TheStar PETALING JAYA: Badminton doubles player Koo Kien Keat has caught the eye of many with his menacing look on court since he first paired up with Chan Chong Ming for the China Open early this month. They made the quarter-finals of the six-star tournament in Guangzhou and the following week went one better in the Singapore Open, beating seasoned Indonesian pair and Athens Olympics bronze medallists Flandy Limpele-Eng Hian. Kien Keat also make a breakthrough with Wong Pei Tty in Singapore – becoming the first Malaysian pair to reach a mixed doubles final of an international Open tournament. EASY OPENER: Kien Keat (right) and partner Chan Chong Ming will open their campaign against Taiwan's Lu Feng-chieh-Victor Wibowo today. The 19-year-old Kien Keat is hoping his aggressive stance on court will bear fruit in the US$50,000 Taiwan Open, which begins today. A weakened field has presented Kien Keat-Chong Ming with a good opportunity to land their first international title sooner than expected. The top players from China, South Korea, Denmark and Indonesia are skipping the tournament and world number 14 Liu Kwok Wa-Albertus Susanto are the top seeds for the men's doubles competition. Kien Keat said that he would be up to the challenges. “My target is to win either the men's doubles or mixed doubles title. The field is not so strong and I have been doing well over the last three months. I am all fired up to go further this time,†said Kien Keat in a telephone interview from Taipei. Kien Keat-Chong Ming open their campaign against Taiwan's Lu Feng-chieh-Victor Wibowo today. They are tipped to play against Kwok Wa-Albertus in the semi-finals. While the duo can expect easy rides in the early rounds, Kien Keat said that they would not take things lightly. “I will continue with my serious approach on court,†he said. On his approach to the game, which could be interpreted as arrogant at times, Kien Keat replied: “This is the way I take to the game. It is to psyche myself up so that I can play well. I prefer to take this in a positive way. I will not change it.†Kien Keat said that playing in the mixed doubles with Pei Tty had helped him to become a better doubles player. “I have become a more versatile player. I can cover the court better. I hope BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) will put more focus on the mixed doubles as well,†he said. Malaysia can also look forward to winning the men's singles title as well. In the absence of the world's top 10 players, Lee Chong Wei, who was the runner-up to Denmark's Kenneth Jonnasen in the preceding Singapore Open, is presented with a bright chance to land an international title outside Malaysia. Malaysian Open champion Chong Wei, who has replaced Wong Choong Hann as the national number one, should only face his first real test in the quarter-final against teammate Yeoh Kay Bin.
Over confidence Yupp, I agree. They should learn how to concentrate on the short strategy before going for future strategy. Building up strong foudation before thing BIG. Overconfidence always the strongest weakness of Malaysia players. When they can learn to be more humble. Not only Malaysia players but also the BAM Officers.
Not overconfidence but looking too far ahead before crossing the first hurdle. You can see the way reporters write. They tend to write about the players prospects in the s/f or finals before the first round has finished.
not sure about "aggressive stance". but i did find that KKK has some interesting facial expression during the KKK/CCM and Martin/Jens game. he likes to open up his mouth and then sometimes he sticks his tongue out. but i did find that they are hard workers and i hope they will keep that up.
Kkk The key is mental concentration. Physical should be no problem. Which I believe most msian have problems with mental toughness. If this is there, then they can go a long way....