Taufik Hidayat claims Indian Open badminton title

The Associated Press , Hyderabad, India Sun, 03/29/2009 7:54 PM Sports

Winning party: Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat (right) and Malaysia's Muhammad Hafiz Hashim pose for photographs at the Yonex Sunrise India Open 2009 badminton tournament in Hyderabad, India, on Sunday. Second-seeded Taufik defeated Hashim 21-18, 21-19 on Sunday to clinch the India Open men's singles title. AP/Mahesh Kumar A
Second-seeded Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia defeated Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia 21-18, 21-19 on Sunday to clinch the India Open men's singles title, while top-seeded Pi Hongyan of France took the women's event.Taufik, winner of all previous six meetings with Hashim, exuded confidence in his strokes and succeeded in inducing errors from his Malaysian opponent."The score was close; winning a title is always very satisfying," Taufik said.
"This win will give me a lot of confidence for the world championships at this venue in August. There's a bit of drift inside the stadium here, so it takes time to get used to the shuttle in the high tosses. I think, I read the drift much better than him."Pi, ranked fourth in the world, rallied to beat fifth-seeded Julia Wang Pei Xian of Malaysia 17-21, 21-15, 21-14 in the women's final.Pi, whose last title came at the 2006 Singapore Open, is six years older than Wang and used her experience to slow the rallies with high tosses to the back court after having lost the opening game."Wang's a very tough opponent. She beat me two years ago, but here I felt I was in control," Pi said.
"It was tough to come back after losing the first game. I then decided to slow down the game, thinking it would suit me better."In the men's doubles final, the experienced Malaysian duo of Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah defeated the new Singapore combination of Hendri Kurniawan Saputra and Hendra Wijaya 21-9, 21-11.Ma Jin and Wang Xiao Li of China downed Vita Marissa and Nadya Melati of Indonesia 21-14, 21-13 for the women's doubles title.Marissa also teamed up with Flandy Limpele to beat V. Diju and Jwala Gutta of India in the mixed doubles final.

Rory keen to copy Tiger's playing quality

Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Bali Tue, 03/03/2009 1:51 PM Sports
In a bid to reach the playing level of world No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, Indonesian Rory Hidayat Hie exercised his patience, endurance and mettle at the US$1.25 million Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open 2009 golf tournament in Pecatu, Bali.
The 20-year-old said his idol, Woods, never backed down when he made mistakes, and stayed focused and always tried to retrieve the momentum by firing more points.
"I have to improve my mental shape, to be more positive. If I make mistakes, I have to be able to come back and quickly fix them," the Indonesian No. 1 golfer said Saturday.
Rory is on the right track, indeed.
Despite a difficult and windy course, he managed to card a respectable 2-under 266 after another even par on Sunday. He was the only one of 13 Indonesians to make the cut.
Last year, three professional local golfers and an amateur stormed to the cut at the Cengkareng Golf Club just outside Jakarta. But this year, the challenge at the New Kuta Golf and Ocean View sent home 75 professional and amateur golfers to see the remaining 69 players vying for the $208,330 top prize.
Rory birdied on the second and sixth holes only to have a bogey on the fifth hole for a 1-under on the front nine. Going back to the clubhouse, two other bogeys at the 13th and 15th holes seemed to cost Rory, but were neutralized by another birdie at the 16th.
The only Indonesian golfer in the event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour, Rory shot a 2-under on the first day and made even par in the other rounds.
He fell short of a place in the top 20, but he still pocketed $8,909 after finishing in joint 32nd spot.
Rory, who turns 21 in September, said the ability to up the challenge during his American tour had given him confidence about becoming a professional golf player.
"I felt sure I would be good as a pro," said the soft-spoken young man who was named the 2008 California player of the year.
He owes the achievement partly to his family, especially father Tommy Hidayat.
Tommy, 55, introduced Rory to golf when he was 4. Rory said he was handed a plastic golf stick to practice with on the driving range.
"It looked like he preferred soccer *over golf* at that time. But when he was 10, he showed his talent in golf and played it more seriously," said Tommy, who often caddies for his son on tournaments, including at the Bali event.
Tommy gave Rory tips on reading the wind and advice on the shots, but never insisted on what should be done during the tournament.
"It's really up to him whether to take my advice or not. After all, he is the one playing," Tommy said.
With only a few tournaments at home, Tommy decided to bring Rory to California 10 years ago, along with the whole family.
"You can learn from other players better play at tournaments," Tommy said.
The decision to move was worth it, as Rory, who turned professional last year, won several titles, including the 2008 Southern Highlands Intercollegiate, the 2008 US Stanford Intercollegiate and the 2007 USC Invitational tournament.
He also won the Mercedes-Benz Tour, part of the Asian Tour, on his pro-debut at the Imperial Golf Club in Karawaci, Tangerang, in 2008.
Shortly after that event, he advanced to the final stages of the European Qualifying School, a great achievement never before equalled by any Indonesian golfer.
Rory said he practiced his strokes every single day and always tried to look for things he could improve on to perform better.
"It's the way professional golfers do it, and I have decided to become one," he said.

RI soccer player dies after match

Mon, 03/16/2009 4:27 PM Sports
BALIKPAPAN, Indonesia: Jumadi "Pele" Abdi, center back for soccer club PKT Bontang, died Sunday morning after undergoing surgery and intensive treatment for an abdominal problem caused during a match against Persela Lamongan on Saturday.
During the match, Jumadi collapsed after getting kicked in the lower abdomen by Persela back Deny Tarkas in the 35th minute, and was immediately taken to PKT Bontang Hospital. Doctors said his intestines had ruptured, causing multiple organ infections.
Jumadi played for Pelita Purwakarta and Persita Tangerang in the Main Division. He also played for PKT Bontang in the Super League Division last year. -JP

Indonesian shuttlers seek redemption at Swiss Open

Niken Prathivi , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 03/10/2009 2:45 PM Sports
Leaving Birmingham empty-handed following their total failure to reach any of the finals at the recently concluded All England Super Series, Indonesia's shuttlers now turn to the Wilson Swiss Super Series for redemption.
Indonesia's best hopes Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir will again bear the burden of winning a title at the tournament, which starts on Tuesday.
Despite their world No. 1 ranking, Nova and Liliyana fell in quarterfinals to the Indonesian-Russian pairing of Flandy Limepele and Anastasia Russkikh.
"Logically, Nova and Liliyana have a bigger winning chance *than the rest of the Indonesian team* because they are world No. 1. I hope the other players can bounce back," Lius Pongoh, an official from the Badminton Association of Indonesian (PBSI), told The Jakarta Post.
"I want the players to be fired up at the Swiss event."
Head coach Christian Hadinata said that despite taking any silverware from the All England, the players would not lose hope of winning a title at the US$200,000 Swiss event.
"We can assess their chances from the draw. They should all put in a better performance than they did at the All England. I really expect we can bring home a title from the Swiss series," said Christian, a former doubles star in the 1970s.
In the main draw, which begins Wednesday, Nova and Liliyana will meet non-seeded David Lindley and Suzanne Rayappan of the UK in the first round. Should the Indonesian pair win that match, they would then meet either Han Sang-hoon and Kim Min-jung or Ko Sung-hyun and Ha Jung-eun of South Korea in the second round.
If Nova and Liliyana advance to the quarterfinals, the top seeds would likely face fifth seeds Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark. Seventh seeds Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam of Thailand and second seeds Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung might be the opponents to tackle in the next stages, if the Indonesians make it that far.
In the men's singles, Indonesia will put its hopes in Taufik Hidayat and Simon Santoso, with world No. 5 Sony Dwi Kuncoro cutting short his European trip due to injury.
Taufik, traveling on his own after his decision to drop out of the national camp, reached the semifinals at the All England, where he crashed out at the hands of Malaysian nemesis and world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.

Indonesia leads Kuwait 2-1 in Asia-Oceania Davis Cup

Blontank Poer , THE JAKARTA POST , SURAKARTA Sun, 03/08/2009 10:06 AM Sports Give me a pound: Christopher Rungkat (right) and Ketut Nesa Arta celebrate winning a point against Mohammad Ghareeb and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq of Kuwait during the Asia-Oceania Group Two Davis Cup match in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday. The home pair won 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. JP/Blontank Poer
Indonesia took the lead over Kuwait after Christopher Rungkat and Ketut Nesa Arta won their doubles match in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday.Christo and Nesa came back from a set down to defeat Mohammad Ghareeb and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
Indonesia now leads 2-1, following a 1-1 score after the opening day, when the home side’s point was also contributed by Christo.
On Saturday, Christo once again showed his credentials as Indonesia’s number one player. He displayed a flurry of tricky shots, with the opponents failing to get around the incoming ball well.
However, their efforts paid off only after they managed to overcome a dismal start, partly due to Nesa’s nervousness.
“It’s a new experience for Nesa, but he’s the sort who is able to lift his game. He became more relaxed in the later stages,” Christo said.
After the opening debacle, the Indonesian pair was unstoppable, winning the remaining sets and putting the hosts in the driving seat ahead of Sunday’s matches.
The lineup has not been announced yet, but Christo will likely take on Ghareeb, whose world ranking in the top 400 is more than 1,000 places higher than the young Indonesian’s.
“Ghareeb is on 400 in the world, while I’m on 1,495. But that doesn’t matter. I’m ready to win the match. I will prove it on the court,” Christo said.
Team manager Kresno Merdiko said they had been optimistic about winning the doubles encounter.
“Now let’s hope we can win both matches on Sunday,” he said as quoted by Antara.

Davis Cup: Christopher runs hot but Indonesia held to a 1-1 on first day

Blontank Poer , The Jakarta Post Sat, 03/07/2009 12:10 PM Sports
Indonesian No. 1 tennis player Christopher Benjamin Rungkat lived up to expectations to produce a point against Kuwait, but the hosts had to settle for a 1-1 draw at the start of their Davis Cup tie here Friday.
Christopher put on a commanding show in his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Muhammad Ahmad Rabeea, before Kuwait leveled the score when its No. 1 Mohammad Ghareeb defeated Sunu Wahyu Trijati 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Indonesia and Kuwait are in the Asia/Oceania Group II of the men’s team tennis competition.
Rabeea lauded Christopher’s win. “He has the skill and was in top form. He played really well,” he said. He added he had no complaints about the heat or the court at the Manahan Tennis Center in Surakarta, Central Java.
In stark contrast to Christopher, Sunu put in a dismal performance, going down easily in the first two sets despite support from the home crowd.
He tried to lift his game in the third set, making the match a tightly contested tussle. But Ghareeb managed to hold off the Indonesian’s resilience to round up the set for his victory.
The two teams will resume play on Saturday in the doubles, with Indonesia deploying Ketut Nesa Artha and Prima Simpatiaji against Ghareeb and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq.­

Nadal gives Spain 2-0 lead over Serbia

The Associated Press , Benidorm Sat, 03/07/2009 9:24 PM Sports Top-ranked Rafael Nadal routed Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 Saturday to give defending champion Spain a 2-0 lead in its best-of-five Davis Cup series with Serbia.Nadal broke the 47th-ranked Serbian seven times on the outdoor clay surface, winning 10 straight games at one stage, to put the Spaniards on course to clinching a second-round berth in a single day.Doubles will be played Saturday afternoon with Spain's Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez scheduled to take on Nenad Zimonjic and Novak Djokovic, although Serbia may opt for Viktor Troicki over Djokovic.David Ferrer of Spain upset the third-ranked Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the first singles match at Terra Mitica amusement park.