The problem with the Malaysian doubles is they don't have a plan B. Because they don't have a good attacking game, they play a lot of touch shots to try to lure their opponents into error. If their not playing well, the mistakes come one after another. Touch shots are tough to play when your timing is out. It's the same type of game plan played by the now defunct Fairuz & Zarkry pair. They do not have the capability to play the straight forward attacking game which is less prone to error. They just don't have a plan B to fall back to when they are off form. Lee Chong Wei beefed up and improve his smashes. That added another dimension to his game. Rexy should take a leaf from Misbun's strategy and training techniques.
The problem with the Malaysian doubles is they don't have a plan B. Because they don't have a good attacking game, they play a lot of touch shots to try to lure their opponents into error. If their not playing well, the mistakes come one after another. Touch shots are tough to play when your timing is out. It's the same type of game plan played by the now defunct Fairuz & Zarkry pair. They do not have the capability to play the straight forward attacking game which is less prone to error. They just don't have a plan B to fall back to when they are off form. Lee Chong Wei beefed up and improve his smashes. That added another dimension to his game. Rexy should take a leaf from Misbun's strategy and training techniques.
Thursday November 18, 2010 The Star Kim Her takes blame for poor show A VISIBLY disappointed national back-up squad doubles coach Tan Kim Her has taken responsibility for the toothless defeats of Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong. And he has vowed to turn the young pair into gutsy fighters. On Tuesday, the duo hardly gave a fight in the 17-21, 6-21 defeat by Japanese Endo Hiroyuki-Kenichi Hayakawa in the opening round. Kim Her admitted that he had over-rated his players. “I am very disappointed with Mak and Tan. They did not fight all the way. They gave up too easily,” said Kim Her. “It was their first Asian Games and, to me, it was not so much about winning or losing but it was all about the spirit and determinatino to fight until the end. “They have to realise that the hopes of the whole nation were on them. “I thought they were ready for the big stage but, in reality, a lot more work is needed to develop them. I will give a report on their below-par performances to the BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) and I am ready to take the rap for it.”
Yup, now TKH reliased what our back ups are lacking of.......this was what I have been talking all the time....shd plus...'the right attitude to their playing career'
A day of contrasting fortunes NST 17th Nov 2010 AFTER disappointing outings in both the men's and women's team events, the national shuttlers had mixed results on the first day of the individual competition in the men's and women's doubles events yesterday. Woon Khe Wei-Marylen Ng Poau Leng started their campaign in the women's doubles with a 21-17, 21-7 win over India's Aparna Balan-Prajakta Sawant in the round of 32 but later fell to Ha Jung Eun and Lee Kyung Won of South Korea 21-8, 21-15 in the round of 16. Also in the women's doubles round of 32, Vivian Hoo-Lin Yin Loo breezed past Long Ying-Mak Ka lei of Macau 21-10, 21-6. The pair fell to Sari Shinta Mulia-Yao Lei of Singapore 21-16, 21-16 in a late round of 16 match yesterday. In the women's singles, Lydia Cheah struggled against Vu Thi Trang of Vietnam in the round of 32 before winning 21-13, 18-21, 21-7. Lydia will next face Saina Nehwal of India in a round of 16 match today. In the men's doubles, Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong were beaten 21-17, 21-6 by Endo Hiroyuki and Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan. Today sees the start of the men's singles events where Hafiz Hashim will begin his campaign with a round of 32 match against Bikash Shrestha of Nepal while Lee Chong Wei, who received a first-round bye, will only be in action tomorrow. Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong also received a first-round bye and will face Sanave Arattukulam and Rupesh Kallyad of India. Also in action today will be Wong Mew Choo in the women's singles and the mixed doubles pair of Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying. Read more: A day of contrasting fortunes http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/40bada/Article#ixzz15alG6OVw
Koo-Tan on right track NST 18 Nov 2010 KOO Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong remained in contention to defend their Doha Asian Games badminton gold as they advanced to the men's doubles quarter-finals yesterday. Kien Keat-Boon Heong defeated India's Rupesh Kumar-Sanave Thomas 21-15, 21-19 and will play Japan's Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata today. Hafiz Hashim strolled into the third round of the men's singles after securing an easy 21-10, 21-8 win over Bikash Shresta of Nepal in the second round. Women's singles Wong Mew Choo defeated Adrianti Firdasari of Indonesia 21-18, 21-19 to reach the last eight but Lydia Cheah found the going tough against Commonwealth Games champion Saina Nehwal of India and suffered a 21-15, 21-17 defeat in the third round. Malaysia's campaign also came to an end in the mixed doubles when Kien Keat-Woon Khe Wei and Chan Peng Soon-Gou Liu Ying were sent packing in the second round. Kien Keat-Khe Wei lost 21-10, 21-9 to Indonesia's Ahmad Tantowi-Liliyana Natsir while Peng Soon-Liu Ying suffered a 21-10, 21-14 loss to Shin Baek Cheol-Lee Hyo Jung of South Korea. Read more: Koo-Tan on right track http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/kowdk_wl_kwq/Article#ixzz15all1yWQ
Hope they will still be on the right track after today's match though. against the japanese.. their bogeyman once again.
Thursday November 18, 2010 The Star Koo-Tan to take on Japanese pair next DEFENDING champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were made to sweat before marching into the men’s doubles quarter-finals of the badminton competition at the Tianhe Gymnasium yesterday. Kien Keat-Boon Heong certainly did not have it all their way against the aggressive Indian pair of A. Sanave-Rupesh Kumar before prevailing 21-15, 21-19. And now the Malaysians have Japan’s Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata standing in their path for a place in the semi-finals. The Japanese certainly have it in them to send the Malaysians home without a medal. Boon Heong said that the hard-fought win over the Indian pair was a good warm-up ahead the quarter-final clash with the Japanese. “It was our first match in the individual competition and we did not hit off right away,” he said. “The Indians were strong and showed more urgency compared to our previous encounter against them at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. “Anyway, it was a good workout for us.” Boon Heong, however, is confident of their chances in Guangzhou. “We beat the Japanese in our last encounter against them in the Thomas Cup (group tie in May). It will not be easy but we will be ready for them,” he said. Hashimoto-Hirata advanced to the quarter-finals by beating sixth seeds Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korea 21-16, 21-19 in the second round. Said Hirata: “We have played against the Malaysians four times and won twice. We are confident we can beat them again.” In the men’s singles, Mohd Hafiz Hashim strolled into the second round with a 21-10, 21-8 win over Nepal’s Bikash Shrestha to set up a meeting with South Korean Park Sung-hwan. There was a major upset in the men’s singles when Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who is still nursing a back problem, crashed to a 13-21, 21-14, 17-21 defeat by Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen. It was a day of mixed fortunes for Malaysia in the women’s singles event. Wong Mew Choo checked into the quarter-finals. But Lydia Cheah’s campaign ended with a 15-21, 17-21 loss to second seed Saina Nehwal of India. Mew Choo produced a wonderful performance to beat Indonesian Adriyanti Firdasari 21-19, 21-19 in a closely contested battle. The 2007 China Open champion said: “It has been a while since I played like this. I was satisfied with my game. “Hopefully, I will be able to keep my momentum going.” Mew Choo will play against Japan’s Eriko Hirose for a place in the semi-finals.
Thursday November 18, 2010 The Star Mixed pair Peng Soon-Liu Ying fail to get their game going A FUMBLING Chan Peng Soon and a feeble Goh Liu Ying tried but failed to give Malaysian mixed doubles a big lift in the Guangzhou Games as they limped out in the opening round at the Tianhe Gymnasium yesterday. The Asian Badminton Championship (ABC) winners went down 10-21, 14-21 to South Korean scratch pair Shin Baek-cheol-Lee Kyung-won in a lopsided 25-minute match. Just hours earlier, Koo Kien Keat’s hopes of continuing his good run in the mixed doubles ended with his new young partner, Woon Khe Wei. The duo went down tamely 10-21, 9-21 to Indonesia’s Ahmad Tontowi-Lilyana Natsir, who are growing into a strong mixed doubles combination. A month ago in New Delhi, Kien Keat had enjoyed a high when he won a first-ever Commonwealth Games mixed doubles gold medal for Malaysia with Chin Eei Hui. Peng Soon was dejected that they were unable to keep Malaysian interest alive in the mixed doubles event in Guangzhou. “We were hardly given a chance to play our attacking game. We spent most of the time trying to defend and, eventually, we just could not hold off the Koreans,” he said. “And our coverage at the front court was hopeless.” Liu Ying, who was the target of the Korean attack, was disappointed with her weak performance. “I was slow off the starting blocks. I was committing too many mistakes, especially at the front. I know what my weaknesses are and I promise I’ll work on them.” The 21-year-old Peng Soon said that the humbling experience in the Asiad showed their lack of depth compared to the formidable pairs in the world. “We are the mixed doubles specialists in the country but we are still not up to the mark yet. The consolation is that we are still young. We have to work much harder to add more sting in our game,” he said.
Friday November 19, 2010 The Star Chong Wei relishes chance to take revenge on Boonsak WORLD No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will up the tempo when he seeks revenge against Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the Guangzhou Asian Games. Chong Wei will play against the Thai today at the Tianhe Gymnasium for a place in the semi-finals of the men’s singles competition. Yesterday, the Malaysian was slow off the blocks against Hong Kong’s Chan Yan Kit, losing the first game before getting his act together to win 17-21, 21-9, 21-6. Top seed Chong Wei admitted that at times he was his own worst enemy. On Saturday, Chong Wei was beaten by the top Thai in the first singles match of the team quarter-final tie, which Malaysia lost 2-3. Chong Wei was ill that day and, fortunately for him, a break in competition has allowed him to recuperate. That also explains his lethargic start against Yan Kit yesterday. “It was my first match in the singles competition today and I was slower than usual. But I managed to find my rhythm midway through the second game,” he said. “The defeat by Boonsak is in the past. I am in better condition for the match against him tomorrow. I hope to be in good form. I cannot afford a slow start if I want to go far.” At the last Games in Doha four years ago, Chong Wei took the bronze as a losing semi-finalist. Malaysia challenge in the men’s singles at the Guangzhou Games is down to Chong Wei following the exit of Mohd Hafiz Hashim, who was beaten 18-21, 16-21 by South Korean Park Sung-hwan in a second round match. “It’s disappointing to lose in the second round again in my third Asian Games,” said Hafiz. “My campaign is over and I hope Chong Wei will go on and win the singles gold medal.” In the other matches, Sung-hwan will take on Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, China’s Lin Dan will play Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh while Chen Jin will face Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan.
Friday November 19, 2010 The Star Koo-Tan beat Japan pair to move into semis DEFENDING champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong assured Malaysia at least a bronze medal in badminton after storming into the semi-finals of the men’s doubles competition at the Tianhe Gymnasium yesterday. But Wong Mew Choo’s run ended when she crashed out in the quarter-finals of the women’s singles, losing 20-22, 11-21 to Japanese Eriko Hirose in a gruelling 40-minute match. Kien Keat-Boon Heong lived dangerously to beat Japan’s Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 to set up a match today against Indonesian scratch pair Mohd Ahsan-Alven Yulianto for a place in the final. The Indonesians ended China’s challenge in the men’s doubles by beating Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen 14-21, 21-19, 21-16. Earlier, world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng went down 16-21, 12-21 to South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung. The Koreans will play against former world champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the other semi-final. Boon Heong was glad that they survived by the skin of their teeth. “We allowed them to take control of the game after we took a 7-1 lead in the first game. “That was our biggest mistake. We should have kept up our momentum,” he said. The Japanese closed the gap in the first game and were snapping at the heels of the Malaysians but, fortunately, Kien Keat-Boon Heong prevailed. The Japanese were stronger in the second game and led 11-8 in the rubber. But Kien Keat-Boon Heong steadily stepped up a gear to win the match. “At one point, I thought we were going to lose. But we stayed strong mentally to overcome the very tense situation in the decider. It’s a big relief to win,” said Boon Heong. On the match against Ahsan-Alven today, Boon Heong said: “They can sustain for long on court and they are quite crafty. We will be ready for them.” The 27-year-old Mew Choo was disappointed to let slip a chance to win at least a bronze in her final fling in the Asian Games. “Eriko was in top form today. I played well in the opening game but I just could not find a way to break her rhythm,” said the 2007 China Open champion, who has beaten the Japanese in five of their previous seven meetings. The first game was nail-biting with both Mew Choo and Eriko pushing each another to the limit. They locked horns again briefly in the second game before Eriko shifted into high gear to win the battle of endurance to set up a match against China’s Wang Xin. “She won the test of fitness today. It’s a pity to lose in this close manner,” said Mew Choo, who will turn her attention to qualification for the 2012 London Olympics.
Latest injury dims Chong Wei’s golden bid NST 19th Nov. 2010 AN injured Lee Chong Wei started his Asian Games campaign in the men’s singles with an unconvincing performance at the Tianhe Badminton Hall yesterday. The World No 1, who received a first-round bye, played with a through the pain barrier of his injured wrist injury sustained last weekend during the team competition before edging Hong Kong’s Chan Yan Kit 17-21, 21-9, 21-6 in 39 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals. “I was playing with a headache and flu in the team event and had also injured my wrist. But I’m not thinking too much about it. I just want to give my best in every match in the men’s singles,” said Chong Wei. On his unconvincing victory over Yan Kit, the 28-year-old said he made a mistake by rushing into things. during the match. “I simply tried to rush my game in the hope of finishing it early. But I managed to get into my groove in the later stages,” said the top seed, who has been World No 1 since late 2008. The All England champion will face Thailand’s sixth seed Boonsak Ponsana in the last eight today. It is expected to be an explosive affair as Boonsak, who disposed of India’s Arvind Bhat 21-19, 21-12 yesterday, had upset Chong Wei 9-21, 21-10, 21-19 to help Thailand beat Malaysia 3-2 in the team event. “I’ve got to play much better tomorrow (today). I need to be at my best,” added Chong Wei, who won the singles bronze in the 2006 Doha edition. Compatriot Hafiz Hashim was, however, shown the door by South Korea’s Park Sung Hwan in the second round yesterday. The World No 20, who was hoping to make an impact in Guangzhou after failing badly in last month’s Commonwealth Games, lost 21-18, 21-19. In other matches, China’s third seed Chen Jin defeated Korea’s Lee Hyun IL 21-17, 21-11 and will next play Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen, who overcame Japan’s Yamada Kazushi 21-15, 21-15. Olympic champion Lin Dan, seeded to meet Chong Wei in the final, strolled past Hong Kong’s Hu Yun 21-6, 21-13. Read more: Latest injury dims Chong Wei’s golden bid http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2010111823124520101118231245/Article#ixzz15grcqvPK
