Malaysia and Indonesia to renew rivalry UTUSAN online JAKARTA May 11 - The monumental rivalry between Malaysia and Indonesia in the sport of badminton will reach another peak when both countries engage in a survival battle during a Thomas Cup quarterfinal match at the Istora Senayan Indoor Stadium, here Wednesday. Malaysia, the 2002 Thomas Cup runner-up, when the event was staged in Guangzhou, China, took the direct route to the quarter-finals while host Indonesia took the second option by going through a plaf-off after losing 0-5 to China Monday. Indonesia, a dominant force since winning the title before their home fans in 1994 and incidently at the same stadium, are expected to easily thrash minnows New Zealand and meet Malaysia. Based on previous records, Malaysia's chances of beating Indonesia looks slim although Malaysian shuttlers are ranked higher in the world. Malaysia will count on Olympic-bound singles trio - Wong Choong Hann, Mohd Roslin Hashim and Lee Chong Wei - together with 2002 All England Champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim to carry them through. Indonesia on the other hand have the formidable Taufik Hidayat, rising star Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Simon Santoso and Wimpie Mahardi listed for their singles challenge. The Malaysian doubles pairs who have also qualified for Athens - Chong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Chew Choon Eng-Chan Chong Ming - certainly look good on paper against the Indonesian pairs. However, the Indonesian pairs - Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto and Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian or the scratch pair of Candra Wijaya-Tri Kusaryanto can rise to the occassion when playing at home. Choong Hann is expected to face Kuncoro while Roslin might be up against Taufik while Hafiz may play third singles against Simon. Malaysian chief coach Misbun Sidek and doubles coach Yap Kim Hock when asked about Malaysia's chances against the Indonesians said: "To be realistic, our chances are only 40-60. We need to be at our best to beat them, especially when they had suffered defeat at the hands of the Chinese last night." But both were optimistic that the pressure would be on Indonesia and not Malaysia, as they (Indonesia) are playing in front of the home fans and will be expected to deliver the goods. "They are beatable ... we proved that when we edged the Chinese in Guangzhou during the 2002 semifinals," they said. MEANWHILE, defending champions Indonesia easily cruised to the quarter-finals when their men's team trounced minnows New Zealand 3-0 in the playoff match of the Thomas Cup Finals, at Istora Senayan Indoor Stadium, here Tuesday night. The title holder since 1994 will battle against their arch-rival Malaysia in the quarter-finals match tomorrow night. In the Group A final match yesterday, the red-white squad lost to top seeds, China 0-5 while a day earlier, Malaysia topped the Group C when they whitewashed Thailand 5-0. World number nine Sony Dwi Kuncoro trashed John Moody 15-3, 15-2 while youngster Simon Santoso (59) defeated Geoffrey Bellingham 15-3, 15-2. The hosts' first men's doubles Luluk Hadiyanto/Alven Hadiyanto sealed the victory for Indonesia when they beat Daniel Shirley/John Gordon 15-5, 15-8. Indonesian team manager Christian Hadinata, however, reminded his team that Wednesday's quarter-finals battle against Malaysia would decide their survival in the 2004 edition. "I think the pressure is on us. We are the defending champions and the title holder since 1994. We are also playing in front of our home crowd. "The Malaysians have nothing to loss. They will play their best but so will we," Hadinata told reporters, here. In another Thomas Cup playoff match, Germany won their battle against the United States (US) 3-0. Bjoern Joppien beat Erick Go 17-14, 15-5, Jens Roch thrashed Howard Bach 15-0, 15-2 while Marc Zwiebler sealed the victory by trashing Kevin Hann 15-2, 15-4. The Germans will play against Denmark in the quarter-finals. - Bernama
