TheStar KUALA LUMPUR: The race for places in the men's singles competition of the World Badminton Championships in August will go down to the wire, although the qualifiers will be determined by next month. National chief coach Yap Kim Hock said yesterday that he intended to make up his mind on who to name for the three places only after the Singapore Open (June 27-July 3) and Malaysian Open (July 5-10). There are five shuttlers eligible for the world meet, which will be held in Los Angeles from Aug 15-21, but a country can only send a maximum of three players. Among five shuttlers vying for the three World Championships berths, roslin stands a slim chance of making the cut. Lee Chong Wei is the current highest ranked Malaysian in fifth position, followed by Mohd Hafiz Hashim (eighth), Wong Choong Hann (11th), Kuan Beng Hong (15th) and Roslin Hashim (21st). As all are likely to remain within the top 24 when the May 19 deadline comes around, it will be up to the BA of Malaysia to choose the three for the tournament. “I want to look at the performances of the singles players in Singapore and our Malaysian Open first,†Kim Hock said yesterday. “The team for the World Championships will only be named after the two competitions are over. “The important thing is to send players who are capable of winning in Los Angeles. We want the players to have the confidence to challenge,†said Kim Hock. Currently, the in-form Chong Wei should have no problem booking his place in the team. Chong Wei is enjoying his highest world ranking position and he managed to keep his unbeaten local record intact in the Kedah Open last Sunday. Hafiz, who won back-to-back titles in the Swiss and Thailand Opens last month, should be joining his young teammate on the flight to Los Angeles. He is still nursing injuries sustained from the Japan Open but it should be no cause for alarm. Hafiz is expected to regain full fitness by the time he gears up for the start of the competition. The remaining place is likely to be a jostle between Choong Hann and Beng Hong with Roslin standing only a slim chance. “We'll see how it goes,†said the coach.
