 12:13 PM Indonesia’s Uber Cup squad drawn in tough pool By Agnes Winarti , Jakarta The country’s Uber Cup shuttlers face tougher prospects than their male Thomas Cup compatriots in the upcoming Asia Zone qualifiers in Thailand as they are placed in the same group with top teams such as South Korea and Thailand. According to the Thursday’s drawing for the Thomas and Uber Cups Asia Zone qualifier, which is avalable on the Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)’s official website www.badmintonasia.org, the female teams are drawn into two pools (X and Y), while the male into four pools (A, B, C, D). Of the 10 countries participating in the Uber Cup Asia Zone qualifier, third seed Indonesia is drawn with first seed South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Group X, while second seed Japan, fourth seed Hongkong, Taiwan, India and the Philippines are drawn for Group Y. “South Korea and Thailand will be our hardest opponents, while on paper we will be able to overcome Singapore and Sri Lanka,” Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) head coach Christian Hadinata said Thursday of the drawing announcement. South Korea’s two women’s doubles pairs of Ha Jung Eun/Kim Min Jung and Lee Hyo Jung/Lee Kyung Won are ranked 5th and 6th in the world. Thailand has steadily risen as emerging badminton giant as its shuttlers, Salakjit Ponsana and Ratchanok Intanon grabbed gold and silver medals respectively in the women’s singles at the SEA Games in Laos last December. Indonesia’s women doubles Nitya Krishinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii are currently world No. 9, while Shendy Puspa Irawati/Meiliana Jauhary are ranked 10th. In the Feb. 22-28 qualifier, the Uber Cup Asia Zone pool’s winner will play the other pool’s runner-up. The losers at the semifinals will duel for a third place spot. The best three teams qualify for the Uber Cup finals in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the 12 countries that will participate in the Thomas Cup Asia Zone qualifier are divided into Pool A (Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore), B (Taiwan, Hongkong, the Philippines), C (India, Thailand, Srilanka, Cambodia) and D (Japan, Korea and Laos). Indonesia is first seeded, followed by Japan (2nd), India (3rd) and Taiwan (4th). “The Thomas Cup squad has a greater than 60 percent chance of qualifying,” PBSI secretary-general Yacob Rusdianto said. “There is a great chance for the Thomas Cup team to win Pool A and the cross-matches,” Christian said. The winner and runner-up in Pool A will play against the runner-up and winner at Pool B, respectively. The same goes for Pool C and Pool D. This will result in four semifinalists, with the winning two teams qualifying straight to the Thomas Cup finals while the two losing teams will battle for one remaining spot in the finals. The six teams, three Thomas Cup teams and three Uber Cup teams, making it to the finals will meet host Malaysia and defending champion China — both need not go through qualifying rounds — the European Zone qualifiers, the winners of the Pan Am Zone, the Oceania Zone and the Africa Zone qualifiers, and one other country, either from Europe or Asia, based on the BWF World Ranking as of March 4. Thomas Cup and Uber Cup are held jointly once every two years. In 2008, China won both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup.
Thai team may miss stars in qualifiers The Bangkok Post 12/02/2010 at 12:00 AM By KITTIPONG THONGSOMBAT Thailand are highly likely to be without their top players in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup qualifying tournament in Nakhon Ratchasima this month. After yesterday's draw for the Asian Zone qualifying round, Thailand face India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia in Group C of the Thomas Cup (men's event) and meet Indonesia, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Group X of the Uber Cup (women's event). The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stages with the three best teams going to the finals in Malaysia in May. Thailand are in a relatively weak group in the Thomas Cup but without their best players they may struggle. In the Uber Cup, Thailand face a mammoth task even with their top stars. Twelve national players, led by Boonsak Ponsana, are calling for the Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT) bosses to quit over alleged mismanagement. However, coaches Sompol Kukasemkit and coach Udom Luangphetcharaporn will coach the national team at the two events although they are among those who are campaigning against the BAT. "They players are not ready to play. They are disheartened and need time if they are to return to the national squad," said Thailand head coach Sompol. BAT president Charoen Wattanasin agreed to accept the players' demand and put on hold a team contract it was going to sign with a sporting goods manufacturer. However, they players are still not happy and reportedly want certain BAT executives to quit. "I hope fans understand the players. They are not read to play for the country at the moment," Udom said. Udom said it was difficult for the players to return to the national team if the current executive board is still in power. Charoen said there was still enough time for the players to change their mind and take part in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup. "I accept their demands unconditionally and will wait for them until the last minute," said Charoen. If they refuse to play, youth team players Thanongsak Sansomboonsuk and Ratchanok Inthanon will lead Thailand. Suwat Liptapanlop, chairman of the organising committee, said he hoped the players would take part in the events. Proceeds from the tournament will go to aid relief efforts for earthquake victims in Haiti, he said. DRAWS Thomas Cup Group A: Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore Group B: Taipei, Hong Kong, the Philppines Group C: Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia Group D: Japan, Korea, Laos Uber Cup Group X: South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka Group Y: Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, the Philippines Thailand was missed out in the above list.
Uber Cup Club Call-Up Febe Breaks New Ground Jakarta Globe February 14, 2010 By Ami Afriatni At first glance, it looks as though Maria Febe Kusumastuti has broken one of Indonesian badminton’s cardinal rules. In an unprecedented move, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) plans to call up a club shuttler to be part of its Uber Cup squad. Febe, a Djarum Kudus Badminton Club member, is the first player to make the move since the founding of the national training camp in Cipayung, East Jakarta, in 1992. “It is so nice to know that I’m the first Uber Cup team player coming from a club. By joining the Uber Cup team, I hope I can make my biggest dream come true, to be a national player,” said Febe, 20. The PBSI previously only called up players within the national camp for competitions. However, with pressure building after a succession of disappointing performances, it agreed to consider players from outside the national team system for the men’s and women’s world team championships. Febe will assume the No. 2 singles role with her world ranking of 27th. National team shuttler Adriyanti Firdasari holds the best ranking, 24th, and will play No. 1 singles, while last year’s top singles shuttler Maria Kristin Yulianti will take the No. 3 spot with her rank of 53rd. Febe missed out on the 2008 Uber Cup squad after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor. She was in a three-way competition for the fourth singles place with Fransisca Ratnasari and Aprilia Yuswandari. Fransisca ultimately made the team after Aprilia bowed out due to illness. She also missed out on a second chance to make the team due to an extended recovery following the surgery. “I hope I can make it this year. I heard the PBSI has prepared the official letter to call me in. Now I’m just waiting,” Febe said. National women’s singles coach Marleve Mainaky said her presence would be welcome. “I think her presence brings a big advantage for the team. She will face other countries’ No. 2 singles players, while Maria Kristin will face their No. 3. I am sure both of them have bigger chance to bring victories as it might be hard for Adriyanti to face other teams’ No. 1 players,” Marleve said. Once in the national team, Febe’s first challenge will be to help the Indonesian women qualify for the Uber Cup finals. The qualifying tournament takes place Feb. 21-28 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, with Kuala Lumpur hosting the tournament proper on May 9-16. Indonesia faces a tough road to reclaim the Uber Cup, which China has dominated in recent years. Its qualifying group features top-seeded Korea, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand, with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals. The top three teams in qualifying advance to Kuala Lumpur, while the fourth-place team will qualify if its world ranking is better than the fourth-best team from Europe. “I will do my best to present a victory in every match I face so the PBSI won’t hesitate to call me in as a national player,” Febe said. “I hope I can improve my rank to the world’s top 15 this year.” Krisna should be happy and proud. For Febe's profile, please refer to: http://www.pbdjarum.com/profil/view/90
Indonesia’s Top Men's Badminton Duo Blazes New Trail as Professional Pair Jakarta Globe February 15, 2010 By Ami Afriatni Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan open a new chapter in their careers this year as Indonesia’s best men’s doubles pair begins playing as professionals. The duo, ranked third in the world, officially secured its release from the national team last week. The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) issue a letter of release, breaking ties with the pair which had been in the national team since 2001. Markis and Hendra’s first act as professionals was to secure a sponsor to fund their ability to play in international tournaments. Both were sponsored by apparel company Yonex during their time with the national team, but that deal ended once they left the camp. They announced on Monday they secured a three-year deal with Flypower, a local sporting goods company which is owned by Indonesian badminton legend Hariyanto Arbi. None of the parties were willing to reveal contract details, but the deal is reportedly worth Rp 1.5 billion ($160,000) per year. “They offered us good money, I can only tell you that. Anyway, we have to start loving our national products, don’t we?” Markis said on Monday. “[Flypower] had been approaching us since we announced that we had quit the national team early this year.” Hariyono also kept quiet on the details, only saying the amount was “sufficient” for world-class shuttlers, adding, “We’re very proud as now we have the right ambassadors for our products.” Their contract states they must play in six Super Series tournaments — Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the China Masters, French Open and China Open — as well as three each in the Grand Prix and National Circuit series. However, Markis said they also plan to compete in the All England, Swiss and Hong Kong tournaments. “We’ll get a 15 percent bonus if we can stay in the world top four at the end of every year,” he said. “That, of course, will motivate us more to get better results.” The pair comes into 2010 after a lean season by their standards. A nagging left knee injury and high blood pressure hampered Markis as the duo lost its world No. 1 ranking to Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong. They won just two of 12 Super Series events, Japan and France, in addition to the Asian Badminton Championship. They closed 2009 with team and men’s doubles gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games in Laos. Markis and Hendra’s first international event this year will be the Thomas Cup Asian qualifiers in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on Feb. 22-28. That could pose a problem as the PBSI’s national shuttlers are obliged to wear apparel made by Yonex, the national team’s main sponsor. Hariyanto said he did not have a problem with Markis and Hendra wearing another comapny’s products while competing for the national team. “But they have to wear ours outside the Thomas Cup,” he warned. Markis Kido, left, and Hendra Setiawan secured a new sponsorship deal in their first act as professional shuttlers. Antara Photo/Andika Wahyu
..a lot, if not all of the news had already been posted..but good to have a thread just for related T&UC news.. ..so, anyone has more new updates on their status with only a few more days til the qualification event? whether the THA top players will indeed participate??..
Maligned Uber Cup squad strives to prove critics wrong The Jakarta Post Thu, 02/18/2010 12:32 PM By Agnes Winarti Widely panned for its lack of international-level achievements, the country’s Uber Cup squad has set its sights on proving its critics wrong by putting on a good show at the badminton championship’s Asia Zone qualifier in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, from Feb. 22 to 28. “We’re aware the public is kind of underestimating the female shuttlers,” mixed doubles player Lilyana Natsir, who will compete in the women’s doubles, said Wednesday. “We’ll show them the notion is false, just as we did in 2008.” Two years ago, the country’s Uber Cup team made a surprise run to the final, where it lost to China. The runner-up spot was in the end a better achievement than the much-fancied men’s Thomas Cup squad could muster, losing in the semifinals to South Korea. The Indonesian female shuttlers last won the Uber Cup in 1996 in Hong Kong, led by badminton legend Susy Susanti. “We’ve set our sights on getting to the finals. Beyond that, we’ll deal with later,” Lilyana said. The Uber and Thomas Cups finals will take place May 9 to 16 in Kuala Lumpur. Lilyana, who won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Malaysian and French Super Series titles last year with mixed doubles partner Nova Widianto, was speaking on the sidelines of a farewell ceremony at the national badminton training center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, a day before the squad leaves for Thailand. The Indonesian Uber Cup team will play Singapore on the first day of the qualifier (Feb. 22), then meet Sri Lanka two days later (Feb. 24), followed by a match against Thailand on Feb. 25 and South Korea on Feb. 26. “It’s Thailand that we’ve gotta watch out for, because they’re just as strong in the singles and doubles,” Lilyana said. Women’s doubles national coach Aryono Miranat said he had drawn up 16 possible combinations for the pairings, in which Lilyana may play alongside Anneke Feinya Agustin, Nitya Krishinda Maheswari or Shendy Puspa Irawati, while the pairing of Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhary will likely be the main one. “The singles shuttlers are also technically and physically ready to fight,” said women’s singles national coach Marleve Mainaky, who has ranked Adriyanti Firdasari her top player, followed by Maria Febe Kusumastuti, Maria Kristin Yulianti and Aprilia Yuswandari. The Thomas Cup squad, meanwhile, will be led in the singles by Taufik Hidayat, Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Simon Santoso and Tommy Sugiarto; in the doubles by Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, Yonathan Dasuki and Ryan Sukmawan, and the new pairing of Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Muhammad Ahsan. The team will face Singapore on Feb. 22 in the Thomas Cup Asia Zone Group A, and Vietnam two days later. “I believe we can come out as the group champion,” said men’s singles national coach Agus Dwi Santoso, adding Indonesia would probably next meet Thailand or India as the runner-up from Group C. Men’s doubles national coach Sigit Pamungkas, who was similarly confident, said he would use the match against Singapore to give his second- and third-ranked pairings a test run.
thailand squads (women and men) won't advance withougt their top national players playing.too bad on their part.
England badminton squads crash out of Thomas and Uber Cup qualifiers Team England's hopes of reaching the Thomas Uber Cup finals in Malaysia in May were dashed after local favourites Poland won through 3-2. By Telegraph staff Published: 4:22PM GMT 19 Feb 2010 The men’s squad, who were second seeds and expected to reach the semi-finals, looked to be getting off to a good start when three-times English National champion Rajiv Ouseph took the first game off Przemyslaw Wacha - but the experienced Polish No. 1 roared back to take the match 15-21 21-15 21-14. In the second rubber National runners-up Chris Adcock and Robert Blair let slip a winning position when they led by a game and 12-8 before falling to Michal Logosz and Adam Cwalina 15-21 22-20 21-19. And it was game over when Carl Baxter went down 21-17 21-14 against Hubert Paczek in the second singles. Chris Langridge and Anthony Clark won the first game of their doubles 21-14 before Robert Mateusiak and Wacha retired with the winning lead secured. In the last match Rafal Hawal took the first game against Harry Wright 21-17 but retired when trailing 11-10 in the second to make the final score 3-2. There was disappointment for the women's squad this afternoon as they lost all three singles as they went down 4-1 to Russia in their Uber Cup group decider. English National champion Elizabeth Cann took Ella Diehl to three games before going down 21-10 17-21 21-11. Then Rachel Howard lost to Tatiana Bibik 21-18 21-10, leaving Kate Robertshaw in her second, England appearance, facing a must-win contest against doubles specialist Nina Vislova. The Yorkshire girl put up a plucky display, winning the first game, before going down 21-23 21-17 21-12. That meant England had lost before they could bring their two strong doubles pairs into play. Heather Olver and Mariana Agathangelou stopped the slide by beating Ksenia Polikarpova and Anastasia Prokopenko 21-9 21-18 but Jenny Wallwork and Gabby White went down to Vislova and Valeria Sorokina 21-15 21-16 to end Team England's hopes of reaching the Uber Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpur in May.
Russia rout Scots women in Warsaw quarter-finalsPremium Last Updated: 19 February 2010 10:56 PM Source: The Scotsman Location: Edinburgh BADMINTON: Scotland's women last night crashed out of the European Women's Team Championships in Warsaw to a strong Russia side. The Scots had earlier progressed from a tough group containing Ukraine, hosts Poland and seeds France but then succumbed to a 3-0 quarter-final loss to a side featuring current Bank of Scotland International women's doubles champions Valeria Sorokina and Nina Vislova and former singles champion Ella Diehl. The tournament had started slowly for the Scottish women as they suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss to Ukraine on the opening day of the competition. They rallied to beat France 3-2 before a convincing 4-1 over the Poles on Thursday left the Scots with a nail-biting wait as France played Ukraine. A win for Ukraine would have sent Scotland crashing out, but France came through to take the victory, leaving them tied with Scotland at the top of the group with two wins each. Scotland progressed to the quarter-finals courtesy of their head-to-head record against France.
NZ Badminton players start with a bang nzherald.co.nz 5:25 AM Saturday Feb 20, 2010 New Zealand has started their campaign to reach the world finals of the Thomas and Uber Cup badminton competitions in emphatic fashion scoring 5-0 wins in their respective men's and women's matches at the Oceania Teams qualifying tournament in Invercargill. The men's team easily beat New Caledonia 5-0 in the Thomas Cup while the women beat Fiji 5-0 in the Uber Cup.
Scots men and women enjoy badminton wins in Warsaw Last Updated: 18 February 2010 11:54 PM Source: The Scotsman Location: Edinburgh By lorna carmichael YVETTE Yun Luo's Scotland squad had plenty to celebrate at the European men's and women's team badminton championships in Warsaw as both teams came up trumps. The women's team defeated Poland 4-1 to claim their second Group E win in their final Uber Cup group stage match yesterday and they had to wait for the result of the France-Ukraine match later last night to find out if they will progress to the knockout stages. The men's team claimed their first win of the tournament against Bulgaria with a 4-1 win in their remaining Thomas Cup contest in Group D. In the women's clash Bank of Scotland International champion Susan Egelstaff made it third time lucky after two defeats in earlier matches as she defeated Anna Narel 21-19, 21-11. Linda Sloan maintained her 100 per cent singles record in these Uber Cup qualifiers with a 25-23, 21-18 win over Natalia Pocztowiak and new cap Kirsty Gilmour, playing her third singles in three days, gave Scotland a winning lead when she beat Angelika Wegrzyn 21-15, 21-14. In the doubles unbeaten Emma Mason and Imogen Bankier kept up the good work against Pocztowiak and Agnieszka Wojtkowska with a 21-14, 21-16 victory. It was then left to Sloan and Jillie Cooper to take on Malgorzata Kurdelska and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk in the final rubber but they lost the match 21-8, 21-13.
New Zealand's badminton hopes thwarted stuff.co.ns Last updated 21:34 21/02/2010 New Zealand's bid to make the world badminton team finals in Malaysia in May was thwarted by a rejuvenated Australian team in Invercargill today. The Thomas and Uber Cup qualifying tournament at Stadium Southland saw both the men's and women's teams fall short, the men whitewashed 5-0 by Australia while the women were pipped 3-2. New Zealand's Uber Cup team side had an opportunity to gain an upset in the women's final, especially after North Harobur's Jessica Jonggowisastro won the No 2 singles 28-26 in the third game over Leanne Choo. With Southland's Anna Rankin winning the third singles, the New Zealanders led 2-1 going into the doubles matches against the highly rated Australian pairings, who proved too strong and secured both wins and valuable Commonwealth Games ranking points In the men's Thomas Cup, New Zealand's lack of depth was exposed and only Southland's James Eunson was able to provide real opposition, taking Stuart Gomez to three before losing 20-22 in the final game in just under an hour. The Oceania mixed team championships, the Robson Shield competition, started today, New Zealand beginning with a 5-0 victory over New Caledonnia while Australia beat Tahiti 5-0.
Slim prospects for Hendra to join squad in Thailand The Jakarta Post Monday, February 22, 2010 8:34 By Agnes Winarti, Jakarta | Fri, 02/19/2010 11:43 AM One of Indonesia’s key players in the men’s doubles, Hendra Setiawan, could not join the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup squads to Thailand on Thursday for a key qualifying round because of dengue fever. “My thrombocyte [platelet] count is still dropping,” Hendra told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, confirming that he was being treated for dengue fever at Pondok Indah Hospital in South Jakarta since Wednesday evening. “My doctor told me not to go because I will probably only start recovering in the next three days,” Hendra wrote in a short message to the Post when asked about the possibility of him joining his teammates in Thailand. “Let’s wait for tomorrow’s [blood] test,” he said. Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) secretary-general and manager of the Thomas Cup team, Yacob Rusdianto, said he hoped Hendra would recover within the next three days and catch up with the squad in Nakhon Ratchasima, where the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Asia Zone preliminary will kick off from Feb. 22-28. “We have a ticket for him to fly to Thailand on Feb. 21. Hopefully, Hendra will be well by then,” Yacob said, adding that he only learnt about Hendra’s illness on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Hendra’s doubles partner, Markis Kido, flew to Thailand with the squad on Thursday. Yacob said contingencies were in place if the world number three men’s doubles pair could not play. “Kido can pair with either Yonathan [Dasuki], [Muhammad] Ahsan or Alvent [Yulianto]. The men’s doubles coach will decide that later,” he said. Men’s doubles national coach Sigit Pamungkas said earlier he was considering leaving the country’s top duo on the bench to give an opportunity to younger players Yonathan/Rian Sukmawan and Ahsan/ Alvent, in the first day Group A qualifier against Singapore. “I think the male shuttlers in our Thomas Cup team are much better than Singapore’s and Vietnam’s, the two other countries in the group,” Sigit said. Singapore is counting on men’s doubles Hendra Wijaya/Hendri Kurniawan Saputra, ranked 21st by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), while Vietnam will depend heavily on men’s singles Nguyen Tien Minh, who is ranked eighth in the world by the BWF. This year, Markis and Hendra, who won gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, will make their third appearance for the country in the Thomas Cup squad. Their previous stints brought Indonesia to the Thomas Cup semifinals in Jakarta two years ago and in Japan four years ago.
Indonesia's Thomas and Uber Cup Squads Ready to Face Singapore Challenge Jakarta Globe February 21, 2010 By Ami Afriatni Indonesia’s quest to lift the Thomas and Uber Cups starts today as the Asian Zone qualifiers begin in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, with both the men’s and women’s teams facing Singapore in their respective group stage openers. The men’s team, competing in the Thomas Cup, is tipped to score an easy victory despite missing Hendra Setiawan because of dengue fever. “I’m getting better, but I still feel weak. So I won’t be joining the team in Thailand,” Hendra, who is being treated at Pondok Indah Hospital, said on Sunday. With Hendra out, Markis Kido will have to find another men’s doubles partner, but team manager I Gusti Made Oka said that shouldn’t disrupt the team’s ability to qualify for the tournament proper, which takes place in Kuala Lumpur on May 9-16. “We’ll beat Singapore in the first match and we’ll qualify from the group,” Oka said. “It’ll be better for Hendra to get a proper rest because we’ll need him in Kuala Lumpur.” All of the Indonesian men’s singles players are ranked in the top 15 in the world, while Singapore’s best player is Derek Wong, ranked 100th in the world. World No. 4 Taufik Hidayat will face Wong in the first singles match. The women’s team, competing in the Uber Cup, will face a much tougher match against the Singaporeans, with the two nations’ shuttlers more evenly matched. “We look to be stronger in the doubles than Singapore, but it’ll be a tough game in the singles. But I believe we’ll beat them,” coach Ellen Angelina told state-run news agency Antara. The top three men’s and women’s teams in the qualifiers will go through to Kuala Lumpur, while the fourth-place teams can also qualify if they have a better world ranking than the fourth-place teams from the European zone. Markis Kido will need to find a replacement for partner Hendra Setiawan. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)
Indians gear up for Thomas and Uber Cup Press Trust of India New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) STAFF WRITER 13:40 HRS Saina Nehwal feels it would be an uphill task but Chetan Anand is confident of making it to the finals when they lead the Indian challenge at the prestigious Thomas and Uber Cup (Asia Zone) badminton tournament starting in Thailand tomorrow. In Thomas Cup, India have been clubbed with Sri Lanka, Combodia and Thailand in group C and Chetan and Arvind Bhat believe the local team will pose the biggest threat. "Thailand will put up maximum resistance. It is always difficult to beat a Thai player in his own country but we have some good singles players and if the doubles team can come good, we can beat them and top the group," Chetan said. "In that case we will, in all probability, clash with Singapore or Vietnam, which are relatively easier teams than Indonesia
the commentator is surely a joker, isn't it? Malaysia’s Raj books Thomas Cup Finals spot — for Australia PETALING JAYA: Doubles shuttler Raj Veeran is the first Malaysian to have booked a ticket for the Thomas Cup Finals at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16 – but he will not be playing under the Jalur Gemilang banner. On Saturday, Raj helped Australia beat New Zealand 5-0 in the final to emerge as the champions of the Ocenia Zone Thomas Cup preliminary round at Invercargill, New Zealand. It is a big breakthrough for Australia. They failed to make the cut in the last two series after losing to their arch-rivals New Zealand. Raj played in the second doubles with Jeff Tho and they defeated Joe Wu-Kevin Dennerly-Minturn 21-14, 21-11. Raj, the younger brother of former national junior trainee V. Renuga, gained his Australian citizenship recently and his presence certainly added depth to the team. With this win, Australia are the first to have qualified for the 12-team Thomas Cup Finals. Malaysia and China are automatic qualifiers by virtue of being the hosts and defending champions. Four qualifiers will come from Asia, three from Europe and one each from Africa and Pan America. The Asian Zone qualifying will begin in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, tomorrow and top seeds Indonesia, led by Taufik Hidayat, are the favourites to emerge tops. n THOMAS CUP Final: Australia bt New Zealand 5-0 (Jeff Tho bt Joe Wu 22-20, 21-13; Glenn Warfe-Ross Smith bt Hendry Tam-Oliver Leydon-Davis 21-9, 21-14; Stuart Gomez bt James Eunson 18-21, 21-13, 22-20; Raj Veeran-Jeff Tho bt Joe Wu-Kevin Dennerly-Minturn 21-14, 21-11; Stuart Brehaut bt Oliver Leydon-Davis 21-14, 21-12). n UBER CUP Final: Australia bt New Zealand 3-2 (Huang Chia-chi bt Michelle K.Y Chan 21-15, 21-9; Leanne Choo lost to Jessica Jonggowisastro 19-21, 25-23, 26-28; Erica Pong lost to Anna Rankin 20-22, 15-21; Tang He-tian-Huang Chi-chi bt Donna Haliday-Danielle Berry 21-8, 21-6; Kate Wilson-Smith-Eugenia Tanaka bt Michelle K.Y Chan-Jessica Jonggowisastro 21-13, 21-9) http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/2/22/sports/5718035&sec=sports
Indonesia Thomas, Uber Cup Squads Struggle Past Singapore Jakarta Globe February 22, 2010 By Ami Afriatni Indonesia’s Thomas and Uber Cup sides won their Asian zone qualifying openers, but it was not as easy as expected. Playing without men’s doubles ace Hendra Setiawan, Indonesia suffered an unexpected hiccup during its 4-1 defeat of Singapore. Indonesia-born Singaporeans Hendra Kurniawan Saputra and Hendra Wijaya won the first doubles match 21-19, 21-18 over Rian Sukmawan and Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki. That result leveled the tie after Taufik Hidayat opened proceedings in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, with a 21-10, 21-18 defeat of Derek Wong in men’s singles. Rian and Yonathan moved up to No. 1 doubles when Hendra withdrew after contracting dengue fever. The second doubles surprise came when Indonesia paired veteran Alvent Yulianto Chandra with Mohammad Ahsan, leaving out Hendra’s longtime partner Markis Kido. “We decided to put Alvent and Ahsan together because we saw Markis Kido has yet to be ready to be paired with other player,” Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) secretary general Jacob Rusdianto told the Jakarta Globe by text message. The move paid off as Alvent and Ahsan beat Terry Yeo and Johnathan Tang 21-3, 21-19, securing victory for Indonesia. Sony Dwi Kuncoro put Indonesia ahead 2-1 after beating Ashton Chen 21-12, 21-9, and Simon Santoso cruised to a 21-5, 21-6 defeat of Kelvin Ho at No. 3 singles. Indonesia next faces Vietnam on Wednesday. Elsewhere in Thomas Cup qualifying, Japan swept Laos 5-0 in Group D, as did India against Sri Lanka and Thailand against Cambodia in Group C. In the late match, Taiwan blanked the Philippines 5-0 in Group B. A dearth of women’s singles talent nearly came back to haunt Indonesia in Uber Cup qualifying. No. 1 singles shuttler Adriyanti Firdasari lost 29-27, 22-20 to Beiwen Zhang, and Maria Febe Kusumastuti fell 21-14, 21-19 to Aiying Xing at No. 2 singles. Doubles play kept Indonesia alive as Greysia Polii and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari beat Lei Yao and Shinta Mulia Sari 21-15, 21-16 at No. 1 doubles and Shendy Puspa Irawati and Liliyana Natsir won 21-15, 21-12 over Frances Liu and Vanessa Yeo at No. 2 doubles. Still, it needed a gutsy performance from former national No. 1 Maria Kristin Yulianti at No. 3 singles as she beat Mingtian Fu 21-4, 21-9. In the other Group X match, top-seeded Korea posted a clean sweep over Sri Lanka. Its dominance was underscored by allowing just 99 points across 10 games in five matches. Sony Dwi Kuncoro posted a crucial singles victory. (AFP Photo/Liu Jin)
RI passes first hurdle in suspense The Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com) Tue, 02/23/2010 12:33 PM The Indonesian badminton squad cleared its first hurdle in the Thomas and Uber Cup Asia Zone qualifier with a nail-biting win over Singapore. Playing in Group X at the weeklong event in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, the Indonesian Uber Cup team fell behind early when Adriyanti Firdasari lost 27-29, 20-22 to Zhang Beiwen. World No. 9 women's doubles pair Greysia Polii and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari then leveled with a 21-15, 21-16 defeat of Yao Lei and Sari Shinta Mulia. It was a seesaw match as Singapore went back in the lead with a 21-14, 21-19 victory by Xing Aiying over Maria Febe Kusumastuti in the second women's singles. But Indonesia clawed back in the next doubles encounter as Shendy Puspa Irawati and Lilyana Natsir beat Frances Liu Fan and Vanessa Neo Yu Yan 21-15, 21-12. The final rubber pitted Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Maria Kristin Yulianti trounce Fu Mingtian 21-4, 21-9 to give Indonesia a hard-earned 3-2 victory over Singapore. Over at the men's Thomas Cup, the qualifying match in Group A between Indonesia and Singapore also proved a thriller. World No. 5 Taufik Hidayat drew first blood for Indonesia with a 21-10, 21-18 defeat of Derek Wong Ziliang. However, men's doubles pairing Rian Sukmawan and Yonathan Dasuki were gunned down 21-19, 21-18 to Hendra Kurniawan Saputra and Hendra Wijaya, putting Singapore level again. Sony Dwi Kuncoro then put Indonesia back in front with a 21-12, 21-9 rout of Ashton Chen Yongzhao. Doubles pair Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Muhammad Ahsan then closed out the match win for Indonesia with a 21-3, 21-19 win over Terry Yeo Zhao Jiang and Jonathan Tang Yew Loong. For emphasis, world No. 8 Simon Santoso sealed a 4-1 Indonesian victory with a 21-5, 21-6 defeat of Kelvin Ho Ying Chong. On Wednesday, the women's Uber Cup team plays Sri Lanka, while the country's Thomas Cup team plays Vietnam.The three top teams from both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Asian qualifiers will go on to the finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The finals of the biennial team badminton championships from May 9 to 16 will feature 12 teams each in the men's and women's draws, including defending champion China, host Malaysia and 10 qualifiers.
Asian Zone preliminaries are held in Thailand now. Maybe you can find out more from the BWF or Thailand Badminton Assn websites. Good luck. Tournament results can be found here: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/teams.aspx?id=2157EAE5-4152-43EE-9E2B-5B15F230316E
