The Straits Times 7 March 2011 By Lin Xinyi Singapore's new men's doubles pairing of Chayut Triyachart and Hendri Saputra will undergo their biggest est yet when they compete at the All-England Champioships this week. The duo have been partners for only eight months, but there are already signs that they are Singapore's best bet of qualifying for the men's doubles event at the 2012 London Olympics. In their first tournament together at the Yonex Cananda Open Grand Prix last July, they defeated 2005 men's doubles world champions Tony Gunawan and Howard Bach of the United States en route to a second-placed finish. And the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) is hopeful that its decision to break up the long time partnership of brothers Hendri, 29, and Hendra Wijaya, 25, will continue to pay dividends. Hendri and Hendra had been doubles partners since 2005, and were Commonwealth Games bronze medalists last October. But the SBA believes Chayut, 22, and Hendri, who are both known for their power and aggression, can go even further. "The coach felt that the potential of Hendri and Hendra as a pairing had reached a limit," said SBA high performance manager Chew Keet Hou. "We're trying this combination to see if it's better. In the few tournaments they've played in, they've shown good promise." Although he no longer teams up with his brother, Hendri acknowledged that he has already developed a special understanding with Chayut. "When I partner Chayut, we are more offensive, which I'm more comfortable with," he said. "There's also more communication on court." They will face Japan's world No. 20 pairing of Naoki Kawamae and Shoji Sato in the first round of the All-England championships. Singapore will be represented by a seven-member squad at the March 8-13 tournament, but are without a men's singles representative for the third consecutive year. Gu Juan, Fu Mingtian and Chen Jiayuan will compete in the women's singles; Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari, and Fu and Gu Juan are in the women's doubles; while Chayut and Yao Lei will feature in the mixed doubles.
This sounds like a good pair, I like the fact that they understand each other well and can play more offensively even if they're not brothers Sadly, Fu Mingtian, Chen Jiayuan, and Fu Mingtian/Gu Juan are already eliminated Also, Chayut Triyachart and Yao Lei have to play in two matches each, so it remains to be seen how well they can cope with that. I'm always rooting for the up-and-coming Asian nations, so go Singapore!
