Danish dreams shattered
14th May 2005Hosts China and former winners Indonesia stormed into the Sudirman Cup final in Beijing Saturday.
Danish hopes of becoming the first Europeans to lift the cup faltered from the moment Jens Eriksen and Kamilla Juhl lost the opening mixed doubles.
Then Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat crushed Peter Gade 15-10 15-3 and Francisca Hari beat rookie Camilla Sorensen in three games after dropping the first to send Indonesia through.
Danish coach Steen pedersen said: "Congratulation to Indonesia, They had the will to win. The mixed was crucial but we just couldn't get started."
Indonesian coach Hendrawan, the 2001 world champion, agreed the mixed was critical but paid credit to his team for their fighting spirit.
China are chasing the Team Treble after winning both the Thomas and Uber Cups last year. Zhang Jun and Gao Ling, the Olympic champions in Sydney and Athens who beat Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms in the 2004 Games,won a three-setter to give the four-times champions a winning star.
World No 1 Lin Dan kept up the momentum in the men's singles and world championn Zhang Ning finished the job by taking the women's singles.
China will go into the final as firm favourites but the scoreline will hinge on the order of play. There is certainly no doubt they can win the mixed, the women's singles and the women's doubles. But Taufik and men's doubles pair Sigit Budiarto and Candra Wiyaya can perhaps disturb the natural order of things.
But with 18,000 fans behind them in the Beijing Capital Gymnasium, China are up for the cup!