AS far as national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky is concerned, his former Indonesian teammates Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto are the favourites for the World Championships title and is not expecting any of the Malaysian pairs to make a big impression in Anaheim next month. Candra-Sigit, the 1997 world champions, are in top form and have already won three titles this year, including the back-to-back Singapore and Malaysia Opens over the last two weeks. Their first title of the year was the Swiss Open in March. Rexy, who have seen Candra-Sigit grow into a top class pair during the tailend of his career in the late 90s, said that the veteran Indonesians are the most experienced and look hungry. "I would put Candra and Sigit as the favourites simply because of their experience. The World Championships and grand prix tournaments are not the same and this is where experience is crucial," said Rexy. "When they won the Malaysia Open, I saw their hunger to excel on the international scene again despite being there for the last 10 years. "World No 1 Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard Hansen of Denmark and China’s Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun are the contenders but I rate Candra-Sigit higher. "As for the Malaysians, I would be happy if they can reach the quarter-finals. They are not simply there yet but should able to battle for the title in Madrid next year." Malaysia will have four pairs — World No 8 Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat, Fairuzizuan Tazari-Lin Woon Fui (ranked 12th), Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock (14th), and Chew Choon Eng-Choong Tan Fook (18th) - and Rexy believes two pairs can advance to the quarter-finals. Based on the ranking, Chong Ming-Kien Keat will be seeded in the top eight and have a realistic chance of making the last eight while the second pair making it to the quarter-finals will depend on the draw. Rexy said the chance of seeing a Malaysian pair in the semi-final stage is out of the question as lack of experience will not help their cause. "All four pairs will be making their debut. Although Tan Fook and Chong Ming have played before, they are playing with new partners this time," said Rexy. "It could be different if Lee Wan Wah is partnering Tan Fook in Anaheim as they have the experience. "Expecting them to reach the semi-finals is unrealistic and I hope that the players will return with enough experience and make a strong showing next year."
