KUALA LUMPUR: The batch of shuttlers from the 2000 World Junior Championships are set to hog the limelight in the back-to-back Swiss Open and All-England tournaments. The Swiss Open begins tomorrow in Basel while the All-England will be played in Birmingham the following week. Those who have made vast improvement since playing in the championships in Guangzhou include Chinese Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai, Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Malaysians Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Lee Chong Wei. Except for Chong Wei, the other four will feature in the Swiss Open and All-England. The 22-year-old Chong Wei withdrew on Saturday because of a leg injury. Malaysian coach Rashid Sidek said that these players would put the pressure on the seasoned campaigners, including Xia Xuanze (Chn), Wong Choong Hann (Mas), Taufik Hidayat (Ina) and Lee Hyun-il (Kor) and Boonsak Ponsana (Tha). “Their game is steadier now with the Chinese having better quality in their play,” said Rashid. “Of the five, Chong Wei is the late bloomer. But he is catching up. Lin Dan is currently the world number one and that speaks volume of his ability. Chunlai and Hafiz had been affected slightly by injuries while Sony has been very inconsistent. “I expect these players to make great strides this year. They will be strong contenders for the two Open titles.” Except for the 22-year-old Hafiz, Lin Dan, Chunlai, Chong Wei and Sony competed in the 2000 World Junior Championships for the first time. Sony defeated Chong Wei in the semi-finals while Chunlai beat Lin Dan and went on to claim the title. Except for Chong Wei, the others have had international titles to their names. If Hafiz and Chong Wei could double up their effort in the next two months, they could join Lin Dan, Chunlai and Sony in the Athens Olympics. On their challenge in the Swiss Open, the 21-year-old Lin Dan, who is the top seed, has the best chance to advance to the quarter-finals. In his path are Denmark’s Peter Gade-Christensen and Indonesia-born Marleve Mainaky, who now plays for Switzerland. The 20-year-old Sony is set to play against reigning world champion Xuanze in the third round while the 21-year-old Chunlai and Hafiz may cross path in the second round. Another youngster, the 19-year-old Indonesian Simon Santoso, will also be out to stamp his mark in the Swiss Open. And he has to play in the qualifying tournament today for a spot in the main draw.
Rashid was right, for Swiss open !!! Rashid was right, Lin Dan, Bao and Sony was in the last 4s!!! Wow, he should bet on badminton matches if there are any. he can make a lot of money
