TheStar PETALING JAYA: Malaysia got off to a winning start in the Sudirman Cup world mixed team badminton championships – chalking up an easy 4-1 win over Taiwan in a Division Two Group A tie in Beijing yesterday. Chief coach Yap Kim Hock opted to rest Koo Kien Keat and fielded former national number one singles player Wong Choong Hann to partner Wong Pei Tty in the opening mixed doubles match. And the scratch pair gave a good account of themselves – beating Tsai Chia-hsin-Chien Yu-chin 15-2, 15-11 in just 27 minutes. National number one Lee Chong Wei had a scare when he dropped the first game against Liao Sheng-shiun. But the world number five Chong Wei came back strongly to win the match 11-15, 15-7, 15-4. Vietnam SEA Games champion Wong Mew Choo then took 21 minutes to clinch the winning point for Malaysia with a 11-5, 11-3 win over Huang Chia-hsin. Kien Keat made his appearance with Chan Chong Ming for the men's doubles match and they scored a 15-5, 15-7 win over Huang Shih-chung-Chien Yu-hsun. Taiwan picked up a consolation point when their women's doubles pair of Chien Yu-chin-Cheng Wen-hsing upset Malaysia's world number seven Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui 15-8, 15-12. Malaysia will play against Russia today before meeting Holland the following day. The winners of the group will play off with the winners of Group B, comprising Japan, Singapore, Germany and Ukraine, for promotion to Division One. Kim Hock downplayed the defeat of Eei Hui-Pei Tty. “Victory was already in the bag at that point and there was not much point in them pushing hard,” he said in a telephone interview. “It was a good start for us. I'm also happy that Choong Hann showed that he can play the doubles role well too.” In another Group A match, Holland dropped the men's doubles match in their 4-1 win over Russia. Group B saw Japan cruising to a 5-0 win over Ukraine and Singapore coming from behind to beat Germany 3-2, thanks to their scratch men's doubles pair of Kendrick Lee-Hendra Wijaya. Singapore were down 1-2 but Kendrick-Hendra kept alive their hopes when they upset world number 33 Kristof Hopp-Ingo Kindervater 12-15, 15-9, 15-7. The women's doubles pair of Jiang Yanmei-Liu Fan clinched the winning point with a 15-9, 15-4 win over Nicole Grether-Juliane Schenk. GROUP 1A Denmark bt England 3-2 (Jens Eriksen-Mette Schjoldager lost to Nathan Robertson-Gail Emms 13-15, 9-15; Kenneth Jonassen bt Aamir Ghaffar 15-5, 15-0; Tine Rasmussen bt Tracey Hallam 11-4, 11-13, 11-7; Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard bt Nathan Robertson-Robert Blair 15-12, 15-11; Helle Nielsen-Pernille Harder lost to Gail Emms-Donna Kellogg 5-15, 9-15). South Korea bt Thailand 4-1 (Lee Jae-jin-Ra Kyung-min bt Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam 15-11, 15-10; Seo Yoon-hee bt Salakjit Polsana 13-10, 11-8; Shon Seung-mo lost to Boonsak Polsana 15-5, 8-15, 16-17; Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon bt Sudket Prapakamol-Patapol Ngernsrisuk 15-2, 15-2; Lee Kyung-won-Lee Hyo-jung bt Saralee Thoungthongkam-Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn 15-5, 15-5). GROUP 1B China bt Sweden 5-0 (Chen Qiqiu-Zhao Tingting bt Fredrik Bergstrom-Johanna Persson 15-3, 15 12; Lin Dan bt Rasmus Wengberg 15-6, 15-8; Zhang Ning bt Elin Bergblom 11-7, 11-0; Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun bt Henrik Andersson-Fredrik Bergstrom 15-5, 15-2; Gao Ling-Huang Sui bt Elin Bergblom-Johanna Persson 15-4, 15-4). Group 2A: Holland bt Russia 4-1; Malaysia bt Taiwan 4-1 (Wong Choong Hann-Wong Pei Tty bt Tsai Chia-hsin-Chien Yu-chin 15-2, 15-11; Lee Chong Wei bt Liao Sheng-shiun 11-15, 15-7, 15-4; Wong Mew Choo bt Huang Chia-hsin 11-5, 11-3; Koo Kien Keat-Chan Chong Ming bt Huang Shih-chung-Chien Yu-hsun 15-5, 15-7; Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui lost to Chien Yu-chin-Cheng Wen-hsing 8-15, 12-15). Group 2B: Japan bt Ukraine 5-0; Singapore bt Germany 3-2.
