NEWS : Tough going for our top doubles BY RAJES PAUL PETALING JAYA: Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, who have regained the status as the Malaysian number one pair, will find the going tough in the US$250,000 Hong Kong Open badminton championships, which will be held from Oct 27-Nov 2. In the draw released by the International Badminton Federation (IBF) yesterday, they will be up against former world number one Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian of Indonesia in the first round. Also in the quarter of the draw are world number one and German Open champions Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon of South Korea. “It is certainly not a good draw for us,” said Wan Wah yesterday. “We defeated Flandi-Eng Hian in the Singapore Open this year but it is never easy beating them. “It will be good for us if we get to advance and play against Dong-moon-Tae-kwon. They beat us in the German Open last month and we want toplay against them again.” Tan Fook-Wan wah are now ranked 13th in the world – one rung higher than Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng. The have done much better than Chong Ming-Choon Eng this year, reaching the semi-finals in the Opens of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Scratch pair Chang Kim Wai-Choon Eng and two back-up combinations – Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat and Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock – will have to play in the qualifying tournament. Chong Ming is still out of competition because of a shoulder injury. In the singles, Malaysia have the Nusa Mahsuri's Hashim brothers, Roslin and Hafiz, in the fray. But the duo will find the going tough as well. Roslin will play against Taiwanese Chien Yu-hsiu in the first round and is expected to meet second seed Lee Hyun-il of South Korea in the second round. If he advances, he is tipped to meet Indonesian Taufik Hidayat. The 21-year-old Hafiz has young opponents in his path. He takes on Indonesian Wiempie Mahardi in the opening round and is tipped to play against China's 20-year-old Lin Dan in the next round. In his quarter is the 19-year-old Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who won the Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) title for the second consecutive time on Sunday. Naza Kia-sponsored Sairul Amar Ayob and Pei Wei Chung will play against Hong Kong opponents – Pang Chun Yu and Agus Hariyanto – in the opening round. China will be back at full strength in an international scene after giving their top players a break in the ABC meet. Chen Hong is the top seed and also in the fray are Danish Open champion Bao Chunlai and world champion Xia Xuanze.
Malaysian pairs face early exit in Hong Kong Open PETALING JAYA: Early casualties can be expected when Malaysia's three men's doubles pairs start their campaign in the qualifying tournament of the US$250,000 Hong Kong Open at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium today. Except for the scratch pair of Chew Choon Eng-Chang Kim Wai, the youngsters Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat and Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock have been drawn to meet tough opponents in the first round. Teik Chai-Kien Keat, who were the quarter-finalists in the recent Asian Badminton Championships (ABC), will be up against Indonesians Nova Widianto-Anggun Nughroho. Bin Shen-Soon Hock will face the experienced Taiwanese pair of Huang Shih-chung-Chien Yu-hsun. If they make it to the main draw, Teik Chai-Kien Keat will play against South Koreans Yim Bang-eun-Kim Yong-hyun while Bin Shen-Soon Hock will meet Malaysian Open runners-up Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China. Barring any upsets, Choon Eng-Kim Wai, should make it to the main draw. They will play against Australian Denney Travis-Brehaut Ashley in the first round of the qualifying tournament and will take on the winner of the match between Simon Archer-Robert Blair of England and Wong Tsz-yin-Hung Yuk-wong of Hong Kong. A place in the main draw will give them a first-round match against Denmark's Thomas Laybourn-Peter Steffensen.
HONG KONG: None of the three Malaysian men's doubles pairs made it to the main draw of the US$250,000 Hong Kong Open badminton championships at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here yesterday. Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock did not even get past the first round, losing 15-9, 8-15, 12-15 to Taiwanese Huang Shih-chung-Chien Yu-hsun. The other two other pairs – Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat and Chew Choon Eng-Chang Kim Wai – failed to get past their second opponents. Teik Chai-Kien Keat defeated Nova Widianto-Anggun Nugroho 15-6, 15-6 but lost 16-17, 12-15 to Denmark's Jim Laugesen-Carsten Mogensen. Choon Eng-Kim Wai eliminated Denney Travis-Brehaut Ashley of Australia 15-6, 15-10 but lost 13-15, 13-15 to Danish Open quarter-finalists Simon Archer-Robert Blair of England. Doubles chief coach Yap Kim Hock said that Choon Eng-Kim Wai let slip a good chance to enter the main draw. “They partnered each other for the first time in a tournament and were sluggish. But we hope they will produce better results in the Taiwan Open (Nov 4-9),” said Kim Hock. Malaysia have one pair in the main draw – veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah. The world number 13 will be up against the Indonesians Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian. The Malaysian number one have beaten the former world number one at the Singapore Open in August.
Hashim siblings’ Olympic dreams hinge on good show in HK BY RAJES PAUL PETALING JAYA: The Hashim brothers, Roslin and Hashim, will have to at least reach the quarter-finals in the Hong Kong Open badminton championships, which begin today, to get their bid to qualify for next year's Olympics back on track. For Roslin and Hafiz, the tournament is their last outing this year to get ranking points for Olympic qualification. They will not compete in the Opens in Taiwan (Nov 4-9) and China (Nov 11-16). National singles chief coach Misbun Sidek said yesterday: “They must take this opportunity to collect ranking points. It is a six-star tournament and offers a lot of ranking points. “This is their last international tournament for the year and they have to consolidate their world rankings. They must stay among the top 16 in the world to remain on track for the Olympics.” Roslin is now ranked 12th while Hafiz, who was an early round casualty in eight international tournaments since winning the All-England in February, is in 16th spot. The Hong Kong Open has drawn the top players in the world. The Chinese, Indonesians and South Koreans are at full strength. The Hashims will definitely find the going tough. The 21-year-old Hafiz will play against Wiempie Mahardi of Indonesia in the opening round today and he is tipped to adavance for a second round match against 20-year-old Lin Dan of China. In his quarter is two-time Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia. Hafiz lost in straight games to Lin Dan in the second round of the Danish Open. But he has a better record against Sony, beating the 19-year-old Indonesian in the second round of the 2002 Japan Open and first round of the All-England this year. For Roslin, South Korean and second seed Lee Hyun-il is in his path to the last eight. The 27-year-old Roslin will take on Taiwanese Chien Yu-hsiu in the first round and he is expected to play against Hyun-il in the third round. China's Chen Hong is the top seed while Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia is also seen as one of the strong contenders for the men's singles title.
Misben is too foolish to restrict malaysian ms players with running in Chinese taipei and china open.
China field world No 1 Top seed Chen and compatriot Xia, the third seed, are two of the fancied stars in the men's singles event at the World Grand Prix tour event, which also offers valuable qualifying points for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Chen, 23, comes to Hong Kong seeking his third title for the year, having won the Singapore Open in August followed by the Malaysia Open in September. Drawn in the top half of the 64-man draw, Chen is in line to meet compatriot and fourth seed Lin Dan in the semifinals. In the bottom half of the draw, South Korea's Lee Hyun Il, seeded second, is favoured to reach the final. He could see battles against Malaysia's Roslin Hashim and Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat before a projected semis clash against China's Xia. China are also favourites to win the women's singles. World No 1 Gong Ruina is the top seed while compatriot Zhang Nan, the reigning world champion, is seeded second. Zhou Mi of China is seeded third while Hong Kong's Wang Chen is the fourth seed. Europe's challenge will be presented by ex-Indonesian ace and seventh seed Mia Audina, who now plays for Denmark, and her teammate and fifth seed Camilla Martin. With the Hong Kong government backing the tournament as part of the post-SARS Hong Kong Relaunch campaign, the event is one of the richest on the 2003 calendar. - AP
Hashim brothers safely through to second round HONG KONG: Malaysia's Mohd Hafiz (pic) and Roslin Hashim eased into the second round of the Hong Kong Open badminton meet at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here yesterday. Hafiz, the All-England champion defeated Indonesian Wiempie Mahardi 15-13, 15-9 to earn a second round clash against Agus Hariyanto from Hong Kong, who beat Malaysia’s Pei Wei Chung 15-7, 15-7. Older brother Roslin cruised past Chien Yuhsiu of Taiwan 15-13, 15-10. It will be the second time Hafiz faces the former Indonesian player. He beat Hariyanto in the first round of the Malaysian Open held in Kota Kinabalu last month. H afiz has come under criticism for his inconsistency since lifting the All-England title in February and needs to reach at least the quarterfinals in order to rejuvenate his bid to qualify for the Athens Olympics next year. The Hong Kong Open is his last outing for the year. He will not be competing in the Taiwan (Nov 4-9) and China (Nov 11-16) Opens. However, Hafiz will not find it easy as he has China's Lin Dan in his path in the third round. If he wins, he is expected to meet newly crowned Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) Sony Dwi Kuncoro from Indonesia next. Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, the only Malaysian doubles pair left in the competition, will only see action today. The world number 13 pair will be up against Indonesians Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian. Hashim brothers safely through to second round
Testing time for Roslin and Hafiz S.S. Dhaliwal THOUGH brothers Mohamed Roslin Hashim and Mohamed Hafiz Hashim safely negotiated the first round of the US$250,000 (RM950.000) six-star Hong Kong Open, their mettle will be put to the test tomorrow. For the singles players in the tournament have been given a one day break today, but will have to play their second and third round matches tomorrow. And with the tournament being held at the early stages of the fasting month, the brothers will have to conserve energy in their second round matches if they harbour hopes of progressing further. Roslin defeated Chien Yu Hsiu of Taiwan 15-13, 15-10 last night while younger brother Hafiz got the better of Mahardi Wiempie of Indonesia 15-9, 15-13. Roslin takes on Hong Kong's Hung Yuk Wang in the second round while Hafiz will meet Hong Kong's top singles Agus Hariyanto. "Their performances were satisfactory but the real test will come on Thursday," said coach Misbun Sidek. "The fasting month will not be used as an excuse as the players have trained well for the tournament. "From what I have seen thus far in the tournament most of the players seem to have difficulty in sustaining their performances. "This has got to do with the number of tournaments increasing and also being held so close to each other. "The key to this tournament will be maintaining consistency and to play smart. "If our players can combine these two factors, then I believe we can go far." Misbun said that the rotation policy practised by Malaysia would eventually pay dividends. Wong Choon Hann who has given the Hong Kong tournament a miss has been seeded third in the Taiwan Open scheduled for next week and Misbun believes Choon Hann can pull off something spectacular there. "That is the key to the whole thing. We just cannot put our players through a punishing schedule and hope that they do well each time they are fielded," said Misbun. Choon Hann will meet Thailand's Boonsak Polsana in the first round with a likely meeting with Denmark's Peter Gade Christensen in the third round. "Boonsak is one player who has shown good form in the opening day and Choon Hann will have to be at his best to overcome him in Taiwan," cautioned Misbun. Ong Ewe Hock will, however, have it tough as he has been drawn to meet Kenneth Johanssan in the first round. Meanwhile current world No 1 Chen Hong of China easily brushed aside the challenge of South Korean Park Tae Sang 15-11, 15-8. Chen, hunting for his third title this year, said his main focus now is to sharpen his skills before the Olympic Games in Athens and believes that China have what it takes to make a clean sweep of the the Hong Kong Open. "My main goal now is to win the gold medal at the Olympics next year. It will be the first time that I will be playing in the Olympics and I want to win gold," said Chen, winner of the Singapore Open and the Malaysian Open this year. Third seed Xia Xuanze, who is the world champion, also had no trouble beating Melvin Lianes of the Philippines 15-10, 15-2. Another Chinese player to move smoothly into the next round was fourth seed Lin Dan who defeated Guilherme Pardo of Brazil 15-3, 15-0. Other seeded players to win were South Korea's Shon Seung Mo, seeded fifth, and sixth seed Sony Kuncoro of Indonesia. Shon beat Dane Jesper Christensen 15-8, 15-3, while Kuncoro defeated Bjoern Joppien of Germany 16-17, 15-10, 15-2.
Gupta, Anand in second round of Hong Kong Open Press Trust of India New Delhi, October 29 National champion Abhinn Shyam Gupta and Chetan Anand moved into the second round of the Hong Kong Open Badminton tournament being played at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong. Gupta defeated 75th ranked Eric Go of USA 15-6 15-5 while Anand thrashed local boy Chun Yie Leung 15-2 15-5 to move into the next round yesterday, according to information recieved here on Wednesday. Gupta now faces 7th seed Anders Boesen of Denmark while Anand will challenge 15th seed Chunlai Bao of China.
Perfect start for veterans HONG KONG: Malaysia's veteran doubles pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah showed that they still have it very much in them to play top-level badminton when they eliminated fifth seed Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian in the first round of the Hong Kong Open at Queen Elizabeth Stadium here yesterday. Tan Fook-Wan Wah won 15-9, 15-12 and it was their second consecutive victory over the Indonesians this year. Tan Fook-Wan Wah, who are ranked 13th in the world, also beat Flandi-Eng Hian to reach the semi-finals of the Singapore Open in August. Malaysian coach Yap Kim Hock was happy that Tan Fook-Wan Wah again came out tops against Flandi-Eng Hian, who were the champions in the Swiss, Japan and German Opens this year. “Our pair had better speed and were more aggressive. This win is also a boost to their confidence because they will probably clash again in the Vietnam SEA Games in December,” he said. Tan Fook-Wan Wah will play against Thailand's second ranked pair of Sudhet Prapakamol-Patapol Ngernsrisuk in the second round and should be able to pull through. They defeated the Thais in the first round of the Indonesia Open this year. The Hashim brothers, Roslin and Hafiz, had a day's break yesterday. In the second round today, the bothers will be up against local players. Roslin will play against Wong Yik Hung while Hafiz will take on Agus Hariyanto.
Boonsak will again be in Choong Hann’s path to glory PETALING JAYA: Malaysian number one shuttler Wong Choong Hann is aiming to make a quick rebound in the Taiwan Open from Nov 4-9 after the disappointing outing in Germany early this month. Choong Hann has earned another chance at making amends for losing in the second round in the German Open to Thailand's Boonsak Polsana. He has been drawn to meet Boonsak in the first round. If he advances, he will either face a qualifier or fellow Malaysian Pei Wei Chung, who is not a member of the national squad. In his path to the semi-finals are former Danish number one Peter-Gade Christensen and Indonesian Taufik Hidayat. The Chinese players, including their world number one Chen Hong, will give the US$120,000 tournament a skip to concentrate on their home Open, which will be played in Guangzhou from Nov 11-16. And Choong Hann hopes to make good use of the chance. “It is a fairly good draw. I am quite optimistic of my chances and certainly hope to do much better this time,” said the world number four, who will also be defending his China Open title. However, Choong Hann will also need to watch out for the in-form Thai player, who proved his mettle by defeating Singapore's Ronald Susilo in the first round of the Hong Kong Open on Tuesday. “I cannot take anyone lightly,” said Choong Hann. National coach Misbun Sidek hopes that Choong Hann can take advantage of the absence of the Chinese contingent to win his first title of the year. “Choong Hann is now in a good position to qualify for the Athens Olympics. He must aim to do well in the Taiwan and China Opens and to pick up qualification points. “He looked a bit exhausted and lacked strength in his smashes during the German Open because he had competed in two back-to-back tournaments – the Danish and Malaysian Opens. He has been working on building up his endurance over the last three weeks to mount a strong challenge.” Unlike Choong Hann, the top doubles pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah faces an early exit in Taipei. They will play against top seeded Koreans Ha Tae-kwon-Kim Dong-moon in the first round. The scratch pair of Chang Kim Wai-Chew Choon Eng and juniors Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat and Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock will have to play in the qualifying round.
HK Open: Off to a flying start S.S. Dhaliwal THOUGH much has been said about the doubles pairing of Chong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah being over the hill, the duo silenced their critics by overpowering the much feared Indonesian pair of Flandi Limpele and Eng Hian in the first round of the Hong Kong Open yesterday. Tan Fook and Wan Wah beat the fifth seeded Indonesian pair 15-9, 15-12 to move into the second round where they will take on Thailand's Sudket Parapakamol and Patapol Ngernsriasuk. And if they overcome the Thais they will set a mouth watering clash against top seeds Kim Dong Moon and Ha Tae Kwon. "The duo played to the game plan – that is to keep the pressure on the Indons without letting off for a single moment," said coach Yap Kim Hock. "Performance wise, Tan Fook and Wan Wah deserved to win hands down and the end result showed their dominance. "What they have to do now is to ensure that they maintain the same style of play and at the same time cut down on their mistakes. "By keeping the pressure on the opponents it will lead them into making mistakes and concede points." The victory proved that their win over the same pair at the quarterfinal of the Singapore Open in August was not a flash in the pan. With the win, the record of meetings between the two pairs stands 3-3 with the Malaysians having won the last two. Sudket and Patapol had earlier easily brushed aside the challenge of the Taiwanese pair of Lin Wei Hsiang and Lee Sung Yuan 15-3,15-3. The powerful South Korean duo Dong Moon and Tae Kwon began their campaign for a fifth title this year in style when they brushed aside Japanese Tadashi Ohtsuka and Keita Masuda 15-0, 15-4. Dong Moon and Tae Kwon will meet Denmark's Michael Lamp and Mathias Boe next before the projected meeting against Tan Fook and Wan Wah. In the women's singles, world No 1 Gong Ruina of China stormed into the second round with an imperious straight games victory over Swede Marina Andrievskaya. Ruina, 22, quickly disposed of her opponent 11-2, 11-6 to set up a second round clash against Indonesian qualifier Silvi Antarini. Compatriots Zhou Mi, the third seed, and Xie Xingfang, sixth seed, also faced few problems as they moved into the next round. All-England champion Zhou Mi defeated Japan's Kaori Mori 11-9, 11-3 while Xingfang overcame Hong Kong qualifier Ling Wan-ting 11-3, 11-4. Fifth-seeded Camilla Martin of Denmark was also an easy first round winner. Camilla swept past Taiwanese Cheng Shao-Chieh 11-1, 11-4. Former Indonesian ace Mia Audina, who now plays for Holland, was also victorious beating Anu Weckstrom of Finland 11-3, 11-1. She will now come up in the second round against compatriot Judith Meulendijk, victor over Japan's Yuki Shimada.
HK Open: Hafiz has got what it takes to tame Agus S.S. Dhaliwal THE one thing that Mohamed Hafiz Hashim does not have to worry about when playing home favourite Agustine Hariyanto in the second round of the Hong Kong Open today is being heckled by the home fans. This is because the first day of the singles competition at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium saw only a mere 35 fans taking the trouble to see action of the US$250,000 (RM950,000) six-star event. Hafiz has the psychological edge over Agus having beaten the naturalised Hong Kong player 15-2, 15-12 at the Malaysian Open in Kota Kinabalu last month. But Agus has shown the ability to beat even the best on his day and his defeat of Lee Tsuen Seng in the Asian Championships two weeks ago has given rise to some concern for coach Misbun Siek. "On paper everyone expects Hafiz to get the better of Agus but that is easier said than done," said Misbun. "Tsuen Seng ended up on the losing end when he was expected to win and I have cautioned Hafiz not to take things for granted. "It is vital that Hafiz tries to get this match over as fast as he can in order to conserve energy for the third round which will be played later in the evening. "If Hafiz can overcome the two challenges today, then it will do a world of good for him in his quest to get the all important points to make the grade for the Athens Olympics next year." Agus, who hails from Kediri, Indonesia, has nothing to lose and he is expected to rattle the Malaysian by trying to go for quick kills. Hafiz, who won the All-England in February, has not had results go his way in the past few months with his only notable achievement being making the final of the Dutch Open last month when he lost to South Korean Lee Hyun Il. With Hafiz slipping down the world rankings, he had to face some tough draws in the early rounds and this somewhat aggravated the situation with him being shown an early exit. Hafiz lost to elder brother Roslin in the second round of the World Championships in Birmingham and also lost to eventual champion and World No 1 Chen Hong of China in the first round of the Singapore Open. He made the third round of the Indonesia Open in Batam but yet again lost to bogeyman Ronald Susilo of Singapore. His defeats in earlier rounds continued when he went down to compatriot Wong Choong Hann in the third round of the Malaysia Open in Kota Kinabalu. Prior to the World Championships, Hafiz was also bundled out in the early rounds of the Japan and Korea Opens in April.
Tan Fook-Tan Fook-Wan Wah to face top Koreans, both Hashim lose HONG KONG: Malaysia's top men's doubles pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah reached the quarter- finals of the US$250,000 Hong Kong Open badminton championships at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here yesterday. The veteran combination defeated Thailand's number two Sudket Prapakamol-Patapol Ngernsrisuk 15-10, 15-12 in the third round to set up a match against top seeds and world number one Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon of South Korea. The Koreans, who won the German Open in September, advanced with a 15-11, 15-9 win over Michael Lamp-Mathias Boe of Denmark. The Malaysians lost to the Koreans in the German Open and are quietly hoping to avenge the defeat. “We will give our best. This is an opportunity to gauge our standard now against them,” said the 29-year-old Wan Wah, who had performed creditably well this year partnering Tan Fook. They reached the semi-finals of the Opens in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia this year and are now ranked 13th in the world. But the joy was tempered by the loss of both the Hashim brothers – in rubber games – in the third round. Hafiz slumped 17-16, 9-15, 7-15 to Lin Dan of China. Elder brother Roslin fared little better, falling 15-9, 1-15, 4-15 to Lee Hyun-il of South Korea. It was sweet revenge for Hyun-il who had lost to Roslin in the World Championships in Birmingham in August.
Hong Kong Open: Hafiz falls to his bogeyman S.S. Dhaliwal THOUGH Mohd Hafiz Hashim tried his best, it was not enough to beat Lin Dan of China in the third round of the Hong Kong Open at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium yesterday. Hafiz went down to the fourth seeded player 16-17, 15-9, 15-7. Lin Dan, who won the Danish Open, was in devastating form but credit must go to Hafiz who narrowed the gap against his bogeyman by taking a set off him. Ironically, Lin Dan defeated Hafiz in straight sets en route to winning the Danish Open and looks a good bet to make his fourth final this year after losing the Japan and German Opens final. But the pair of Chong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah kept the Jalur Gemilang flying as they moved into the quarterfinals after defeating Thailand's Sudket Parapakamol and Patapol Ngernsriasuk 15-10, 15-12. However, they face a daunting task in their quest to make the last four as standing in their way are the top-seeded pairing of Kim Dong Moon and Ha Tae Kwon of South Korea. Playing two matches on the same day took their toll on Hafiz who had to endure going the distance on a fasting month. This defeat is a setback to his aspirations of making the Athens Olympics as making the last eight would have given him valuable points to move up the world rankings. With Hafiz giving the Taiwan and China Opens a miss, the task looks daunting unless he churns out some impressive performances early next year. Hafiz had it difficult against Hong Kong's Agus Hariyanto in the morning and needed three sets to subdue the home favourite. Having lost the first set 15-11, Hafiz had to dig deep into his reserves to get the better of Agus, winning the next two 15-8, 15-11. However, elder brother Roslin had it easy against another Hong Kong player Hung Yuk Wong, winning in straight sets 15-4, 15-5. Roslin plays second seed Lee Hyun II in the third round which had yet to get underway at Press time. In the morning, South Korean Shon Seung Mo was toppled by Simon Santoso of Indonesia 15-13, 4-15, 15-13. China's world No 1 Chen Hong, the top seed, and world champion Xia Xuanze advanced with wins over Rony Agustinus of Indonesia and Italian Giovanni Traina respectively. Others who moved into the third round was Korean second seed Lee Hyun Il, China's Lin Dan and Chen Yu, Indonesia's Sony Kuncoro and Ronald Susilo of Singapore.
Our pair stay alive in Hong Kong HONG KONG: Malaysia’s top ranked pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah pulled off the biggest upset in the US$250,000 Hong Kong Open badminton tournament thus far to reach the men’s doubles semi-finals at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here yesterday. The veterans came back from the brink of defeat to blow away top seeds and world number one Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon of South Korea 10-15, 15-9, 17-14 in a thrilling quarter-final match. It was Tan Fook-Wan Wah’s fourth win over the Koreans in eight meetings and what a sweet revenge it was too. Just a month ago, the Malaysians suffered a straight-game defeat by the Koreans in the second round of the German Open. With the victory over the German Open champions, Tan Fook-Wan Wah have reached their fourth semi-finals this year. They also reached the last four of the Singapore, Indonesian and Malaysian Opens. There was, however, plenty of drama in the Malaysians’ victory over the Koreans yesterday. Said a jubilant Wan Wah in a telephone interview from Hong Kong: “The match was very close. In the rubber game, we were tied at 11-11 and the Koreans took the lead at 13-11. But the Koreans were rattled when Tae-kwon was given a red card for his delaying tactics and we were awarded a point, making it 12-13. “Although the Koreans had problems focusing on the game, they still managed to reach match point first but we did not give up. We caught up at 14-14. It was very close from there on but we prevailed. We lost to them in straight games at the German Open but this time we really gave them a good fight. It was certainly a great win for us.” The Malaysians will take on third seeds Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard Hansen of Denmark in the last four today and it doesn't look good for our shuttlers as they have never beaten the Danes, losing to them in the quarter-finals of the 2002 Swiss Open and this year’s All-England. “We have never beaten them. Their smashes are sharp. We will give our best, though,” said Wan Wah. Tan Fook-Wan Wah are the only Malaysians left in the Hong Kong Open following the defeat of the Hashim brothers – Roslin and Hafiz – in the third round of the six-star tournament. All-England champion Hafiz slumped 17-16, 9-15, 7-15 to Lin Dan of China while elder brother Roslin ran out of steam in his 15-9, 1-15, 4-15 defeat by second seed Lee Hyun-il of South Korea. Yesterday, Danish Open champion Lin Dan continued his sterling form when he beat two-time Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia 15-5, 2-15, 15-1 to set up a semi-final clash with compatriot Bao Chunlai. Chunlai, who upset top seed Chen Hong on Thursday, ended Indonesian Simon Santoso’s gallant run with a 15-5, 15-8 win.
China dominates at Hong Kong Open HONG KONG: China demonstrated their dominance of badminton again Sunday when they won three of the five titles, including the men’s and womens singles, in the 250,000 US dollar Hong Kong Open. Lin Dan, the fourth seed, defeated unsung Thai Boonsak Polsana 15-4, 9-15, 15-8 to win the mens singles title. It was Lins second title this year and one which should help him in his bid to win one of three berths given to China at next years Olympic Games in Athens. "Im very pleased to win this tournament for China," said Lin, who kept the Chinese flag flying after more illustrious names such as world number one Chen Hong and world champion Xia Xuanze were knocked out in the earlier rounds. Chen and Xia are expected to grab two of the three berths for the Olympics. In an all-China womens singles final, world champion Zhang Ning defeated current world number one Gong Ruina 11-5, 11-9 to win her fifth major title this season. Gong, 22, made numerous unforced errors as Zhang dominated the net to score a comfortable win. China’s third success was in the womens doubles with third seeds Gao Ling and Huang Sui defeating compatriots and top seeds Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen 17-14, 15-5. South Korea prevented a Chinese clean sweep by winning both the mens and mixed doubles.
Badminton/Hong Kong Open: Chong, Lee in yet another close miss S.S. Dhaliwal IT was yet another case of so near yet so far for doubles Chong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah. The duo fell at the Hong Kong Open’s final hurdle at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium where they were beaten by South Koreans Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yong Sung 15-13, 6-15, 15-8 in a tie that lasted just over an hour. Having lost in four semifinal apperances this year, Tan Fook and Wan Wah redeemed some pride by making the final of the six- star tournament but just could not do enough to break their jinx of failing to win a major title since 1998 when they not only bagged the Commonwealth Games gold medal but also emerged triumphant in the German, Dutch and Singapore Opens. But still they must be given credit for making the final and along the way they beat some pairs that held a psychological advantage over them for the past few years. They ousted the Indonesian pair of Flandi Limpele and Eng Hian in the first round and in the quarterfinal put aside the crack pair of Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon. Also in the quarterfinals they dashed the hopes of Danes Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen, a pair to whom they lost in their two previous meetings. “I think it was our overeagerness to win that cost us the final. We were too tensed leading up to the final,” said Tan Fook. “We should have won but made too many mistakes and that gave the Koreans the upperhand. Our strategy was correct. We had the Koreans pinned in defence most of the time but just could not win crucial points.” Against Dong Soo and Yong Sung, the Malaysians paid the price for the uncharateristic mistakes they made in the first and third sets. That coupled with their inability to kill the bird during rallies put paid to their hopes of winning the title and the duo were left rueing at what could have been a memorable week. The first set could have gone either way but the Malaysians held the upperhand at one stage leading 13-10. Then a mistake cost them dearly and that was the turning point of the set. “We were leading and holding serve when my half court smash went straight into the net,” said Wan Wah. “Our service was working well as we caught the Koreans on the wrong foot a couple of times but we just had to work harder to succeed. “This tournament showed us that we can hold our own against the top pairs and that has given us the boost we need in our quest to play at the Athens Olympics next year.” In the second set the Malaysians attacked Dong Soo and won points easily but Kong Sung raised his game in the third set to intercept the attacks against his partner to earn the Koreans the title. Tan Wah and Wan Fook whose careers were plagued by injurues over the past two years were at the verge of being dropped from the national set-up. They are now playing with renewed confidence. Now they owe much of the credit to coach Yap Kim Hock who not only managed to reconcile the often warring partnership but also managed to get the best out of them be it in training or competition. Awaiting them in the first round of the Russian Open are the Koreans Tae Kwon and Dong Moo. Though it will be a tough start, the Hong Kong outing would probably be just the tonic they need.
