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Asia Cup: Indonesians Demolish Malaysians; Retain Title

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Western Canada agents - MAAKL Corporation, Saint Albert, Alberta (Tel 780-458-2026/ Fax 780-459-8891) **

November 14, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Defending champion Indonesia blanked a team of second-stringers from Malaysia in the final of the Asia Cup badminton men's team championship 3 matches to none and retained the title that they had captured in 1997. The Indonesian team also took home the champion's purse of 50,000 US dollars.

The Malaysian team received 25,000 US dollars for placing second. Korea beat China in the third-place playoffs 2 matches to 1 and won 15,000 US dollars. China ended up a disappointing fourth and took home 10,000 US dollars.

Taufik Hidayat started off for Indonesia against Jason Wong in the opening singles. The talented Indonesian teenager dominated Wong in the first set with accurately-placed shots to the four corners and won 15-4. Wong tried to mount a comeback in the second by keeping the play around the net area. He had some success initially but Hidayat soon adjusted to Wong's tactics and was able to counter effectively. The Indonesian went on to win the second set 15-10.

In the men's doubles match that followed, Malaysia's Chew Choon Eng and Rosman Razak battled hard in the opening set and grabbed a good-sized lead at 9-3 over All-England champions Tony Gunawan and Chandra Wijaya. However, the Indonesians then got their act together and started to get the better of the Malaysians. Gunawan and Wijaya soon were even with Chew and Razak at 9-all. They continued to keep the pressure on the Malaysians and went on to win 15-9.

Gunawan and Wijaya captured the second with more ease 15-7 and clinched the 1999 Asia Cup title for Indonesia.

Hendrawan defeated Ismail Saman 15-5 and 15-6 to complete the rout of the Malaysian second-stringers.

In the China-Korea third-place playoff, world men's singles champion continued to have problems with his injured back. He tried to play the first singles match but found the pain in his back too much. Pitted against Korean number one Ahn Jae Chang, Sun dropped the first set 2-15 and was behind 0-5 when he decided that he could no longer continue and threw in the proverbial towel.

World men's doubles champion Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon defeated Yu Jinhao and Zhang Jun 15-5 and 15-3 to guarantee the Koreans the third-place purse.

China's Chen Hong was able to salvage some pride for the Chinese team in the second singles match when he defeated Park Tae Sang 12-15, 15-7 and 15-13.

(yyna/ds)