Sunday April 15, 2007 Rexy unhappy with Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s performance By RIZAL ABDULLAH JOHOR BARU: National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky blew his top after watching Malaysian hotshots Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong limp into the men’s doubles final of the US$125,000 Asian Badminton Championships at the Indoor Stadium here yesterday. “This is the worst performance by the duo since they were paired together,” said Rexy after the All-England and Swiss Open champions struggled past Taiwan’s Tsai Chia-hsin-Hu Chung-hsien, coming back from a game down to win 18-21, 21-16, 21-10 in 44 minutes. Kien Keat-Boon Heong will take on top seeds and defending champions Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in today’s final. “Kien Keat and Boon Heong did not move the shuttle all over the court. They also allowed their opponents to anticipate their moves. They need to do a lot better. I am not satisfied. They should focus on the game and not play to the gallery. “Kien Keat was playing to the gallery. This should not happen in a game. He should stay focused.” When asked about the final today where Kien Keat and Boon Heong will be up against Wan Wah-Tan Fook in a much anticipated battle between the Malaysians, Rexy said: “I will let them fight it out. Let the best pair win.” Kien Keat, 22, made a lot of mistakes against the Taiwanese and this affected Boon Heong’s play and they lost the first game 18-21. However, the Malaysians recovered mainly because their opponents also started making unforced errors and they won the next two games at 21-16, 21-10. Said Kien Keat: “I admit that this is our worst performance. I was not focused. We were slow on the court today. We hope to give a better show in the final. “Losing to a Malaysian pair in the final is much better than losing to a foreign pair. But we promise to give our best in the final.” Kien Keat-Boon Heong won the first Asian Games gold for Malaysia in 36 years in Doha last December. In January, the pair were victorious in the Malaysian Open, the opening leg of the inaugural Super Series. Last month the pair became the first Malaysians in 25 years to win the All-England in Birmingham and the Swiss Open in Basel. Wan Wah-Tan Fook were also stretched to the limit in their 11-21, 21-13, 21-15 win over compatriots Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari in 40 minutes. For the final, Wan Wah said: “Kien Keat and Boon Heong are fast and aggressive. We lost to them in the Korean Open. “But we are the defending Asian champions and this will be the driving force for us in our bid to retain the title. There is nothing to lose.”
The New Straits Times: Asian Badminton Championships: Top pair scrape through By : K.M. Boopathy National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky (right) gives Koo Kien Keat a tongue lashing during the semi-final against Taiwan’s Tsai Chia Hsin-Hu Chung Hsien yesterday. Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong won 18-21, 21-16, 21-10. ALL ENGLAND champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong dished out a sloppy performance yesterday against Taiwan’s Tsai Chia Hsin-Hu Chung Hsien before managing a 18-21, 21-16, 21-10 win to make the men’s doubles final of the Asian Championships at Johor Baru City Stadium. For the Malaysians, the 44-minute struggle was a rude awakening and their worst performance since winning the gold in the Asian Games last December. Kien Keat-Boon Heong flirted with defeat until the Taiwanese started committing errors in the second game to spare them the embarrassment. In the other semi-final, defending champions Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah defeated compatriots Fairuzizuan Tazari-Zakry Latif 11-21, 21-13, 21-15 in 40 minutes. Kien Keat’s over confidence almost ruined the day for the Malaysian fans as the 22-year-old lost his focus and committed many unforced errors. Kien Keat, usually reliable in crucial stages, chose the wrong moment to play to the crowd and this led to Chia Hsin-Chung Hsien capitalising on the situation. Boon Heong tried his best to unravel things, but Kien Keat’s erratic game led to the Malaysians looking vulnerable. But Boon Heong managed to take control in the third game and this turned the tide their way. An apologetic Kien Keat said: "This can be considered the worst performance of my career. I just lost focus. "Maybe I was over confident. It’s a good experience for us. I was never under this kind of pressure situation before. "I promise this will not happen again. My movement on court was so slow and I don’t understand what happened. "Our target is to make sure that we don’t lose to a foreign pair. Now we have made it to the final. We are playing our teammates and anything can happen." Boon Heong said: "I didn’t play well and probably my lack of warm-up led to it. We need to get our act right as Tan Fook-Wan Wah will not be easy to play." An upset national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky took Kien Keat to task and told him to behave more professionally and respect the opponents. "I’m unhappy with Kien Keat's performance and I’ve told him to forget about (winning) the World Championships or the Beijing Olympics if this is his attitude," said Rexy. "Koo was over confident and it happened at the wrong time. We won the second game because the opponents made mistakes or else Kien Keat-Boon Heong would have packed their bags and headed home. "Koo needs to be more professional and he must not look down on his opponents just because he has won big tournaments. "Their training has also been disrupted by plenty of functions. I plead to everyone involved to spare the boys from these activities. Let's work together so that they can be focused on their Olympic target." Tan Fook-Wan Wah, who had said that Kien Keat-Boon Heong are favourites, must be fancying their chances in the final after witnessing their struggle yesterday.
semi The boys are a bit complacent. Its not a different ball game when you are now at the top. The pressure is on. Lets keep up the good work! just "Cheong ah"...
