TheStar 26th Oct '05 PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian shuttlers' ability to haul in the gold medals in the Manila SEA Games (Nov 27-Dec 5) will be put to the test when they compete in the six-star Hong Kong Open next week. The US$250,000 event will see a return of all the world's top-ranked players but it will be the form of the Indonesians that will most interest the Malaysians. Malaysia are again sending their SEA Games-bound team and they will be crossing swords with their traditional regional rivals. The Indonesians skipped the Dutch and Denmark Opens recently and they will be using the Hong Kong Open to gauge their current form. Newly-crowned Denmark Open champion Lee Chong Wei is the fourth seed and has a tough draw. Sony to meet Malaysian Mohd Hafiz Hashim in the third round. Chong Wei, is grouped with world number one Lin Dan of China, Denmark's Peter Gade-Christensen and Indonesian Open champion Lee Hyun-il of South Korea in the top half of the draw. If he reaches the last eight, he is expected to face Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat. Taufik has been included in Indonesia's SEA Games squad. If the quarter-final clash between the duo materialises, whoever wins will gain a psychological advantage ahead of the SEA Games showdown. Seasoned Malaysian singles campaigner Wong Choong Hann, who reached the Denmark Open semi-finals, is likely to face Taufik in the third round but it will be hard for him to create an upset. Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Malaysia's second singles player in the SEA Games team, is also up for a stiff Indonesian test. Hafiz, winner of the Dutch Open two weeks ago, has a difficult third round clash against Sony Dwi Kuncoro. Sony made a successful comeback from injury to win the Asian Championships singles gold and he is also the defending SEA Games singles gold medallist. The Malaysian men's doubles pair Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat earned their biggest career win in the Denmark Open last Sunday but they are in for a reality check in Hong Kong. The Malaysians are seeded sixth and face China's Guo Zhendong-Xie Zhongbo in the second round. If they get past the Chinese, they will be up against top Indonesian pair Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto in the quarter-finals. Another Indonesian pair, Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan, are in Chong Ming-Kien Keat's path if they reach the semi-finals. However, veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, the SEA Games defending men's doubles champions, will be rested for the Hong Kong meet. Said national head coach Yap Kim Hock: “For Chong Ming-Kien Keat, I have no specific target for them. I want them to give their best in Hong Kong. It will be great for their confidence if they beat the Indonesian pair there.” For the record, Malaysia bagged two gold medals in the last SEA Games in Vietnam two years ago through Tan Fook-Wan Wah and Wong Mew Choo in the women's singles. Mew Choo will also be competing in Hong Kong but she will find it hard to get past the second round as she has to face either Denmark Open champion Pi Hongyan of France or Holland's Mia Audina.
