PETALING JAYA: Malaysia could be heading for a disastrous outing in the Thomas Cup Finals based on their shuttlers' displays in the back-to-back Open tournaments in South Korea and Japan. Barring any upsets, Malaysia will meet either top seeds China or defending champions Indonesia in the quarter-final stage of the Finals, scheduled from May 7-16 in Jakarta. But if the inconsistencies among the Malaysian players persist, they do not stand any chance against the mighty Chinese and Indonesians. And there is a high possibility the team may return with one of the worst results in the prestigious team event. The players have a last chance to make amends in the Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) from April 20-25 at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium. Except for Wong Choong Hann, the other top Malaysian players are expected to feature in the ABC tournament, which is the last meet before the Finals. The ABC is also the last Olympic qualifying tournament before the cut-off date on April 30. National singles chief coach Misbun Sidek was clearly disappointed with the lacklustre show by his players in the last two tournaments. “I had hoped for better results but they were simply not outstanding,” lamented Misbun. National number one Choong Hann was the best performer in the Korean Open. He lost to China's Chen Hong in the semi-finals while Mohd Roslin Hashim went down to China's Bao Chunlai in the quarter-finals. Chong Wei upset Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark to reach the Korean Open quarter-finals while Mohd Hafiz Hashim upset Chen Yu of China to reach the third round of the Japan Open. But unlike the players from China, the Malaysian players could not sustain their performances. Misbun said the focus would now shift to the Thomas Cup. “We have to name our team for the Thomas Cup Finals before the ABC meet. I have not finalised the squad yet. The team may consist of five singles and five doubles players or we may select four singles and six doubles players,” added Misbun. The deadline to name the Thomas-Uber Cup squads is on April 23. While the Indonesian, Chinese and the Korean doubles pairs have shown plenty of talent, the Malaysian doubles were also a big let-down. All-England runner-up Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah skipped the Korean Open but the break did not help as they lost to Indonesian Trikus Hariyanto-Sigit Budiarto in the second round of the Japan Open. Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng, who were early round casualties, are still struggling with their form. Youngsters Koo Kien Keat-Gan Teik Chai are improving but they are still a class below the top pairs. National doubles chief coach Yap Kim Hock is aware of his predicament but chose to remain optimistic: “The Finals are one month away and I am sure our players will be able to give a better showing.” TheSTar
