Watch this Sony, he's going places

Taken from Straits Times Interactive

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4386,202228,00.html?

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SONY, the Japanese mega-corporation that has a hand in almost everything from movies to television sets, may be a household name worldwide.

But Sony the badminton player? Hardly anyone at the World Badminton Championships in Birmingham has so much as batted an eyelid at the mention of his name ... at least until Monday.

That was when the 19-year-old Indonesian, seeded sixth and whose best-known claim to fame is being last year's Asian champion, tore apart the defence of Peter Gade-Christensen, a former world No 1 who has swept every title before him - save this one.

Granted that the Dane - a protege of an all-time great, countryman Morten Frost - is on the comeback trail after a knee ligament injury last year and had to join the competition as a wild-card entry, but the way his teenage opponent refused to be cowed by the awesome reputation and attacked from the start smacked almost of disdain.

And mind you, as recently as March, Christensen had disposed of Sony - Sony Dwi Kuncoro, to give his full name - 15-7, 15-7 in the Sudirman Cup.

Said Christensen after the 11-15, 6-15 defeat: 'I've prepared better than ever. I've done everything I could.'

Everything except find an answer to the Indonesian prodigy's power-packed smashes that consistently went to ground inside the sidelines.

The tempo of the entire match was set as early as the opening serve after Christensen, 26, won the toss and sent the shuttlecock arcing high.

His boyish-looking opponent, who bears some resemblance to his illustrious countryman Hendrawan, did not even bother to conceal how he would play his game.

He leapt and fired his return down Christensen's backhand. Service over and that was the only time the pair were level in the first game.

The Indonesian's smashes were exceptionally consistent and accurate throughout the next 65 minutes, and at every opportunity, he fired stingers past the Dane's backhand and they landed accurately, close to the baseline.

Christensen was flustered. He tried to engage Sony at the net, but even there, the muscular Indonesian forced him to lift high before delivering the inevitable. A telling smash, and the Indonesian had raced into a 6-4 lead.

On the rare occasions when Christensen retrieved Sony's rockets, the Indonesian was left stranded, seemingly unable to react after seeing his smashes returned.

At 10-13, Christensen scrambled to send one of his opponent's thunderbolts back, leaving Sony seemingly rooted at the back of the court. But like Liem Swie King, another Indonesian great who used his power to telling effect, the 19-year-old just kept raining down smash after smash.

His style may be swashbuckling but Sony remained calm and almost robotic through the game, keeping his emotions in check even after winning the match.

Looking puzzled and shy, he said: 'I really did not expect to win. I'm glad my smashes worked against him. I could not have asked for a better start to my first World Championships.'

Frost was full of praise for the young Indonesian. He said: 'Christensen could not play his usual aggressive game because Sony didn't allow him to.'

-- Peh Shing Huei