TheStar PETALING JAYA: The All-England badminton tournament starting today at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham lost some of its glitter following the last-minute withdrawal of Athens Olympic Games men’s singles gold medallist Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia. With players scrambling to qualify and to get good seedings in the World Championships in Los Angeles in August, the All-England promises to be a very exciting affair. The US$125,000 All-England is one of the four international Grand Prix tournaments before the qualifying period for the World Championships ends in May. The others are the Opens in Switzerland (March 15-20), Thailand (March 29-April 3) and Japan (April 5-10). For Malaysian number one Lee Chong Wei, he will certainly be out to at least retain the eighth spot in the world rankings following the disappointing outing in the German Open last week where he crashed to his first defeat in five matches against teammate Mohd Hafiz Hashim in the semi-finals. “I did not play well in the German Open. Hafiz was good,†said the 22-year-old Penangite in a telephone interview from Birmingham yesterday. “I cannot afford to lose early here. I am determined to give my all here and ensure that my world ranking does not drop. I want to have a good seeding in the world meet.†Drawn in the same quarter with three other Malaysians – Mohd Roslin Hashim, Lee Tsuen Seng and Kuan Beng Hong – the Malaysian Open champion is casting a wary eye on the second seeded Dane, Peter Gade-Christensen. Chong Wei has beaten Gade-Christensen in the last two matches but he is well aware that the Dane revels in the All-England. Gade-Christensen was the runner-up to China’s Lin Dan last year. “My aim this year is to do well in the All-England and World Championships,†said Chong Wei, who was a first-round casualty in the prestigious All-England in 2003 and was dropped from the squad last year. “I should not have any problems against my teammates but I can expect a tough time if I get to the semi-finals and play against Peter.†The absence of Taufik, who carried out his threat to withdraw from the tournament following a dispute over incentives with coach Icuk Sugiarto, is good news for Wong Choong Hann. Choong Hann, who is all fired up to prove that he still has what it takes to be among the elite players in the world, was tipped to meet the Indonesian in the third round. Choong Hann now has a better chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. In his path is Singapore Open champion Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark. The man to beat in the championships is the formidable Lin Dan, who has won four titles since claiming the All-England crown last year. While Malaysia have a shot at winning the men’s singles title, it will be an uphill task to end a 15-year wait for the men’s doubles crown. The last Malaysian men’s doubles champions were the Sidek brothers – Razif and Jalani – in 1982. The best bets are Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat, who are determined to give Malaysia something to cheer. Chief coach Yap Kim Hock said: “The field is strong and everyone has a chance to create upsets. Let’s hope that our boys rise to the occasion.†The women’s doubles pair of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty, who gave a strong performance in the German Open, are not expected to get past the third round. If they live up to their seventh seeding, they are to play against second seeds Wei Yili, Zhao Tingting. They were beaten 1-15, 3-15 by this Chinese pair in the semi-finals of the German Open.
