I read in Sin Chew (Malaysian main Chinese news paper) that Hafiz was slightly injured after the battle with Bao. If this is true, that explains why he wasn't fielded against Indo today. If Hafiz is indeed injured, than Malaysia must be really unlucky, because I feel the lineup against China was actually our strongest. It is revelead that there is a huge blister at the bottom of Hafiz's feet, and he was afraid he could not produce his best. Therefore, at the last minute, the change was made. However, the coaches expected Choong/Lee to deliver and end it there like how it ended against China, but Choong/Lee failed!! To those who can read Mandarin, here is the link: http://sports.sinchew-i.com/thomas&uber2002/ In this article, Indra lamented that Roslin and Choong/Lee failed because they could not lift their spirits up to the required level, and they were under too much pressure. (I think these 3, perhaps with the exception of Choong Tan Fook, should be retired) All the players also expressed their disappointment. As for Chan/Chew, they were good up until they met Candra/Sigit. I think they were psychologically defeated even before they got on court. That is the attitude they have to change. Hopefully Malaysia could return to the good old days of having 2 to 3 solid double pairs. It is now that I really miss Cheah Soon Kit, Soo Beng Kiang, Yap Kim Hock and the Sidek Brothers. Hopefully Park Joo Bong will be able to find and inject new blood into Malaysian doubles. In stark contrast, Wong Choon Hann was a revelation. He could easily be the most impressive player in this Thomas Cup, apart from Lin Dan and Xia Xuanze. His attack was powerful and sharp, defense was solid, net play fast and accurate, perception and anticipation extremely good. All in all, he is a supreme badminton player this time around. Hopefully he can build on this and start winning tournaments, which he rightly deserves. And I also hope that he will still be good enough to represent Malaysia in the next Thomas Cup in 2 years time. Well Done Choon Hann!!
