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Indonesia Beats Malaysia to Clinch Top Spot in Group

JAKARTA LIFE'S STYLE

Mixed doubles shuttlers Fran Kurniawan Teng and Pia Zebadiah Bernadet won in straight games to help Indonesia defeat Malaysia 3-2 and secure first place in their group at the Sudirman Cup in Qingdao, China on Wednesday.

The two teams were tied after four matches at the Qingdao Sports Center, with the Indonesian women and the Malaysian men each winning in singles and doubles play.

The tie boiled down to the mixed doubles match, and Fran and Pia came through with a 21-18, 21-15 win over Peng Soon Chan and Liu Ying Goh.

With the victory, Indonesia topped Group B and will have the benefit of being drawn against a weaker opponent for the quarterfinals.

The women’s shuttlers, much-maligned for their subpar performance in recent years, kept Indonesia in the thick of the fight. Adriyanti Firdasari beat Lydia Li Ya Cheah 21-8, 21-12 in singles, while Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari downed Eei Hui Chin and Pei Tty Wong 23-21, 21-14 in doubles.

Malaysia’s wins came courtesy of their highly fancied men’s shuttlers.

World-ranked Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan beat Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Mohammad Ahsan in doubles, before world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei routed Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka 21-8, 21-8.

Lee came rocketing out of the blocks against Hayom, going 6-1 and then 14-3 up in the first game, before romping home 21-8.

It was a similar story in the second game, Lee outclassing the Indonesian 21-8 again and throwing his racket into the crowd in celebration.

He said afterward that he was pleased with his performance and was gradually getting used to the arena in Qingdao, but admitted it would take something special to beat the hosts and holders China.

Manwhile, China’s badminton talisman Lin Dan said the pressure was on to keep ahead of the chasing pack, after he labored to a hard-fought victory over Japan’s stubborn Sho Sasaki at the Sudirman Cup.

Lin, 27, might be the reigning Olympic champion and widely regarded as the best player ever, but he said: “Right now, all the players up their game whenever they face Chinese opponents.

“Sho may not win most competitions but he will always go all out against Chinese opponents.

“It is getting harder for us to stay at the top.”(http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/badminton/indonesia-beats-malaysia-to-clinch-top-spot-in-group/443233)

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