NST Oct 24: THE six-star Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships on Nov 1-6 will be a sneak preview to the Sea Games as the Malaysian players will be facing the same Indonesian shuttlers in Manila. The Indonesian players have skipped all tournaments coming after last month's Indonesia Open to prepare for the Sea Games, and will use the Hong Kong Open to gauge their current form. Lee Chong Wei, the fourth seed, will face his big test in the quarter-finals, assuming he advances to the last eight, against Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat. Before that, Chong Wei faces a minor hurdle against Ng Wei of Hong Kong, against whom he should have no trouble. Taufik, it is believed, is down to play only in the team event in Manila and should the two nations meet, the first singles will be a battle between the Indonesian ace and Chong Wei, which could decide the gold medallist. Taufik is also expected to meet veteran Wong Choong Hann in the third round in Hong Kong where the Indonesian has an advantage. In another key match, Hafiz Hashim, the second singles in Manila, is expected to square off against Sony Dwi Kuncoro in what is expected to be an exciting third round match. Sony is the defending Sea Games singles champion, and with Taufik only entered for the team event, will start favourite again in Manila. A win against Sony in Hong Kong should give Hafiz a psychological boost over his arch rival in the team and individual events in Manila. In the men's doubles, Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat play China's Guo Zhendong-Xie Zhongbo in the second round but their most important match will be against Indonesia's top pair for the Manila Games Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto, who the Malaysians are expected to meet in the quarter-finals. If Chong Ming-Kien Keat advance, they are likely to meet the dangerous Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan combination, the second ranked Indonesian pair in Manila, in the last four. The Malaysians' performances against these two Indonesian pairs will also determine if Chong Ming-Kien Keat have what it takes to become the new Sea Games champions. Defending Sea Games champions Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah have skipped the Hong Kong Open but will compete in the China Open the following week.
