CHINA AND KOREA TEAM ABSENT. "Malaysians should come out tops in Singapore Open"

[luvtoro]

Badminton: Malaysians should come out tops in Singapore Open

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: The absence of the Chinese and South Korean big guns will present Lee Chong Wei and the doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong the better chance to come out triumphant from the Singapore Open scheduled for June 10-15.

World number one Lin Dan will be giving the fifth leg of the Super Series a skip together with Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin, who are now ranked third and fourth in the world respectively. Also sitting out are the top two Koreans, Park Sung-hwan and Lee Hyun-il.

Lone ranger: Chen Yu is the only Chinese representative in the men’s singles.

The only Chinese representative in the singles is Chen Yu, who will not feature in the Beijing Olympics in August.

World number two Chong Wei will be gunning for his second Super Series title this year after lifting the Malaysian Open in January and he is the top seed ahead of Danish veteran Kenneth Jonassen.

In the Singapore Open last year, Chong Wei was beaten by fellow Malaysian Mohd Hafiz Hashim in the first round.

Five other Malaysians will join Chong Wei and Hafiz to play in the main draw. They are Wong Choong Hann, Roslin Hashim, Lee Tsuen Seng, Sairol Amar Ayob and Yeoh Kay Bin.

Indonesia have Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Taufik Hidayat and Simon Santoso in the fray while Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana will be defending the title.
Defending champions Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China and in-form Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung are among the top pairs missing from the men's doubles competition.

Their absence leaves world number one Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan and the Danish pair of Jonas Rasmussen-Lars Paaske as the early favourites to win the title.
The Singapore Open presents the chance for Kien Keat-Boon Heong to make amends for their first-round defeat by team-mates Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Latif in last year's tournament.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong, who are currently ranked fifth in the world, not only have to improve on their rankings but they also have to boost their confidence ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

A question mark remains on the participation of veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah as the latter came down with a right shoulder injury in the Thomas Cup Finals in Jakarta last week.

Doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky said that he should know by next week if Wan Wah could feature in the Open.

“Wan Wah is on a one-week leave and I have to talk to him about his latest condition. In the meantime, we have submitted their entry together with those of all the other pairs in the national team,” he said.

Tan Fook-Wan Wah were the runners-up last year and if they get to start, they will be the second seeds.

From: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.a...475&sec=sports

[george@chongwei]

hope MALAYSIA team can win///

[limsy]

china and korea are not all...we still have denmark,indonesia to face...

[victory]

As a Mas team fan of course I hope Mas players will win all the titles they are going to contest but it is still too early to say our players will come out of top. There are other good players from Denmark and Indonesia participating SO.

Besides, I hope our players win titles beating many tough opponents. That way the title and the experiences they gain from the competition is very valuable.

[bcmmgr]

after lost to China in Thomas Cup, MAS still haven't learn the lesson, still sending old guy like Yeoh Kay Bin..etc. Should send more youngster.

[xsakurax]

after lost to China in Thomas Cup, MAS still haven't learn the lesson, still sending old guy like Yeoh Kay Bin..etc. Should send more youngster.

yeah..rashid got voiced out his opinion too to BAM...the youngster under his squad should be sent to more tournament but due to lack of bajet of something this can only be done after olympic.

[huangkwokhau]

after lost to China in Thomas Cup, MAS still haven't learn the lesson, still sending old guy like Yeoh Kay Bin..etc. Should send more youngster.

I heard that they will send more youngters to Challenger or Grand Prix..honestly it is tough to send youngters to any Super Series.....

[luvtoro]

but i think its kinda lonely?

as much as theres indo/denmark to face.... winning china/kor will no doubt be a stronger moral boost to malaysians! now that even lcw/kkk/lww etc win the titles... it wouldnt seem as glorious.. bcos the event is not graced by enough big shots.

[jimbo]

after lost to China in Thomas Cup, MAS still haven't learn the lesson, still sending old guy like Yeoh Kay Bin..etc. Should send more youngster.

Coz BAM wanna train them to be good coaches in the future if dats the case, BAM might as well send Rashid or WongTM?

[Louisa]

Coz BAM wanna train them to be good coaches in the future if dats the case, BAM might as well send Rashid or WongTM?

really? then why not send them as observers? let the youngsters play ma...haiyo...

[pjswift]

but i think its kinda lonely?

as much as theres indo/denmark to face.... winning china/kor will no doubt be a stronger moral boost to malaysians! now that even lcw/kkk/lww etc win the titles... it wouldnt seem as glorious.. bcos the event is not graced by enough big shots.

If i have to choose between BP/LCW/TH and CHN MS, I will choose THA, MAS and INA anytime.There are enough big shots to provide excitement.
Well, if CHN decides to play only 1 SS before OG08, it makes sense to opt for IO because they will have the advantage of taking on a less fresh LCW and INA MS.It's the easier way to win a SS since no MS has ever won 2 SS in a row yet.But then KOR has the same idea (like in GO08) so CHN may not have it all their way.
And think about it. We will not have dubious walkovers and regular exhibits of cowardly delay tactics.
It's gonna be a refreshing SS for a change.
The only disappointment is that in sending a lone CHN MS, CHN does not have the guts to send their MS no 1 , 2 or 3.

[hcyong]

hope MALAYSIA team can win///

It's not a team event.

Too bad, I can't make it on the Finals day, although I am ok on other days.

[CLELY]

Without CHN and KOR elite players attendance, practically MAS main opponents to reach best result here are INA and DEN. Exiciting to wait the rivalry between INA, MAS and DEN shuttlers as these three participant countries will bring full force to Singapore.

[george@chongwei]

after lost to China in Thomas Cup, MAS still haven't learn the lesson, still sending old guy like Yeoh Kay Bin..etc. Should send more youngster.

do u mean YKB is an old guy???
if u say him as a old guy, how about WCH,RH or sairul????

[TranslatorGuy]

It's not a team event.

Too bad, I can't make it on the Finals day, although I am ok on other days.

He meant the Malaysian squad that is participating in the SS, not like a team event.

[Hitman71]

Coz BAM wanna train them to be good coaches in the future if dats the case, BAM might as well send Rashid or WongTM?

Yap Kim Hock and Rexy would make a good MD pair also ....

[limsy]

Yap Kim Hock and Rexy would make a good MD pair also ....

maybe they will beat LP/JR to win the double title...^^...wow...historical win...^^...