Koo Kean Keat & Tan Boon Heong - Going Downhill?

**eaglehelang** · 05-01-2011, 02:00 AM

hahaha this extreme. Yeah, the usual complaints on Ah Koo & Ah Tan start again. The 2nd tier pair can somehow be runner-up of major tournaments, hmm, what would that say abt the others. Looks to me KKK/TBH trend is just about the usual at this time of the year

**undeadshot** · 05-01-2011, 02:44 AM

Originally Posted by eaglehelang

hahaha this extreme. Yeah, the usual complaints on Ah Koo & Ah Tan start again. The 2nd tier pair can somehow be runner-up of major tournaments, hmm, what would that say abt the others. Looks to me KKK/TBH trend is just about the usual at this time of the year

Agree with you, this is pretty normal... thats why their normal performance is 2nd tier

Wait until WC. Malaysia GP Gold might be a bonus.

**eaglehelang** · 05-01-2011, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by undeadshot

Agree with you, this is pretty normal... thats why their normal performance is 2nd tier

Wait until WC. Malaysia GP Gold might be a bonus.

Those two like that one, hahaha. Msia GP Gold, if Rexy is there, maybe. Last year they reach QF or semi ? QG qualification is starting.
The going up gear should be starting (note: baru start) during Sudirman Cup.

**undeadshot** · 05-01-2011, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by eaglehelang

Those two like that one, hahaha. Msia GP Gold, if Rexy is there, maybe. Last year they reach QF or semi ? QG qualification is starting.
The going up gear should be starting (note: baru start) during Sudirman Cup.

Last year they reach QF before losing to you know who

**Voltric** · 05-01-2011, 08:15 PM

I watched the Indian Open SS semi final the other night and even Gillian Clark made the point that this pair tends to lose focus if down by a couple of points. They need to work on their mental strength. The loss was a bit disappointing, but kudos to them for reaching the semis.

**olympic** · 05-02-2011, 04:39 PM

Very disappointed once again!

**visor** · 05-02-2011, 04:50 PM

As always, tbh is yet again the weak link of the pair. Too many unforced errors.

**danielwong** · 05-02-2011, 08:16 PM

Tuesday May 3, 2011

The Star
Kien Keat-Boon Heong need to find a quick fix to stop the rot

By RAJES PAUL

KUALA LUMPUR: The truth, they say, hurts.
And it’s about time Malaysia’s top doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong face the brutal truth: You are not as good as you used to be!
And they need to find a quick fix to stop the rot or end up just making up the numbers at the World Championships in London from Aug 8-14.
At the India Open, which ended in New Delhi on Sunday, Kien Keat-Boon Heong failed to live up to their top billing when they crashed to a shocking 16-21, 19-21 semi-final defeat to Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata of Japan in just 32 minutes.
While the demoralised Malaysians are trying to figure out what went wrong, the Japanese are laughing all the way to the bank after becoming the first pair from their nation to lift the Super Series title since its inception in 2007.
They defeated Indonesians Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra 21-17, 21-9 in the final.
For the Malaysians, it was the second major blow to their pride, having been shown the exit by 2009 world junior champions Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kah Ming in the opening round of the Kuala Lumpur Open last month.
National coach Rexy Mainaky believes it is still not too late to change things around, “provided the duo realise that skill and speed alone won’t bring you success”.
“What they need is to have a winning attitude once they are on court,” said Rexy.
“The other pairs have caught up with Koo-Tan ... some have even overtaken them!
“Koo-Tan have always relied on their skills, speed and power. There is no doubt that they are exceptionally good in these areas ... but they need more.
“The Japanese were trailing 13-17 in the second game but fought like warriors to upset Koo and Tan. The Japanese are not as skilful as the Malaysians but they had the heart of a prized fighter.
“Koo-Tan did not do well in the German Open (in March) but, a week later, they upset Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan (of Indonesia) and Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (of China) in the All-England.
“They have to show the same kind of fighting spirit once again. They do not have to alter their ... just add a little more fire in their bellies.”
And it is this never-say-die attitude that Rexy wants to see from Kien Keat-Boon Heong when they compete in the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold, which begins in Alor Setar tomorrow.
“It is all about approaching the game with the right mindset,” said Rexy.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong are the top seeds and will take on Japan’s Yoshiteru Hirobe-Kenta Kazuno in the opening round. The others in their half are Japanese pairs Naoki Kawamae-Shoji Sato and Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa, South Koreans Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang and Indonesians Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano.
In the lower half are second seeds Markis-Hendra and Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan of Indonesia, South Koreans Cho Gun-woo-Kwon Yi-goo and reigning India Open champions Hirokatsu-Noriyasu.

**jimbo** · 05-02-2011, 11:19 PM

Who is ah koo's hair stylist?

**george@chongwei** · 05-03-2011, 03:16 AM

Hair is not important.. Most important is their performance! It's getting worse though. IMHO.

**george@chongwei** · 05-03-2011, 03:17 AM

Originally Posted by visor

As always, tbh is yet again the weak link of the pair. Too many unforced errors.

His smash is not that hard anymore. Smash all flat some more. Not so much like the 'old' TBH. Where he used to smash angled and powerfully. Hope they can beat another JPN pair in the 1st round of mas open GP GOLD. boleh?

**undeadshot** · 05-03-2011, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by george@chongwei

His smash is not that hard anymore. Smash all flat some more. Not so much like the 'old' TBH. Where he used to smash angled and powerfully. Hope they can beat another JPN pair in the 1st round of mas open GP GOLD. boleh?

Aiya, that pair even MHC/TWK can win... KKK/TBH should BOLEH

They should be more worried about their QF against Kim/Kim or Endo/Kenichi

**soomt** · 05-03-2011, 06:13 PM

someone need to make KKK/TBH watch their own final match in All England 2007 and Doha Asian Games 2006.

where they fought for every points and every points matter.

now it's like ..tak apa. will deal with it whenever...bah

**nokh88** · 05-03-2011, 08:19 PM

Courtesy of NST

Duo's fate in their own hands

2011/05/03
Reports by K.M. Boopathy

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Tan Boon Heong-Koo Kien Keat's (right) performances are very inconsistent.

KOO Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong are the most erratic pair among the world's top five, and national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky believes only they can safeguard their careers. Kien Keat-Boon Heong have gone 15 months without a major title since winning the 2010 Malaysia Open, with the Commonwealth Games gold in New Delhi in September being their last big win on the international stage.

Their most recent failure was in the India Open where Kien Keat-Boon Heong suffered a shock defeat to eventual champions Hirokatu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata of Japan in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Rexy, though by now used to the pair's inconsistency, said they should learn from other top combinations who have been winning regularly despite stiff competition on the world stage.

"It is hard to explain why Kien Keat-Boon Heong's performances are very inconsistent. There is nothing wrong with their skills, so maybe they should have another hard look at themselves to see if they still have that hunger to win," said Rexy.

"The other top pairs are not like this. If they get a chance to win when the opposition is not that strong, they will take it.

"Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (of China) won the Asian Championships two weeks ago after Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia lost early. Other pairs like Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (of Denmark) and Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae (of South Korea) have always won when they were the top pair in a tournament.

"However, Kien Keat-Boon Heong are now struggling to win tournaments where no other top five pairs are competing in and this is not a good sign.

"They must ask themselves what do they really want to achieve and whether or not they are willing to give to achieve their goals.

"We (coaches) have done everything possible to help them improve, so they must start performing on court. This is something we can't teach and has to come from them."

Kien Keat-Boon Heong will play another Japanese pair, Yoshiteru Hirobe-Kenta Kazuno, in the first round of the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold, and cannot afford another slip-up.

Tougher opposition await them with Markis-Hendra also aiming to end their poor run after losing in the quarter-finals of the Asian Championships and the India Open.

It is hard to predict if Kien Keat-Boon Heong can secure the crown in Alor Star but it's about time they produced something worthwhile to regain their pride and confidence.

Read more: Duo's fate in their own hands http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/o...#ixzz1LLGtZ9Jh