Team Indonesia in Swiss open Taufik Hidayat, Simon Santoso, Adrianti Firdasari, Fransisca Ratnasari, Anggun Nugroho/Yunita Tetty
Basel boost for shuttlers Basel boost for shuttlers BY LIM TEIK HUAT PETALING JAYA: The top Chinese and Indonesian men shuttlers have decided to skip the season-opening Swiss Open badminton championships in Basel starting on Wednesday. Their absence means the Malaysian shuttlers are well placed to secure good results to kick-start their European campaign. Malaysia's top singles player Lee Chong Wei has been seeded top for the Swiss Open and has a smooth passage until the semi-finals, where he is expected to meet either South Korean Lee Hyun-il or teammate Wong Choong Hann. Defending champion Mohd Hafiz Hashim, seeded third this time, will have to work harder to reach the semi-finals. MEW CHOO: Will most likely play fourth seed Mia Audina of Holland in the quarter-finals. Hafiz's first test should come in the last eight against seventh seed and Olympic silver medallist Shon Seung-mo of South Korea. If Hafiz wins, he should be meeting newly-crowned Copenhagen Masters champion Peter-Gade Christensen in the semi-finals. However, Malaysian teammate Kuan Beng Hong, who is being groomed for bigger things this year, has a chance to set up an all-Malaysian semi-final if he can upset Christensen. The men's doubles field will also see the absence of the top players from China and Indonesia and Malaysia's top pair Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat will be looking to make amends for their disappointing campaign in the Manila SEA Games recently. Chong Ming-Kien Keat have been seeded second behind Danes Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe and the competition will be an early test of their ability to defend the men's doubles gold medal for Malaysia. Chong Ming-Kien Keat are slated to meet English pair Anthony Clark-Robert Blair in the second round. If they beat the English pair, they have a good chance of advancing to the semi-finals, where they are likely to face China's Sang Yang-Zheng Bo. Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Lin Woon Fui, the National Grand Prix Finals champions, are seeded fifth and their biggest test should come in the last eight against the top seeded Danish pair of Mogensen-Boe. Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo has an early chance to gain revenge for her defeat in the SEA Games women's singles final to Indonesian Adrianti Firdasari. Mew Choo, seeded seventh, has drawn the Indonesian as her first round opponent. However, Mew Choo has a daunting task ahead even if she wins. The Malaysian will probably face fourth seed Mia Audina of Holland in the last eight. Manila SEA Games champions Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui will also face a stiff test to live up to their fourth seeding. They are likely to meet English pair Ella Tripp-Joanne Wright in the semi-finals and if they win, the Malaysians will likely meet China's Du Jing-Yu Yang. In the absence of the top players, the national team should not have any problem returning home with at least one title. However, national head coach Yap Kim Hock is also wary of the fact that the weather conditions at this time of the year will not favour Asian players. “The temperature there is about 1°C. It is very cold and we are, in fact, using the Swiss Open to prepare for the All-England. “As such, the priority will be the All-England. If we do well here, it will be bonus.” The All-England will take place from Jan 17-22. Prior to the All-England, there is the German Open from Jan 11-15 but only the second stringers will be representing Malaysia. The top Malaysian players will head straight for Milton Keynes in England to get acclimatised to the cold conditions ahead of the All-England competition.
oh, simon has hard draw,will meet lee huyn II in second round, if he gets through the first round. good luck boy
oh no,Hafiz will meet Xuanze in the second round....... that's what i'm afraid of,don't know who to cheer...:crying:
