JAKARTA: NATIONAL head singles coach Misbun Sidek refused to put the blame on his singles players for failing to secure the points against Indonesia last night. Malaysia gambled on winning two points from the singles and one from the men's doubles against Indonesia but the strategy backfired when national number one Wong Choong Hann fell 15-12, 2-15, 6-15 to Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Roslin Hashim fizzled out against Taufik Hidayat, losing 10-15, 2-15. “The players tried their best to deliver the points but they just could not find the form,” said Misbun. “I knew it would be hard to beat the Indonesians on their own turf. We had a 50-50 chance of winning in all three singles matches and the strategy was for us to steal two points from the singles. “The pressure was enormous on Choong Hann and after he lost to Sony, it became an uphill task for Roslin to beat Taufik.” Misbun added that he chose not to field Chong Wei at second singles because he had a small injury on his ankle sustained in the tie against Thailand. “I did not want to risk him because I wanted someone who was fit for the challenge. Even if he had played, we would still have had an even chance against Taufik,” he said. But while the singles crumbled under pressure, the doubles players lived up to the challenges. The top doubles pair, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, brought Malaysia back into contention when they avenged their defeat by Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto in the team event of the Vietnam SEA Games last year. Tan Fook-Wan Wah defeated the Indonesians 15-12, 15-6. While the Indonesian supporters were dancing in the stands and beating their drums joyously after their team went 2-1 up, the scratch combination of Chhew Choon Eng-Koo Kien Keat raised some hope for Malaysia in the second doubles match. But their efforts were all in vain. Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian lived dangerously before pulling through in rubber games to give Indonesia the winning point. Doubles coach Yap Kim Hock said that Koo Kien Keat, especially, took the fight to the Indonesians. “They did very well. Choon Eng did not play to expectations today but it was not because of he did not try. Flandi-Eng Hian were still steady and won on experience,” he said. “They read our players well and that was how they got four points in a row (when trailing 7-9) in the rubber game.” Indonesian chief coach Christian Hadinata said that his charges gave their best-ever performance thus far in the Finals last night. “They were downcast after losing 0-5 to China. But the players put up fantastic performance tonight. It has given us better confidence for the challenge ahead,” he said. Chong Hann, meanwhile, blamed himself for the defeat by Sony. “I knew it was important for me to get the first point for Malaysia. But it's so disappointing to lose like this. “I played well in the first game but I made the wrong judgments in the second and third games. My defence was poor,” lamented Choong Hann. “I could not control his pace and lost grip of the game. I was off in my anticipation. He was in fiery form and on top of that I made all the mistakes. I am sorry that I failed to give Malaysia a winning start.” It was the second defeat for Choong Hann by the young Indonesian in five meetings. He also lost to Sony in the Vietnam SEA Games men's singles final last year. TheStar
