Taufik Loses Out to Chen at Paris Badminton Worlds

Taufik Hidayat left another world championships without a title, and it was a familiar foe who got in his way again.

Indonesia’s top men’s singles shuttler had no answers for emerging Chinese star Chen Jin, losing 21-13, 21-15 in the final in Paris on Sunday.

Throughout the match at Pierre de Coubertin Stadium, Chen showed better movement and discipline than Taufik, and picked his moments to ram home vicious smashes.

Chen also denied Taufik many chances to win points at the net, traditionally one of the Indonesian’s strengths.

Chen also ousted Taufik from last year’s world championships in Hyderabad, India, romping past the Indonesian in two easy sets in the semifinals.

“Chen is better. Now I will go home and start preparing for the Asian Games,” Taufik said after the Paris final.

Taufik won the world championship in 2005 but is still searching for a second title. Paris was the closest he has come to ending the drought.

Despite the comprehensive loss, Taufik played down Sunday’s defeat and said that overall, he was happy with the tournament.

“I didn’t have any pressure. … If I lost I was happy, and if I won I was happy,” Taufik said.

“The world championships were not my target before coming here. I’m preparing for the Asian Games, which only happen every four years.”

For the second straight world championships, Indonesia failed to bring home a title, the first time the country has come home empty-handed at consecutive worlds since a spell of five fruitless campaigns between 1983 and 1991.

Besides Taufik, Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan were the only Indonesians to even make it to the semifinals.

However, the men’s doubles pair lost 21-16, 21-13 to Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China in the semifinals on Saturday.


Additional reporting by AFP

(This article was published on www.thejakartaglobe.com on Aug. 29, 2010)