ants
02-24-2004, 07:33 AM
MALAYSIA achieved their target of advancing to the Thomas Cup finals in Jakarta but their performance in the qualifying round, which concluded in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, shows that they are still behind China.
Despite a creditable outing by the singles players, they fell to a 3-2 defeat against an under-performing China. The singles players, except for Roslin Hashim, could not take advantage of scrappy displays by China's World No 2 Lin Dan and World No 8 Bao Chunlai in the final. Chinese shuttlers are the major obstacles in Malaysia's bid to win in Athens and every win against them will give the national shuttlers a psychological edge in their build-up to the Olympics. Roslin, surprisingly consistent in the qualifying round, not only remained unbeaten but also defeated struggling former World No 1 Chen Hong 15-7, 17-15.
However, Lee Chong Wei muffed a rare opportunity to beat Lin Dan, by far the most dangerous Chinese shuttler, when he lost 3-15, 15-13, 15-6 in the final. After a brilliant start in the first game when he took a 10-0 lead and won 15-3, Chong Wei decided to turn entertainer and his lack of concentration was fully exploited by Lin Dan. National singles coach Misbun Sidek said Chong Wei's failure to follow a winning game plan may slow his progress. Fancy tactics do not win crucial matches, he added. Kuan Beng Hong was hardly in the same class as the top players and his easy defeat by Bao Chunlai was to be expected. Nevertheless, it was a good experience for him. Wong Choong Hann produced some top-class performances and has also added variety to his game, but was not really tested in the tournament. Choong Hann, down with a back spasm, had to be rested in the final and thus lost his chance to play Chen Hong. He will have to wait until the Swiss Open and the All-England championships to gauge his level. Although the Malaysians are in good form, they are still not in the same class as the Chinese shuttlers and with another five tournaments to go before the Olympic qualifying period comes to an end on April 30, they must strive for excellence. The qualifiers have also brought a new headache for doubles coach Yap Kim Hock, who discovered the hard way that Choong Tan Fook is not a team player despite his immense talent and experience. His nonchalant attitude was responsible for their (Kim Hock-Lee Wan Wah) rare defeat by Albertus Susanto-Liu Kok Wa of Hong Kong.
Tan Fook's focus in grand prix tournaments has been exceptional but prize money is not everything for a world class player. The Olympic gold does not come with prize money but it is the highest accolade in an athlete's career and if Tan Fook is not driven by goals, he will not go far. It was also a good move by Kim Hock to expose Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat in the qualifiers and although they were way below the top class pairs, the juniors must start somewhere. The women were probably the surprise package as they proved that they have the potential to do well by qualifying for the final rounds on merit for the first time. They are not Olympic class yet, but with proper guidance they are capable of performing well in the Sea and Commonwealth Games.
Despite a creditable outing by the singles players, they fell to a 3-2 defeat against an under-performing China. The singles players, except for Roslin Hashim, could not take advantage of scrappy displays by China's World No 2 Lin Dan and World No 8 Bao Chunlai in the final. Chinese shuttlers are the major obstacles in Malaysia's bid to win in Athens and every win against them will give the national shuttlers a psychological edge in their build-up to the Olympics. Roslin, surprisingly consistent in the qualifying round, not only remained unbeaten but also defeated struggling former World No 1 Chen Hong 15-7, 17-15.
However, Lee Chong Wei muffed a rare opportunity to beat Lin Dan, by far the most dangerous Chinese shuttler, when he lost 3-15, 15-13, 15-6 in the final. After a brilliant start in the first game when he took a 10-0 lead and won 15-3, Chong Wei decided to turn entertainer and his lack of concentration was fully exploited by Lin Dan. National singles coach Misbun Sidek said Chong Wei's failure to follow a winning game plan may slow his progress. Fancy tactics do not win crucial matches, he added. Kuan Beng Hong was hardly in the same class as the top players and his easy defeat by Bao Chunlai was to be expected. Nevertheless, it was a good experience for him. Wong Choong Hann produced some top-class performances and has also added variety to his game, but was not really tested in the tournament. Choong Hann, down with a back spasm, had to be rested in the final and thus lost his chance to play Chen Hong. He will have to wait until the Swiss Open and the All-England championships to gauge his level. Although the Malaysians are in good form, they are still not in the same class as the Chinese shuttlers and with another five tournaments to go before the Olympic qualifying period comes to an end on April 30, they must strive for excellence. The qualifiers have also brought a new headache for doubles coach Yap Kim Hock, who discovered the hard way that Choong Tan Fook is not a team player despite his immense talent and experience. His nonchalant attitude was responsible for their (Kim Hock-Lee Wan Wah) rare defeat by Albertus Susanto-Liu Kok Wa of Hong Kong.
Tan Fook's focus in grand prix tournaments has been exceptional but prize money is not everything for a world class player. The Olympic gold does not come with prize money but it is the highest accolade in an athlete's career and if Tan Fook is not driven by goals, he will not go far. It was also a good move by Kim Hock to expose Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat in the qualifiers and although they were way below the top class pairs, the juniors must start somewhere. The women were probably the surprise package as they proved that they have the potential to do well by qualifying for the final rounds on merit for the first time. They are not Olympic class yet, but with proper guidance they are capable of performing well in the Sea and Commonwealth Games.