New Straits Times Susilo finds no way past crafty Sony Singaporean succumbs in straight sets to sixth-seeded Indonesian By Peh Shing Huei WITH a sly and controversial off-court stroke of deception, Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro silenced the last remaining Singaporean in the third round of the World Badminton Championships yesterday. And while the 9-15, 13-15 defeat was agonising for Ronald Susilo - compounded by compatriot Li Li's 3-11, 4-11 surrender to Holland's 13th-seed Judith Meulendijks on Wednesday - the Singaporean knew that he was not out-gunned, but simply out-foxed. The gallant 10th-seeded Susilo was flying in the second game, having fought back from 2-11 down and saved two match points to close the gap to 13-14. One more point at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena would have earned him a deuce, extended the battle for another three points and taken the clash to the rubber. But the 19-year-old Sony pulled out his cunning masterstroke. It was neither a venomous smash nor a tricky slice. Instead, the Asian champion only asked for a break to change his racket. It was a crafty move which he admitted unabashedly to Timesport later: 'There was nothing wrong with my racket. I just wanted to relax myself and slow down the pace.' He conveniently prolonged the break to take a drink and wipe away his perspiration. And that did the trick. Susilo's momentum was gone. Said the 24-year-old Singaporean: 'He was very smart. That break totally broke my rhythm.' Sony wrested service right after the break and then finished off the match when he killed off Susilo's half-hearted push. Said a disheartened Susilo: 'If I made that deuce, my confidence would have grown and he would have had no chance in the rubber.' While Sony's court-side antics were obviously effective, his on-court displays were not too bad, either. His quick footwork and lightning smashes had his opponent on the defensive for most of the encounter. And, though the Singaporean showed no signs of fatigue from his 66-minute struggle with Danish former world champion Peter Rasmussen the day before, he had a tough time dealing with the Indonesian's attacking arsenal. Relying on the jump smash that tore apart Denmark's former world No 1 Peter Gade-Christensen in the first round, Sony took a 10-5 lead in the first game before finishing the job in 25 minutes. The second game, including the propitious time-out, took another 28 minutes. Said Susilo: 'He moved very fast, and his jump smashes were so sudden and sharp.' Sony will take on Malaysia's ninth seed Wong Choong Hann in the quarter-finals today. Wong, a former Commonwealth champion, upset the rankings when he beat fourth-seeded Anders Boesen of Denmark 15-6, 15-6. The Malaysian's ranking has dropped because he has played only two tournaments this year, though late last year, he beat world No 1 Chen Hong to clinch the China Open title. He is joined by another Malaysian, Roslin Hashim, who charged into the last eight after a titanic 102-minute conflict with South Korea's eighth-seeded Lee Hyun Il, winning 15-10, 13-15, 17-14. He will meet China's Bao Chunlai today. Bao beat Indonesian third seed Taufik Hidayat 15-9, 15-4. There was no such lengthy contest for Singapore's Li Li early yesterday morning. In a second-round battle that seemed lost even before it began, the Commonwealth Games champion succumbed to Meulendijks in just 25 minutes. Li Li felt something was amiss when the lucky bracelet she wore during her Commonwealth triumph broke during warm-up yesterday. Her platinum bracelet, a birthday gift from team-mate Fan Jingjing, fell apart after the world No 1 shuttler Chen Hong wished her good luck. Superstitions apart, however, Li Li never got into the game. Said Meulendijks: 'I know she is the Commonwealth champion and I was prepared for a hard time. I just didn't expect it to be that easy.' Li Li's usual sprightly steps were replaced by heavy, lethargic movements. The Dutch seed, who later crashed out in the third round to Japan's Kanako Yonekura, played a patient game, pulling the sluggish Singapore lass around the court and tempting her to commit mistakes. Li Li took the bait and, in her haste to kill off the rallies, obliged repeatedly with unforced errors. She said: 'I played really badly. I just could not execute the strokes I had in my mind. 'After a while, my mind went blank too.' Something which cannot be said about the crafty Sony.
