ants
02-07-2004, 11:31 PM
MALAYSIA’S wishes were granted when they avoided potentially dangerous Thailand in the preliminary round and hot favourites, China, in the semi-finals when the draw for the Thomas Cup Asian zone qualifying round was made in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Malaysia, seeded third in the tournament which will be held at the KLBA Stadium in Cheras on Feb 16-22, are in Group B with Hong Kong and Sri Lanka and should not have any problem reaching the semi-finals.
The semi-finalists and the fifth-placed team qualify for the final round in Jakarta in May and with the favourable draw, Malaysia should confirm their berth.
In the semi-finals, Malaysia are likely to meet second seeds South Korea, who are expected to top Group A, while top seeds China, who should win Group D, are expected to meet Japan from Group C.
Thailand, however, were unlucky as they were drawn in Group D with China, Taiwan and Vietnam, but could still qualify for the final round if they can clinch fifth position.
South Korea should also reach the last four as they could prove too strong for India, Iran and Macau, while Japan can consider themselves lucky as they only need to deal with Singapore and Pakistan in Group C.
National coach Misbun Sidek is relieved that the hosts are not in the same group as Thailand and believes that Malaysia are in a good position to reach the semi-finals and confirm their place in the final round.
"The draw has made things slightly easier as we only need to play two matches to make the last four. However, I do not want the players to be too over confident as Hong Kong have some quality shuttlers in their side," said Misbun.
"Ng Wei and Johan Hadi Kusuma cannot be taken lightly, while their doubles pair Albertus Susanto-Liu Kok Wa are also quite strong. We are ready for a tough battle.
"Once we clear the preliminary round, can start thinking about the last four. We will have a better chance against South Korea ...it would be much tougher if we were drawn to meet China due to their strength in the singles and doubles."
Wong Choong Hann, Roslin Hashim, Lee Chong Wei, Kuan Beng Hong and doubles pairs Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat and Chew Choon Eng-Chang Kim Wai will be carrying Malaysia’s hopes and have an outside chance of clinching a top-two finish.
Malaysia must win two singles and a doubles match against South Korea if they hoped to advance to the final.
Choong Hann and Chong Wei are likely to have an edge over Lee Hyun Il and Park Tae Sang in the first and third singles respectively, while Tan Fook-Wan Wah need to secure an upset win over World Number Two Lee Dong Soo-Yoo Yong Sung.
The Koreans are likely to clinch the second singles where Shon Seung Mo has an edge over Roslin, while Teik Chai-Kien Keat will be no match for former World and All-England champions Ha Tae Kwon-Kim Dong Moon in the second doubles.
If Malaysia can topple South Korea, they are likely to meet favourites, China, in the final.
In the Uber Cup, Malaysia are in Group A with second seeds, Japan, Hong Kong, India and Macau, but face a daunting task of finishing at least second to qualify for the final round.
Misbun feels that Hong Kong will be too strong, but Malaysia have an outside chance of beating Japan to secure a berth.
Besides the favourable draw, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) also received a boost as Maybank2U.com have signed a one-year sponsorship deal worth RM600,000 with the association.
A substantial sum of the sponsorship will be utilised to organise the Thomas and Uber Cup final rounds as Maybank2U.com are the title sponsors, while the remainder will be used to prepare players for international events, especially the Athens Olympics in August.
Groupings — Thomas Cup —
Group A: South Korea, India, Iran, Macau.
Group B: Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka.
Group C: Japan, Singapore, Pakistan.
Group D: China, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam.
Uber Cup —
Group A: Japan, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Macau.
Group B: South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
Malaysia, seeded third in the tournament which will be held at the KLBA Stadium in Cheras on Feb 16-22, are in Group B with Hong Kong and Sri Lanka and should not have any problem reaching the semi-finals.
The semi-finalists and the fifth-placed team qualify for the final round in Jakarta in May and with the favourable draw, Malaysia should confirm their berth.
In the semi-finals, Malaysia are likely to meet second seeds South Korea, who are expected to top Group A, while top seeds China, who should win Group D, are expected to meet Japan from Group C.
Thailand, however, were unlucky as they were drawn in Group D with China, Taiwan and Vietnam, but could still qualify for the final round if they can clinch fifth position.
South Korea should also reach the last four as they could prove too strong for India, Iran and Macau, while Japan can consider themselves lucky as they only need to deal with Singapore and Pakistan in Group C.
National coach Misbun Sidek is relieved that the hosts are not in the same group as Thailand and believes that Malaysia are in a good position to reach the semi-finals and confirm their place in the final round.
"The draw has made things slightly easier as we only need to play two matches to make the last four. However, I do not want the players to be too over confident as Hong Kong have some quality shuttlers in their side," said Misbun.
"Ng Wei and Johan Hadi Kusuma cannot be taken lightly, while their doubles pair Albertus Susanto-Liu Kok Wa are also quite strong. We are ready for a tough battle.
"Once we clear the preliminary round, can start thinking about the last four. We will have a better chance against South Korea ...it would be much tougher if we were drawn to meet China due to their strength in the singles and doubles."
Wong Choong Hann, Roslin Hashim, Lee Chong Wei, Kuan Beng Hong and doubles pairs Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat and Chew Choon Eng-Chang Kim Wai will be carrying Malaysia’s hopes and have an outside chance of clinching a top-two finish.
Malaysia must win two singles and a doubles match against South Korea if they hoped to advance to the final.
Choong Hann and Chong Wei are likely to have an edge over Lee Hyun Il and Park Tae Sang in the first and third singles respectively, while Tan Fook-Wan Wah need to secure an upset win over World Number Two Lee Dong Soo-Yoo Yong Sung.
The Koreans are likely to clinch the second singles where Shon Seung Mo has an edge over Roslin, while Teik Chai-Kien Keat will be no match for former World and All-England champions Ha Tae Kwon-Kim Dong Moon in the second doubles.
If Malaysia can topple South Korea, they are likely to meet favourites, China, in the final.
In the Uber Cup, Malaysia are in Group A with second seeds, Japan, Hong Kong, India and Macau, but face a daunting task of finishing at least second to qualify for the final round.
Misbun feels that Hong Kong will be too strong, but Malaysia have an outside chance of beating Japan to secure a berth.
Besides the favourable draw, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) also received a boost as Maybank2U.com have signed a one-year sponsorship deal worth RM600,000 with the association.
A substantial sum of the sponsorship will be utilised to organise the Thomas and Uber Cup final rounds as Maybank2U.com are the title sponsors, while the remainder will be used to prepare players for international events, especially the Athens Olympics in August.
Groupings — Thomas Cup —
Group A: South Korea, India, Iran, Macau.
Group B: Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka.
Group C: Japan, Singapore, Pakistan.
Group D: China, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam.
Uber Cup —
Group A: Japan, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Macau.
Group B: South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.