Dubai: It was a fine day at the office for Asia with Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia leading the way at the end of the second day of the First Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International 2018 being held at the Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club.
Staying ahead in Friday’s action was Indonesian world champion Suryo Nugroho, while doubles partner Oddie Kurnia Dwi Listiant Putra tried to keep pace in the SU5 category (Standing Upper).
Playing the singles from Group C, Nugroho first brushed aside Burak May of Turkey 21-12, 21-11 before defeating Ukraine’s Andrii Zaitsev 21-7, 21-5 in just 15 minutes to top his pool. Kurina, on the other hand, started off well in Group A with a hard-fought 21-19, 13-21, 21-19 win over Ilker Tuzcu of Turkey, but wilted 18-21, 11-21 against Malaysia’s Cheak Like Hou to still keep his hopes alive for a spot in the knockout stages.
The Indonesian pairing had started off on Thursday with a 21-17, 21-12 win against Malaysia’s Ahmad Sibi Amyrul Yazid and Mohammad Faris Ahmad Azri in the men’s doubles, after which the Indonesians powered off to a 21-10, 21-12 win over the Indo-Canadian pairing of Kiran Kumar Muddana and Pascal Lapointe to assured themselves of the top position in their group.
As a little child, Nugroho would never go to bed without first watching some videos of his hero Taufik Hidayat. His one aim in life was to be like the former World and Olympic champion who did his country proud while winning the Indonesian Open a record six times.
However, an accident when Nugroho was just 12 put paid to those aspirations. The youngster was the pillion rider on a motorcycle with a friend when he was thrown off and the bones in his left arm were shattered leaving doctors with no alternative but amputate his arm. “Today, all that is well behind me. I want to be the best I can and represent my country at the highest level to the best of my abilities,” the 23-year-old Nugroho told Gulf News.
“It is an amazing feeling for me to just pull on my national team jersey and fly the Indonesian flag each time I participate. This is my first time and I am here to win,” he added.
Also having a good day at the office was Singapore’s Tay Wei Ming while winning both his singles. Tay first got the better of Malaysia’s Ahmad Azri Mohammad Faris in three games 21-15, 19-21, 21-8 in a lengthy 54 minutes, and then tamed Frenchman Meril Loquette 21-14, 21-11 to take the top spot in Group D. Faris kept alive his hopes of advancing to the knockout stages with a 21-11, 21-9 win over India’s Prithiviraj Thillai Natarajan.
