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OLD NEMESIS: Ronald Susilo (next photo) has played Lin Dan (above) seven times. Yesterday's loss was his fifth against the Chinese world No. 1. -- PHOTOS: AFP AND BERITA HARIAN
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RARELY is there consolation in defeat.
But that was the case at the Yonex Sunrise Badminton Asia Championships in Johor Baru yesterday, when national shuttler Ronald Susilo pushed top seed and world No 1 Lin Dan to three games.
The world No 17 showed glimpses of his best form in the 14-21, 25-23, 16-21 defeat in the round of 16.
After saving two match points in the second game, Susilo failed to carry the momentum through to the decider, where he trailed throughout.
He said: 'I made a lot of mistakes at the start of the third game, which allowed him to build a good lead. It left me with a lot of catching up to do.'
Physical fitness was also a factor in a match that lasted 69 minutes.
Susilo said: 'In the third game, I lacked speed and power. He was the stronger player on the day.'
Despite the defeat, Susilo remains positive.
He said: 'I'm happy with my performance - this definitely gives me confidence.
'It's a yardstick of where I stand now.'
The 28-year-old has missed most of the 2008 season owing to an elbow injury he suffered at last year's South-east Asia Games.
Despite having only four competitive matches under his belt before these championships, he is not worried about the lack of match practice.
'I believe in myself. As long as I train well, I can come back quickly,' said Susilo, who estimates that he is 90 per cent fit now.
After undergoing surgery in December, his main aim was to get back and play in tournaments, as the points are vital to his world ranking.
This US$125,000 (S$170,000) tournament provided shuttlers with an opportunity to gain valuable points and improve on their world rankings, which will be used to determine Olympic qualification on May 1.
Susilo's run at these championships helped consolidate his position as the world No 17.
He said: 'Now that I've more or less qualified, I just need to spend more time training.'
Lin, who was also pushed to three games against unheralded Vietnamese Nguyen Tien Minh in the earlier round, is on course to win his first title in Malaysia after some high-profile exits.
Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana sent crowd favourite and world No 2 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia packing with a 21-16, 10-21, 21-15 win.
Third seed Bao Chunlai of China was ousted by unseeded Malaysian Hafiz Hashim 23-21, 15-21, 15-21.
Meanwhile, with no Singaporeans left in the singles draws, it is up to women's doubles pair Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia, and mixed doubles pair Hendri Saputra and Li, to fly the Republic's flag.
Saputra and Li first defeated Filipino siblings Kennevic and Kennie Asuncion 22-20, 21-16.
The world No 14 pair then booked a berth in the last eight with a 21-15, 17-21, 21-18 win over Indonesia's Muhammad Rijal and Greysia Polii.
Li then went on to partner Jiang in a comfortable 21-6, 21-9 victory over Thais Porntip Buranaprasertsuk and Soratja Chansrisukot.
Earlier, the world No 11 pair overcame Malaysia's Lim Pek Siah and Ooi Yu Hang 21-15, 21-9.
They next face top seeds and world No 2 pair Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen of China for a place in the semi-finals.
linxinyi@sph.com.sg
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