HONG KONG, May 17: Holders Indonesia nearly paid the price for resting top singles player Susi Susanti today when they just edged Netherlands 3-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Uber Cup Women's Team Championship.The 21-year-old Ellen Engeline, playing her first Uber Cup match, was the heroine for Indonesia, beating Lonneke Janssen 11-2 11-7 in the deciding match of the Group `B' tie.
Indonesia took a 2-0 lead but then lost their way in an emotionally-charged encounter which had their noisy fans shouting alternately in delight and anguish.
Perennial challengers South Korea joined Indonesia in the semi-finals after their 4-1 win over England.
Indonesia and South Korea, with two wins each, meet on Tuesday to decide who tops Group `B' and the pairings for the semi-finals.
RESULTS
UBER CUP: Group A: China 4 bt Japan 1 (Ye Zhaoying bt Kanako Yonekura 11-5 11-7; Ge Fei/ Gu Jun bt Yoshiko Iwata/ Haruko Matsuda 15-2 15-6; Gong Zhichao lost to Yasuko Mizui 11-4 1-11 3-11; Qiang Hong/ Liu Lu btHiroki Nagamine/ Satomi Igawa 15-5, 15-1; Han Jingna bt Chihiro Ohsaka 11-4 11-0).Denmark 4 bt Hong Kong 1 (Camilla Martin bt Koon Wai-Chee 11-1 11-8, Mette Pedersen lost to Ling Wan-Ting 11-6 9-12 3-11; Rikke Olsen/ Marlene Thomsen bt Koon/ Tung Chau-Man 15-10 15-7; Mette Sorensen bt Ng Ching 11-5, 11-3; Ann Jorgensen/ Majken Vange bt Ling/ Chan Mei-Mei 18-13 15-9)
Group B: Indonesia 3 bt Netherlands 2 (Mia Audina bt Judith Meulendijks 11-2 11-7; Eliza Lomban/ Denyana Lomban bt Erica van den Heuvel/ Monique Hoogland 15-5 17-15; Meiluawati lost to Brends Beenhakker 12-9 5-11 7-11; Indarti Isoliana/ Finarsih lost to Nicole van Hooren/ Lotte Jonathans 15-18 15-3 9-15; Ellen Engelina bt Lonneke Janssen 11-2 11-7).
South Korea 4 bt England 1 (Kim Ji-Hyun bt Julia Mann 11-2 11-1; Ra Kyung-Min/ Jang Hye-Ock bt Joanne Goode/ Donna Kellogg 15-9 15-7; Lee Jop-Hyun bt Tracy Hallam 11-2 8-11 12-10; Kim Shin-Young/ Chung Jae-Hee lost to Joanne Davies/ Sarah Hardaker 14-17 2-15; Lee Soon-Deuk bt Tracy Dineen 12-1011-7).Semifinal Qualifiers: Indonesia, South Korea, China & DenmarkTHOMAS CUP: Group `B': Malaysia 4 South Korea 1 (Ong Ewe Hock bt Hwang Sun-Ho 15-6 15-10; Cheah Soon Kit/ Yap Kim Hock bt Lee Dong-Soo/ Yoo Yong-Sung 14-18 15-8 15-12; Yong Hock Kin bt Ahn Jae-Chang 15-9 15-7; Lee Wan Wah/ Choong Tan Gook lost to Ha Tae-Kwon/ Kang Kyung-Jin 5-15 6-15; Roslin Hashim bt Kim Dong-Moon 15-13 15-4).
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.