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Badminton: Taufik Determined to Compete in Olympics
Sandy Pramuji | January 11, 2012

Former world No. 1 Taufik Hidayat is determined to make up for his extended run of subpar results. (Photo courtesy of the PBSI) Former world No. 1 Taufik Hidayat is determined to make up for his extended run of subpar results. (Photo courtesy of the PBSI)
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Another Olympic gold medal would be an ideal send-off as Taufik Hidayat drifts into retirement. First, though, he has to actually get to London.

A run of poor performances has dimmed the 2004 Olympic men’s singles champion’s star. He failed to win a Super Series title last year, with his victory in the second-tier India Open Grand Prix Gold ending a 13-month drought after winning the French Open Super Series in 2010.

Taufik also endured a rough start to 2012, losing in the first round of last week’s Korea Open Super Series Premier. The world No. 9’s poor run has put his Olympics berth in jeopardy, with only the top 16 in the Badminton World Federation ranking as of May 3 qualifying for London.

The 30-year-old insists he’s ready to arrest that slide, starting with this week’s Malaysia Open Super Series. He began his quest with a 21-14, 21-9 defeat of Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen in the first round on Wednesday.

“Last year was a bad one. I had a string of poor results which cost me in the world ranking,” Taufik said. “I have to secure my ticket to the Olympics.”

Competing in London would mean a great deal to the former world No. 1, who has dodged questions about his retirement plans. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he made a shock exit in the second round.

Taufik next faces No. 8 seed Nguyen Thien Minh of Vietnam, who beat China’s Wang Zhengming 18-21, 21-15, 21-15.

Indonesia’s other men’s singles shuttlers also advanced. No. 7 seed Simon Santoso rallied from a set down to beat Ajay Jayaram of India 9-21, 21-18, 21-16.

“I wasn’t comfortable with my game at the start. I was playing too slow while he was very aggressive,” Simon told the Indonesian Badminton Association’s (PBSI) Web site. “I managed to fight back and put him under pressure in the next two games.”

Simon next faces compatriot Tommy Sugiarto, who beat South Korea’s Shon Wan-ho 21-14, 21-16. Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka was also pushed to three sets in his 17-21, 21-13, 21-11 defeat of Malaysia’s Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.

In men’s doubles, seventh-seeded Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Hendra Aprida Gunawan advanced with a 21-15, 21-14 defeat of Mads Conrad-Petersen and Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark, while No. 8 seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan beat Malaysia’s Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd Fairuzizan Mohd Tazari 21-19, 21-12.

Angga Pratama and Ryan Agung Saputra won 21-14, 21-17 over Russia’s Vitalij Durkin and Alexandr Nikolaenko.

Mixed doubles No. 4 seeds Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir beat Britain’s Robert Blair and Gabrielle White 21-13, 21-17, while Muhammad Rijal and Debby Susanto topped Germany’s Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels 21-16, 21-16.

Veteran pair Nova Widianto and Vita Marissa lost 21-17, 21-15 to Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark.

On the women’s side, singles qualifiers Maria Febe Kusumastuti and Adrianti Firdasari lost, as did Vita and Nadya Melati and No. 6 Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii in doubles.