Chong Ming-Choon Eng not in best form for Open

Discussion in 'Singapore / Indonesia / Malaysia Open 2003' started by whizkelv, Sep 2, 2003.

  1. whizkelv

    whizkelv Regular Member

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    New Straits Times » Sport

    Badminton/Malaysia Open: Chong Ming-Choon Eng not in best form for Open
    K.M. Boopathy

    Sept 2: CHAN Chong Ming’s confidence is at its lowest ebb ever since the World Championships in Birmingham last month.

    Ahead of the Malaysian Open starting in Kota Kinabalu today, Chong Ming feels he needs more time before he can strike it right with partner Chew Choon Eng. Often the better player of the two, Chong Ming suffered an elbow injury in December and its recurrance during the All-England Championships in February had put the 23-year-old shuttler and Choon Eng out of action till the July 28-Aug 3 World Championships. The duo were fortunate in that their main threat Ha Tae Kwon-Kim Dong Moon of South Korea withdrew from the Championships but Chong Ming-Choon Eng were upset by young Chinese pair Sang Yang-Zheng Bo in the quarter-finals despite leading 9-2 in the decider. This was followed by another demoralising straight-games defeat to Nathan Robertson-Anthony Clark in the third round of the Singapore Open. It was their first ever defeat to the English pair.

    The Malaysian pair suffered another confidence-sapping defeat to Pramate Teerawiwatana-Tesana Panvisvas of Thailand in the last eight of the Indonesian Open in Batam on Friday. Chong Ming said they were trying too hard after the six-month layoff, and were under pressure prior to the World Championships. "We put too much pressure on ourselves and this resulted in early defeats. It has affected my confidence," said Chong Ming at the Likas Sports Complex in Kota Kinabalu yesterday. "The international circuit has also become very unpredictable as there are so many pairs who are on par. If we don't perform to our form, we can be beaten easily.

    "Choon Eng has been playing much better in the last few tournaments and I need to improve. "We must be more patient as we need a little more time before regaining our true form." However, Chong Ming-Choon Eng, ranked 23rd, will not have it easy in the Malaysian Open where they face up-and-coming Korean pair Yim Ban Eun-Kim Yong Hyun in the first round. Chong Ming said that it is hard to predict the outcome as he is not having a good run. "It is a tough draw and my aim is to be more positive. I must find a way to overcome my present situation as this is the first time I am experiencing it.

    "In a way, I am treating this as a wake-up call and hopefully, it will help us return to the top again quickly." Doubles coach Yap Kim Hock said Chong Ming-Choon Eng are facing a major challenge in their careers but is confident they will prevail. "This is a big challenge for them, but as top players, they will be able to overcome it," said Yap. "It also a test for me as a coach as I need to find a way to solve their problem. It is a learning experience for me and will make me a better coach. "This is the best time to win titles as the South Koreans are injured while the Indonesians are experimenting on new pairs.

    "Unfortunately, our top pair is also struggling." Koreans Ha Tae Kwon-Kim Dong Moon and Lee Dong Soo-Yoo Yong Sung are out of action due to injuries while former world champions Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto of Indonesia have been split with the former being combined with Halim Haryanto. It will take a few more tournaments before the Koreans return while the Candra-Halim combination will take time to click. Which makes it a good opportunity for Chong Ming-Choon Eng to shine again.
     

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