Sun, 09 Feb 2003 Badminton 'Every Man For Himself' Graig Nunis The question of throwing matches arose following some ‘interesting' results between Indonesian and Chinese players in previous Olympic qualifying years. There were rumours that the Indonesians and Chinese were trying to manipulate the world rankings in order to get as many players as possible into the Olympics. There have also been instances of unheralded players beating their more established teammates, simply because the lesser player had a better chance of beating an opponent in the next round. The Malaysian camp yesterday rejected the very idea of cheating and declared that it is "every man for himself." The two Malaysians in question have relatively easy first round opponents – Choong Hann faces Germany's Jens Roch while Hock Kin takes on local lad Andrew Smith – and barring any upset, should meet in the second round. Choong Hann, the second seed, is seen as Malaysia's best hope of bringing home the title after a 37-year drought but if there is one player who could end his quest, it will be Hock Kin. The Negri Sembilan lad has been near invincible in training lately but there are still doubts about his ability to last a whole tournament. Hock Kin is more than capable of giving any opponent a run for his money but will be best remembered for losing the 1998 Commonwealth Games title to Choong Hann. As such, Choong Hann, with his better staying power and cooler head, will be the man most Malaysians will be rooting for. The lopsided draw meant that the winner would likely to have a clear path until the quarterfinals where a potential meeting with Commonwealth Games champion Hafiz Hashim could occur. Choong Hann said he was a little surprised to be named the second seed but pointed out it was of no consequence. "It (second seeding) does not matter. It is neither a burden nor an incentive to me," said the southpaw. "To me, the All-England is perhaps one of the most important tournaments and every player would give 110 per cent to win it. "I can't take anything for granted and know I will face a tough challenge from Hock Kin. "The draw is quite kind and if I can get past him, I should be able to reach the quarterfinals quite comfortably. "Having said that, one false move against Hock Kin and my tournament could come to a premature end." The Dutch and China Open champion added: "It would be great if I can go all the way to the final but as the old cliche goes, I'll take one match at a time." Hock Kin, evasive when approached for a comment, muttered "I will give my best" when asked about his chances at the National Indoor Arena. Meanwhile, singles coach Misbun Sidek said no instructions have been given as to who he would prefer to emerge victor in an all-Malaysian match-up. "To me, it is every player for himself in an individual event," said Misbun, who was a runners-up in England 17 years ago. "Hock Kin has been on fire in training but the question is, can he reproduce that form during a tournament. "Can he last the pace? That will be interesting." The players will leave for Birmingham today.
Interestng article. True that most would be rooting for Choong Hann due to past performances. However, if Hock Kin is really on 'fire', then perhaps he will be a better bet. I remember watching Hock Kin play in 1998 Thomas Cup vs Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen, he won that tie to help Malaysia qualify for the finals. I know what he is capable of...and don't forget that Indonesian open title he won as well. Either way, best of luck to both of them.
What holds more weight? Yong's performance in 1998? Wong's performance in 2002? I personally would pick Wong. Both players have contrasting styles. Yong has a defensive style and I seen some amazing performances by him - vs PEHL, Sun Jun, Chen Hong (1st game China Open) but objectively, Wong seems the better bet. Of course, dunno how the training is going - but training and performance are seperate issues.
In the Men singles, it looks like it is shaping up to be China vs Malaysia as both countries have very good chances of getting one or more of their players into the semi's.
