GENEVA, 25 April 2004 — Mia Audina Tjiptawan, who once clinched the Uber Cup for Indonesia as a 14-year-old, suggested that now, fully a decade later, she has at last returned to her best, reaching the final of the European championships with a brilliant win here Friday
The top-seeded Dutch international won a classic contest 11-4, 10-13, 11-8 against Camilla Martin, the former world and European champion, after the courageous Dane had saved a match point at 8-10 in the second game and led 7-6 in the decider.
The men’s final will be between former world No. 1 Peter Gade, who is now certain to get an Olympic seeding, and his top-seeded Danish compatriot Kenneth Jonassen.
Audina’s clash with Martin was the strokeplayer versus the fighter. Audina’s ability to slice and disguise the shuttle down short and to mix it with deep punched clears narrowly gave her the edge against an opponent who covered the court with fierce determination but with waning strength.
In the men’s semis, second seed Gade beat fellow Dane Anders Boesen 15-6, 15-12 to set up an all-Danish final with Jonassen who defeated Bjorn Joppien of Germany 15-4, 15-8.
