ants
02-15-2004, 10:55 AM
KUALA LUMPUR: Mighty China paraded an impressive line-up in their first two-hour training session at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium here yesterday. Surprisingly, though, they were not talking of rolling over their opponents.
World number one Chen Hong, Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai, Chen Yu and doubles players Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, Sang Yang-Zheng Bo were hard at work in training and it was quite plain that it would be very hard to crack the “Great Wall” in the Thomas Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament starting tomorrow.
But singles coach Zhong Bo was modest. He said China wanted to go back home as the Asian qualifier winners and wrest back the Thomas Cup Finals crown in May but, he added, they would not under-estimate their opponents.
Zhong said they would not rule out hosts Malaysia as one of the contenders for the Asian Zone title despite the absence of All-England champion Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Chan Chong Ming.
“It came as a surprise to us that Malaysia would not have Hafiz. They will also not have the services of Chong Ming. But we think it is some kind of tactical plan and we will still be wary of them,” said Zhong.
Hafiz brings bad memories to China after his win over Bao Chunlai at the Thomas Cup Finals two years ago sparked off a Malaysian comeback. Malaysia beat China 3-1 in Guangzhou at the semi-final stage then.
This time, though, Malaysia can only meet China if both team reach the final.
China are the top seeds for the qualifiers. Their opening tie will be against Group D's weakest team Vietnam. They will then play Taiwan on Tuesday and Thailand (Thursday)
“The group matches are also important to us. We cannot take our opponents – Thailand and Taiwan – lightly. We cannot say that we can beat them easily. The players' form on that day must be considered,” he said.
China are tipped to play Japan in the semi-finals. The other semi-final is likely to be between Malaysia and second seeds South Korea.
Zhong Bo said that the absence of world men's singles champion Xia Xuanze and Chen Qiqiu would not dilute the teams' strength.
“Both these players have back injuries. But they will be ready for the Swiss Open and the All-England next month. Even, without them, China still have a strong team,” he said.
On their priorities this year, Zhong Bo said: “We hope to regain the Thomas Cup in Jakarta and do well at the Athens Olympic Games. This Asian Zone qualifiers’ one of the tournaments used to decide which three best men's singles players will be selected for the Olympics,” he added.
The top 16 in the world rankings list after April 30 qualify for the Olympics, with each country allowed a maximum of three players.
Currently, China have five singles players in the top 16 – Chen Hong (No 1), Lin Dan (No 2), Xia Xuanze (No 4), Bao Chunlai (No 6) and Chen Yu (No 9).
World number one Chen Hong, Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai, Chen Yu and doubles players Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, Sang Yang-Zheng Bo were hard at work in training and it was quite plain that it would be very hard to crack the “Great Wall” in the Thomas Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament starting tomorrow.
But singles coach Zhong Bo was modest. He said China wanted to go back home as the Asian qualifier winners and wrest back the Thomas Cup Finals crown in May but, he added, they would not under-estimate their opponents.
Zhong said they would not rule out hosts Malaysia as one of the contenders for the Asian Zone title despite the absence of All-England champion Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Chan Chong Ming.
“It came as a surprise to us that Malaysia would not have Hafiz. They will also not have the services of Chong Ming. But we think it is some kind of tactical plan and we will still be wary of them,” said Zhong.
Hafiz brings bad memories to China after his win over Bao Chunlai at the Thomas Cup Finals two years ago sparked off a Malaysian comeback. Malaysia beat China 3-1 in Guangzhou at the semi-final stage then.
This time, though, Malaysia can only meet China if both team reach the final.
China are the top seeds for the qualifiers. Their opening tie will be against Group D's weakest team Vietnam. They will then play Taiwan on Tuesday and Thailand (Thursday)
“The group matches are also important to us. We cannot take our opponents – Thailand and Taiwan – lightly. We cannot say that we can beat them easily. The players' form on that day must be considered,” he said.
China are tipped to play Japan in the semi-finals. The other semi-final is likely to be between Malaysia and second seeds South Korea.
Zhong Bo said that the absence of world men's singles champion Xia Xuanze and Chen Qiqiu would not dilute the teams' strength.
“Both these players have back injuries. But they will be ready for the Swiss Open and the All-England next month. Even, without them, China still have a strong team,” he said.
On their priorities this year, Zhong Bo said: “We hope to regain the Thomas Cup in Jakarta and do well at the Athens Olympic Games. This Asian Zone qualifiers’ one of the tournaments used to decide which three best men's singles players will be selected for the Olympics,” he added.
The top 16 in the world rankings list after April 30 qualify for the Olympics, with each country allowed a maximum of three players.
Currently, China have five singles players in the top 16 – Chen Hong (No 1), Lin Dan (No 2), Xia Xuanze (No 4), Bao Chunlai (No 6) and Chen Yu (No 9).