Asian Zone Qualifying Rounds TEAMS Which has been registered for entries THOMAS CUP 1. Vietnam (Host) (Seeded) 2. MAS (Seeded) 3. Korea (Seeded) 4. Japan (Seeded) 5. Thailand 6. Singapore 7. Hong Kong 8. India 9. Chinese Taipei 10. Philipines 11. Macau 12. Pakistan 13. Sri Lanka 14. Cambodia They will be divided into 4 Groups; with the Seeded team being separated. ONLY THE GROUP WINNERS WILL BE ADVANCED TO THE FINALS IN JKT
UBER CUP ENTRIES 1. VIETNAM (Seeded) 2. KOREA (Seeded) 3. HONG KONG (Seeded) 4. JAPAN (Seeded) 5. MAS 6. CHINESE TAIPEI 7. SINGAPORE 8. THAILAND 9. INDIA 10. SRI LANKA 11. CAMBODIA Same rules apply as in Thomas cup
So, Thailand, Chinese-Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong better pray that they are in the same group as Vietnam then in the Thomas Cup. Similarly, Thailand, Chinese-Taipei and Singapore will hope to be in the same group as Vietnam in the Uber Cup.
Thailand might have a chance against Japan or Korea....Well not Korea cos they are too strong but I think THA can take 2 points against Japan..Bonsak and Sudket may take it or possibly 2nd singles is all to fight for... Singapore also have a fighting chance against Japan...Well
Confimed entries for team KOREA 1. Lee Hyun Il 2. Park Sung Hwan 3. Shon Seung Mo Reserved Single : Lee Cheol Ho 1. Jung Jae Sung/Lee Yong Dae 2. Lee Jae Jin/Hwang Ji Man Reserved Doubles 3. Cho Gun Wo/Hang Sang Hoon
After Hyun Il and Seung Mo came out of retirement, Korea's Thomas Cup team has become much more formidable.
Japan's MD are probably too strong for Thailand. Singapore's Hendri/Hendra might have a chance against Ohtsuka/Matsuda or Sakamoto/Ikeda. Kendrick Lee might also steal a point against Shoji Sato. But, the other singles and the second doubles for Singapore are too weak Chinese-Taipei has been surprising as well with their 2 MDs. However, Singapore should have a higher chance of beating them in the Singles and at least 1 Doubles.
Korea/MAS/JAPAN should be one class above the rest. There is only one place to fight for among THA/SIN/Chinese Taipei Much will be depends on who were they draw in the group I am sure one of them will get Vietnam for their company in same group. The other 2 Teams must pray for hard luck which they be groupped against the above Giant 3.
George you memang dont read the newspapers. China & Indonesia get automatic entry into finals. China cos defending champs, Indonesia cos is host.
Latest released WR; Lee HI moved up to 14, still two rank below Park SH. He will surely be the 2nd singles in Korea Lines-Up
from NST Badminton/Thomas Cup Asia Zone Qualifying Round: BWF reduces number of qualifiers to three By Ajitpal Singh 04 February, 2008 IN an about turn the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has decided to reduce the number of qualifiers for the Uber Cup Asia Zone Qualifying event in Vietnam on Feb 19-24 from four automatic slots to three. According to BWF, the decision to amend was made after taking into consideration that Asian countries, namely defending champions China and hosts Indonesia, were already featuring in the Finals on May 11-18. The amendment is allowed under the BWF constitution. However, the team finishing fourth in the Uber Cup Asia Qualifiers will still have a chance to make the Finals as they will be compared to the fourth-placed team from the European zone. The team with the higher ranking as at Feb 27, will advance to the Finals. Several representatives from competing countries who attended the draw in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, were caught off-guard by the change. BA of Malaysia (BAM) general manager Kenny Goh said he was unaware of the change. However, he said BAM will accept the decision. Meanwhile, BWF events and development manager M. Venugopal claimed the BWF decided to reduce the number of automatic slots to Asia in a meeting months ago. Venugopal added that the BWF also decided to maintain the number of Thomas Cup Asia Zone qualifiers to four. The Thomas Cup Qualifying event will also be held in Vietnam on Feb 19-24.
also from NST Badminton/Thomas Cup Asia Zone Qualifying Round: Easy draw for Malaysia By Ajitpal Singh 04 February, 2008 MALAYSIA could not have anticipated an easier group when the draw for the Thomas Cup Asia Zone Qualifying round in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Feb 19-24 was made in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Malaysia, the top seeds, were drawn in Group A together with Taiwan, the Philippines and minnows Cambodia. The semi-finalists qualify for the Finals and with a favourable draw, Malaysia should confirm their berth. The Finals will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 11-18. The Uber Cup team, which will be led by Wong Mew Choo, were also handed a good draw but the pressure will be on them to finish among the top three to qualify automatically for the Finals, also in Jakarta. The men's team, led by World No 2 Lee Chong Wei, should top their group with ease. Barring any major upsets, Malaysia will likely face India, who will be led by last year's World Championships' quarter-finalist Anup Sridhar, in the last eight. The India encounter could prove to be tricky as World No 15 Wong Choong Hann and World No 24 Hafiz Hashim have been erratic lately. Reigning All-England champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah are expected to be the two choices for Malaysia in the doubles. If Malaysia prevail against India, they next meet either Hong Kong or Singapore in the semi-finals and then a most likely encounter against South Korea in the final. South Korea, the second seeds, have been drawn in Group B with Singapore and Vietnam while third seeds Japan are in Group C with India and Pakistan. Group D consists of fourth seeds Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Macau. China, as defending champions and hosts Indonesia, will not be competing in the qualifiers. National chief coach Yap Kim Hock said Malaysia's main objective is to make the semi-finals to gain qualification to the Finals. "The other objective is for the players to gain ranking points for the Beijing Olympic Games qualification," said Kim Hock yesterday. "We are not thinking about winning the event at the moment. There will be no advantage if we win as the seeding in the Finals will be based on individual rankings." Meanwhile, in the Uber Cup, the BWF decision to reduce the number of automatic spots from four to three could spell trouble for Malaysia. Malaysia, the third seeds, should top Group Z by beating India, the only other team in the group. However, they face a crunch match against Singapore in the quarter-finals. The last time the teams met, Singapore beat Malaysia 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Korat Sea Games. On that occasion, Malaysia were without Wong Mew Choo and doubles specialists Chin Eei Hui. Should Malaysia advance, they meet either Japan or Thailand in the semi-finals. Kim Hock admitted that the BWF decision to reduce automatic spots have made it tougher for Malaysia to qualify for the Uber Cup Finals. "However, I'm confident the women's team will pull through and make the top three," he said.
Easy for Malaysia, uphill for hosts Vietnam 3 February 2008 MALAYSIA had it easy but that was not the case for hosts Vietnam after the draw for the Robot Thomas and Uber Cups Asian Zone qualifiers were concluded in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Vietnam was drawn together with Korea and Singapore in Group B of the Thomas Cup qualifiers while Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong are the hurdles in Group Y of Vietnam’s Uber Cup campaign. The Asian zone qualifiers will be held in the city of Ho Chih Minh in Vietnam from Feb 19 to 24. The draw was conducted by Badminton Asia Confederation’s (BAC) Chair of Events Surasak Songvorakulpan, who is also the Referee for the championships. Also present to witness the draw were BAC Chief Operating Officer Karen Koh, Badminton World Federation (BWF) Secretary General Stuart Borrie, Ho Chih Minh Badminton Association Executive Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Lien and BA of Malaysia (BAM) General Manager Kenny Goh. Malaysia, on the other hand, has only India for company in Group Z of the Uber Cup while the men have Chinese Taipei, Pakistan and Cambodia for company in the Thomas Cup. Korea and Singapore will fight it out in both the Thomas and Uber Cup campaigns after both teams were drawn in the same group. The third team in their groups are Vietnam (Thomas Cup) and Cambodia (Uber Cup). The top two teams from each group will qualify for the last eight stage of the qualifiers. Title holders China and hosts Indonesia qualify automatically for the Finals which will take place in Jakarta from May 11 to 18. A total of 12 nations, including China and Indonesia, will battle it out in Jakarta. For Asia, the top four teams from the Asian zone Thomas Cup qualifiers will make the trip to Jakarta while the top three teams in the Uber Cup qualifiers, will book their places in the finals. Asia will get an additional berth in the Uber Cup provided its fourth placed team rank higher than Europe’s fourth place finisher based on the world rankings list on Feb 27. Thomas Cup qualifiers (Asian Zone): Group A: Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Pakistan, Cambodia; Group B: Korea, Singapore, Vietnam; Group C: Japan, India, Pakistan; Group D: Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Macau. Uber Cup qualifiers (Asian Zone): Group W: Japan, Thailand, Cambodia; Group X: Korea, Singapore, Cambodia; Group Y: Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Vietnam; Group Z: Malaysia, India.
WBF's NEWS did so, I think it should be as follows: Thomas Cup qualifiers (Asian Zone): Group A: Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Pakistan, Cambodia; Group B: Korea, Singapore, Vietnam; Group C: Japan, India, Philippines; Group D: Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Macau. Uber Cup qualifiers (Asian Zone): Group W: Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka; Group X: Korea, Singapore, Cambodia; Group Y: Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Vietnam; Group Z: Malaysia, India.