China breezes past India

By Rakesh Rao

NEW DELHI, FEB. 19. India and Thailand prepared for a little battle of their own by allowing their respective rivals, China and Korea, a strain-free passage to Thomas Cup final at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.

On Sunday, India and Thailand will vie for the third qualifying slot, behind the finalists, to the eight-team Thomas Cup finals to be held at Kuala Lumpur in May.

In Uber Cup, Korea, led by Kyung Min Ra, fought for five hours and 20 minutes to knock out runner-up Indonesia 3-2 after losing the first two singles. In the final, Korea will take on Japan, which defeated Hong Kong 3-1. In fact, the second seeded Japan will be looking to avenge the 2-3 defeat suffered in the second stage league on Thursday.

Earlier, India rested P. Gopi Chand and Abhinn Shyam Gupta against China and fielded Sidharth Jain and Ajit Wijetilak in the starting line up, with Nikhil Kanetkar playing the opening singles. Unlike the league, where all five rubbers are required to be played, the semifinals conclude the moment a team attains the winning lead. As a result, once Jain lost the third rubber, Wijetilak, like the doubles pair of Markose Bristow and Vijaydeep Singh, were not required to take the court.

Kanetkar, ranked 60th, gave a 30-minute workout to World No. 11. Hong Chen before bowing out 6-15, 4-15. The 19th- ranked Chinese pair Jinhao Yu and Qiqiu Chen also needed half an hour to dismiss Vincent Lobo and Jaseel P. Ismail 15-4, 15-6. The Indian surrender was complete when 14th-placed Xinpeng Ji defeated 105th-ranked Jain 15-8, 15-6. In short, the far-superior Chinese did not take longer than necessary to put the half- hearted Indian challenge in its place.

But on Sunday, the Indian line-up is sure to be a lot different. Gopi takes on an in-form Thai spearhead Boonsak Polsana and this battle between two unbeaten players in the competition should set the pace. Kanetkar may have to make way for Abhinn Shyam Gupta in the second singles, with Sidharth Jain coming in next. In the doubles, even if Markose Bristow and Vijaydeep Singh fall to the World No. 11 pair of veteran Pramote Teerawiwatana and Tesana Panvisvas, the second combination of Vincent Lobo and Gopi should be able to earn India a berth to Kuala Lumpur.

Today, like India, Thailand, too, chose to save its spearhead Polsana in the singles and the famed doubles pair against Korea and fielded only a token resistance in all the matches. Seung Mo Shon, ranked 38th, put aside Jakrapan Thanathirat who is down at 329 in rankings, 15-8, 15-5. Thereafter, the two unranked Thais, Sudket Thantahirat and Patapol Ngernsrisuk were blown away by the Koreans in the other two singles.

Unlike the Korean men, the women had to work all the way before earning qualification. In what turned out to be the day's best match, Korea's unranked Kyung Min Ra revived her country's fortunes against Indonesia by winning the third singles against the 47th-ranked Yuli Marfuah 11-9, 11-9.

Kyung Min Ra, who is a doubles specialist, rallied from 8-9 to win the first game. In the second game, the Korean girl enjoyed a 10-2 lead but won the hard way after tossing away 10 match- points.

Earlier, 16th-ranked Lidya Djaelawijay took out the opening singles against Korean Ji Jyun Kim, ranked 10, 13-12, 11- 5. In the see-saw first game of this 50-minute match, both players squandered four game-points each. The second singles also went Indonesia's way with the 25th-ranked Ellen Angelina surprising 14th-placed Kyung Won Lee 3-11, 11-7, 11-9, winning the last four points to steal the win.

In the doubles, however, the results came true to form and rankings. Korea's eighth-ranked duo of Hyo Jung Lee and Kyung Jin Yim prevailed 15-13, 16-17, 15-10 over 11th ranked Etty Tantri and Cynthia Tuwankotta in 92 minutes. In the second game, Korea blew up a 14-8 lead and five match-points but made amends by leading right through the decider.

In the fifth and deciding rubber, Kyung Min Ra returned in the company of Chung Jae Hee and this World No. two pair overpowered seventh ranked Nathanael Eliza and Deyana Lomban 15-8, 15-9 in 40 minutes.

The other semifinal between Japan and Hong Kong was far from gripping. Japan's higher ranked singles players, Yasuko Mizui and Kanako Yonekura won comfortably against Wan Ting Ling and Wia Chee Koon. Though the 39th-ranked Miho Tanaka got the better of Chen Wang in three games, Japan took the doubles in just 25 minutes to complete a 3-1 victory.

The results (semifinals): Thomas Cup: China beat India 3-0 (Hong Chen bt Nikhil Kanetkar 15-6, 15-4; Jinhao Yu/Qiqiu Chen bt Vincent Lobo/Jaseel P. Ismail 15-4, 15-6; Xinpeng Ji bt Sidharth Jain 15- 8, 15-6).

Korea beat Thailand 3-0 (Seung Mo Shon bt Jakrapan Thanathirat 15-8, 15-5; Hyun Il Lee bt Sudket Prapakamol 15-6, 15-2; Sun Ho Hwang bt Patapol Ngernsrisuk 15-1, 15-2).

Uber Cup: Japan beat Hong Kong 3-1 (Yasuko Mizui bt Wan Ting Ling 11-5, 11-6; Kanako Yonekura bt Wai Chee Koon 11-4, 11-5; Miho Tanaka lost to Chen Wang 11-9, 4-11, 5-11; Yoshiko Iwata/Haruko Matsuda bt Wai Chee Koon/Mei Mei Chan 15-4, 15-2).

Korea beat Indonesia 3-2 (Ji Hyun Kim lost to Lidya Djaelawijay 12-13, 5-11; Kyung Won Lee bt Ellen Angelina 11-3, 7- 11, 9-11; Kyung Min Ra bt Yuli Marfuah 11-9, 11-9; Hyo Jung Lee/Kyung Jin Yim bt Etty Tantri/Cinthia Tuwankotta 15-13, 16-17, 15-10; Kyung Min Ra/Jae Hee Chung bt Nathanael Eliza/Deyana Lomban 15-8, 15- 9).

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