TheStar PETALING JAYA: There will be chances for revenge, opportunities to soothe bruised pride and a last shot at improving on rankings to get good seedings in the World Championships. The Proton Malaysian Open, which begins today at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton (KLBA) Stadium, has brought together the world’s best players and exciting matches are definitely on the cards. The five-day Open has been dubbed the prelude to the World Championships, which will be held in Anaheim, California, from Aug 15-21. Seedings for the world premier individual tournament will be done based on the rankings after the Malaysian Open. Malaysia’s chief coach Yap Kim Hock said: “We are looking at our singles players and doubles pairs giving a better show than in the Singapore Open last week. They have a more favourable draw here. “This tournament provides our players the opportunity to see their rivals in the World Championships. We will also get to look at our own weaknesses and work on them before the world meet.” Barring upsets, defending champion Lee Chong Wei is expected to take on Athens Olympics gold medallist and Singapore Open champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia in the quarter-finals on Friday. This will give the Malaysian number one the opportunity to avenge his defeat by Taufik in the second round of the Asian Championships, which was held at the same venue last year. A win for the 22-year-old Chong Wei over Taufik will make up for the country’s disappointment in the Singapore Open, where none of the singles players made it to the quarter-finals. For world number seven Taufik, he will definitely be looking to knock Chong Wei from the number four slot. The other top ranked Malaysians in the fray are Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Wong Choong Hann. Youngster Kuan Beng Hong is expected to play against Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the third round. He has not beaten the Indonesia in three previous meetings. World number one Lin Dan of China and Denmark’s Peter Gade-Christensen will also be out to make up for the disappointment of losing to Taufik in the Singapore Open. Lin Dan and Gade-Christensen are tipped to play in the semi-finals. In the men’s doubles, Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat have the chance to redeem their battered pride by reaching at least the quarter-finals. If they get that far, they will be up against one of these three pairs – Indonesians Alven Yulianto-Luluk Hadiyanto (top seeds), Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah. Tan Fook-Wan Wah are the defending champion but they have a very tough opening match against Indonesians Flandi-Eng Hian. South Koreans Jung Jae-sung-Lee Jae-jin will be out to beat Singapore Open champions Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto for the first time in their fourth attempt. And Malaysians Ong Soon Hock-Tan Bin Shen are all fired up to get the better of the second seeds Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen in the second round after having lost to the Danes in the last year’s Copenhagen Masters. In the women’s competition, Chinese players are expected to make themselves at home in the singles and doubles. Matches involving Malaysians MEN'S SINGLES First round: Ismail Saman bt Abdullah Zulfari 15-11, 15-5; Jung Hoon-min (Kor) bt James Chua 15-2, 15-9; Ohtsuka Shinya bt Lok Chong Chieh 15-3, 17-14; Mohd Hazwan Jamaluddin bt Paul Le Toc (Wal) 15-6, 15-0; Mohd Shafiq Jamaluddin bt Alan Chan (Nzl) 14-17, 15-3, 15-8; Lim Kenn bt Peter Zauner (Aut) 15-5, 15-7; Salim Sameon bt Michael Trojan (Aut) 15-3, 15-3; Jansson Marcus (Swe) bt Lim Chen Wet 8-15, 15-8, 15-13; Tan Chun Seang bt Michel L. Jean (Fra) 15-10, 15-10; Zairul Hafiz Zainuddin bt Lee Chen Yen (Tpe) 15-2, 15-1; Azrihanif Azahar bt John Gordon (Nzl) 15-5, 7-15, 15-12. Second round: Hoon-min bt Ismail 15-8, 15-7; Yew Thien bt Hazwan 15-12, 15-3; Jeffer Rosobin bt Syafig 15-4, 15-10; Lim Kenn bt Chang Feng-chin (Tpe) 15-5, 15-12; Salim bt Jansson 15-6, 15-12; Chen-yen bt Chun Seang 15-10, 10-15, 15-6; Gong Weijie (Chn) bt Azrihanif 15-6, 15-9. MEN'S DOUBLES First round: Simon Archer-Anthony Clark (Eng) bt Lim Fang Yang-Tay Chuen Jein 15-4, 15-2; P. Kantharoopan-Fredyno Saha bt Michael Lahnsteiner-Michael Trojan (Aut) 15-8, 15-8; Yoo Yeon-seong-Jeon Jun-bum (Kor) bt Loo Yik Xiang-Ong Jien Guo 15-4, 15-2; Nguyen Quang Minh-Tran Thanh Hai (Vie) bt Chin Tze Seong-Au Kok Leong 15-7, 15-11; Ng Kean Kok-Hong Chieng Hun bt Lee Yong-dae-Kang Myeong-won (Kor) 15-4, 13-15, 15-13; Wong Choong Hann-Chew Choon Eng bt Juergen Koch-Peter Zauner (Aut) 15-3, 10-15, 17-15; Songpol Anukritayawan-Nitipong Saengsila (Tha) bt Lok Chong Chieh-Chan Kwong Beng 15-9, 15-2. Second round: Archer-Clark bt Kantharoopan-Fredyno 15-5, 15-11; Kean Kok-Chieng Hun bt Hajime Komiyama-Noriyasu Hirata (Jpn) 12-15, 15-4, 15-13; Choong Hann-Choon Eng bt Songpol-Nitipong 15-5, 11-15, 17-15. WOMEN'S SINGLES First round: Yoshimi Hataya (Jpn) bt Wong Mew Choo 11-8, 4-11, 11-9; Huang Chia-hsin (Tpe) bt Anita Kaur Raj 11-5, 11-9. WOMEN'S DOUBLES First round: Rani Mundiasti-Apriliana Rintan (Ina) bt Ooi Swee Wenn-Amelia Anscelly Alicia 15-3, 15-1; Jun Woul-sik-Jung Youn-kyung (Kor) bt S. Stephanie Shalini-Goh Liu Ying 15-0, 15-8; Norsyahliza Baharom-Anita Kaur Raj bt Elin Bergblom-Emelie Lennartsson (Swe) 10-15, 15-2, 15-7; Jo Liu-hsiao-Chi Liu-chia (Tpe) bt Woon Khee Wei-Ho Bee Ling 15-11, 9-15, 15-7; Ha Jung-eun-Park Soo-hee (Kor) bt Chong Sook Chin-Ng Hui Lin 15-12, 13-15, 15-4; Julia Wong-Haw Chiou Hwee bt Pai Min-jie-Chiu Yi-ju (Tpe) 15-7, 15-8; Ngo Hai Van-Le Ngoc Ngayeh Nhung (Vie) bt Joslyn Pang Swie Ling-Nairul Suhaida Abdul Latif 15-2, 15-2. MIXED DOUBLES First round: Saengsila Nitipong-A Duang Anong (Tha) bt Chow Pak Chuu-Nairul Suhaida Abdul Latif 15-7, 15-7; Mangor A Rasmus-Britta Andersen (Den) bt Tan Bin Shen-See Phui Leng 15-3, 15-6; Ong Soon Hock-Mooi Hing Yau bt Jeon Jun-bum-Jun Woul-sik (Kor) 15-11, 13-15, 15-12. Second round: Soon Hock-Hing Yau bt Tran Thanh-Hai-Ngo Hai Van 13-15, 15-5, 15-4.
