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Susilo storms into semis with show of true grit




The S'porean frustrates South Korean Shon to set a date with the world No 6




By Chan Tse Chueen




KOREANS are known for their indomitable spirit but Shon Seung Mo, the world No 7 badminton player, could take a lesson or two from Singapore's Ronald Susilo last night.




Susilo showed his opponent true grit, stamina and sportsmanship as he went on to become the first Singaporean man to reach the semi-finals of a five-star Grand Prix event.




He beat the bad-tempered Shon, who twice threw his racket in frustration, 12-15, 15-12, 15-1 in the quarter-finals of the Yonex-Sunrise Singapore Open at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.




The Korean took charge at the beginning and used his attacking game to put Susilo under constant pressure.




And he managed to counter every shot the Singaporean threw back, including dipping smashes, which seemed impossible to retrieve.




It was a display of never-say-die spirit that one has come to expect from the Koreans. The first few points were close, but Shon inched away to win the first game.




Some among the cheering crowd - which numbered 4,500 for the first time since the tournament started on Tuesday - doubted that Susilo could prevail.




But the 23-year-old proved them wrong. He hung in there. For every point lost, he worked even harder to regain service and take the next point.




Seeing that Shon was tiring, the Singaporean moved him around the court and won five straight points to level at 12-12 in the second game.




'I wanted to tire him out,' Susilo said later. 'His attacking game was very good. I knew I could not let him intercept my shots.'




That was the turning point and a frustrated Shon threw his racket to the ground after he smashed into the net.




When Susilo led 13-12, the Korean again smashed his racket - this time because he was unhappy with a line call. He received a yellow card from the umpire.




Shon, who seemed to be wasting time, was also booed by the partisan crowd, who were working up a sweat cheering and waving mini-Singapore flags for their hero Susilo.




The Singaporean, who had earlier beaten Indonesian's world champion Hendrawan and India's former All-England winner P. Gopichand, realised then that he had the advantage.




'I was happy in a way that he lost his temper, because it ruined his game,' he said.




He went on to win the next three points to take the second game.




In the third, Shon, 22, was a spent force and bowed out 1-15.




Acting Minister for Community Development and Sports Yaacob Ibrahim, who joined Singapore Badminton Association president and Environment Minister Lim Swee Say in watching the match last night, was ecstatic with Susilo's performance.




'Ronald really pulled something up from deep within. We saw the same fighting spirit he displayed while at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester,' the minister said.




'I am really happy for him, and for Singapore badminton.'




Susilo's next assignment will be even more daunting: beating Malaysia's Wong Choong Hann, whose No 1 ranking last week has since slipped to sixth in the latest list released by the International Badminton Federation.




Wong yesterday staged a come-from-behind win of his own, beating China's fifth-seeded Bao Chunlai 15-13, 15-5. Down 9-13 in the first game, he took the next six points to clinch the opener.




The lanky shuttler was the only Malaysian from three quarter-final matches which featured Malaysia and China to reach the last four.




The tournament's top seed Xia Xuanze and Chen Hong survived the feisty challenges of Ong Ewe Hock and James Chua.




Xia beat Ong 12-15, 15-7, 15-12 while Chen beat Chua 7-15, 15-6, 15-12.




The Malaysians also enjoyed support from the crowd, but Wong expects another kind of reception today.




'I think it will be a different story when I play Susilo.'