Tontowi, Liliyana fail to home victory

The Post of Jakarta, Jakarta | Sports | Mon, October 22 2012, 8: 28 AM

Paper Edition | Page: 20

Indonesia's hopes for glory at the Denmark Open badminton championship were interrupted after Tontowi Liliyana Natsir Ahmad and lost in the last game of their mixed doubles in Odense, Denmark, on Sunday.

The Indonesian couple, who was seeded fourth in the tournament, went to the top-seeded Chinese pair Xu Chen and Ma Jin 23-21, 24-26, 21-11 in a hard-fought encounter that lasted more than an hour.

Tontowi/Liliyana loss ensured the team returned back home empty-handed with the rest of the Indonesian team have left earlier. In another game on Sunday won Shin Baek-choel and Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korean men's doubles Koo Kien Keat, Malaysia the edge contest and Tan Boon Heong 19-21, 21-11, 21-19.

Saina Nehwal of India faced in other final matches, Juliane Schenk of Netherlands in women's singles; Misaki Matsumoto/Ayaka Takahashi found on Ma Jin/Tang Jinhua in women's doubles; and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia faced Du Pengyu of China in men's singles.

Reuters reported that nehwal showed signs of fulfilling the potential that her earned a recent $ 7.4 million deal by reaching the final.

The 22-year-old world number four led 21-12, 12-7 in her semifinal match against Wang Yihan on Saturday when her Chinese opponent off the Court due to injury limped.

Pitted against the woman that her 13-21, 21-13 in the Olympic semi-finals in London had proved too strong for Nehwal trounced, Wang, who was clearly hampered by the damaged knee.

Nehwal has the face of Indian badminton since winning the Indonesian Open in 2009 and becoming the first shuttler from her country to win an Olympic medal when they returned with a bronze of these summer games in London.

Her efforts were rewarded last month when Nehwal a three year deal with a sports management company that according to reports in the media made her the highest paid Indian sportsperson outside cricket signed.

Schenk pulled a huge upset on Friday when she overcame world number two and Olympic champion Li Xuerui. — Agencies