SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES: INDONESIANS, MALAYSIANS TO CLASH IN SEMIS

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS REPORT is presented by badminton world champions YANG YANG (1987 and 1989) and ZHAO JIAN HUA (1991) and by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS **

October 16, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Players from traditional badminton rivals Indonesia and Malaysia today came through in the preliminary and quarterfinal stages of the individual badminton competition at the 19th SouthEast Asian Games in Jakarta. The Indonesians and Malaysians will clash in the semifinals of the men's singles and mixed doubles events.

With the top Malaysian men's doubles pairs of Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock and of Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook not playing in the Games due to injury, Thai players squeezed into the semifinal picture in the men's doubles when the pair of Khunakorn Sudhisodhi and Kitipon Kitikul upset Malaysians Tan Kim Her and Rosman Rasak, and Siripong Siripol and Pramote Teerawiwatana beat Tan Sian Peng and Patrick Lau Kim Pong of Singapore.

Surprising Philippines and Singapore have also joined the final four stage - Winnie (Amparo) Lim and Kennie Asuncion of the Philippines in the women's doubles, and Zarinah Abdullah of Singapore in the women's singles. Lim and Asuncion upended Thailand's Pornsawan Plungwech and Thitikarn Duangsiri in three games 11-15, 15-7 and 15-7 in their quarterfinal match, while Abdullah toyed with Malaysian Ishwari Boopathy 11-1 and 11-3.

The Philippine ladies and Abdullah though will be facing tougher Indonesian opponents in the tomorrow's semifinals.

Because each country is limited to only two entries in each of the individual events, Indonesia's women's singles ace Susi Susanti sat out the competition to give her younger teammate Meiluawati a taste of glory. The up-and-coming Indonesian men's singles player Indra Wijaya was also forced to the sidelines by the two-entry rule.

Results of the quarterfinal matches:

Men's Singles
Heryanto Arbi (Indonesia) beat Zaw Win (Myanmar) 15-5, 15-1
Yong Hock Kin (Malaysia) beat Apichai Teeraratsakul (Thailand) 15-8, 15-7
Joko Suprianto (Indonesia) beat Nguyen Ahn Hoang (Vietnam) 15-7, 15-6
Ong Ewe Hock (Malaysia) beat Melvin Llanes (Philippines) 15-6, 15-7

Women's Singles
Meiluawati (Indonesia) beat Natsaran Boonvorometee (Thailand) 11-0, 11-0
Zarinah Abdullah (Singapore) beat Ishwari Boopathy (Malaysia) 11-1, 11-3
Pornsawan Plungwech (Thailand) beat Kennie Asuncion (Philippines) 11-4, 11-6
Mia Audina (Indonesia) beat Fatimah Lim Kumin (Singapore) 11-0, 11-0

Men's Doubles
Chandra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto (Indonesia) beat Melvin Llanes and Ian Piencenaves (Philippines) 15-2, 15-4
Khunakorn Sudhisodhi/Kitipon Kitikul (Thailand) beat Tan Kim Her/Rosman Razak (Malaysia) 15-17, 15-9, 15-9
Siripong Siripol/Pramote Teerawiwatana (Thailand) beat Tan Sian Peng/Patrick Lau Kim Pong (Singapore) 15-7, 15-11
Ricky Subagja/Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) beat Chew Choon Eng/Lee Chee Leong (Malaysia) 15-7, 15-9

Women's Doubles
Eliza Nathanael/Resiana Zelin (Indonesia) beat Dui Kim Ha/Pham Quynh Nhan (Vietnam) 15-3, 15-1
Amparo Lim/Kennie Asuncion (Philippines) beat Pornsawan Plungwech/Thitikan Duangsiri (Thaland) 11-15, 15-7, 15-7
Somharuthai Jaroensiri/Saralee Toongthongkam (Thailand) beat Chin Yen Peng/ Fatimah Lim Kumin (Singapore) 15-0, 15-0
Indarti Isoliana/Denyana Lomban (Indonesia) beat Lee Yin Yin/Norashikin Amin (Malaysia) 15-2, 15-4

Mixed Doubles
Trikus Heryanto/Minarti Timur (Indonesia) beat Tan Sian Peng/Zarinah Abdullah (Singapore) 15-1, 15-2
Chew Choon Eng/Ang Li Peng (Malaysia) beat Khunakorn Sudhisodhi/Somharuthai Jaroensiri (Thailand) 15-11, 15-9
Chandra Wijaya/Eliza Nathanael (Indonesia) beat Kitipon Kitikul/Ticha Boonyarak (Thailand) 15-2, 15-1
Cheah Soon Kit/Norashikin Amin (Malaysia) beat Patrick Lau Kim Pong/Chin Yen Peng (Singapore) 15-7, 15-6

The semifinal matchups:

Men's Singles
Heryanto Arbi (Indonesia) versus Yong Hock Kin (Malaysia)
Joko Suprianto (Indonesia) versus Ong Ewe Hock (Malaysia)
Women's Singles
Meiluawati (Indonesia) versus Zarinah Abdullah (Singapore)
Mia Audina (Indonesia) versus Pornsawan Plunhwech (Thailand)
Men's Doubles
Chandra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto (Indonesia) versus Khunakorn Sudhisodhi/Kitipon Kitikul (Thailand)
Ricky Subagja/Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) versus Siripong Siripol/Pramote Teerawiwatana (Thailand)
Women's Doubles
Eliza Nathanael/Resiana Zelin (Indonesia) versus Amparo Lim/Kennie Asuncion (Philippines)
Indarti Isolina/Denyana Lomban (Indonesia) versus Somharuthai Jaroensiri/ Saralee Thoongtongkam (Thailand)
Mixed Doubles
Trikus Heryanto/Minarti Timur (Indonesia) versus Chew Choon Eng/Ang Li Peng (Malaysia)
Cheah Soon Kit/Norashikin Amin (Malaysia) versus Chandra Wijaya/Eliza Nathanael (Indonesia)

(fontanilla/migrossman)