MALAYSIAN doubles pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah are out to avoid becoming first round casualties when they play Indonesia's top pair Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto in the opening round of the World Championships in Birmingham today (2.40am Wednesday Malaysian time). But they face an uphill task. The veteran Malaysian pair have yet to beat the 1997 champions in seven previous meetings. Candra-Sigit showed that they still pack an awesome punch when they tamed world number one Ha Tae-kwon-Kim Dong-moon of South Korea in straight games to win the All-England title in February. Candra-Sigit are the 11th seeds but they are still a good bet to retain the men's doubles title for Indonesia. At the last championships in Seville in 2001, Tony Gunawan-Halim Haryanto emerged as champions. The last two defeats Tan Fook-Wan Wah suffered at the hands of Candra-Sigit were in the semi-finals of the 2001 All-England and the men's team final of the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. At the 2001 SEA Games, the Malaysians conceded a walkover after Tan Fook came down with a knee injury when trailing 5-13 in the first game. Wan Wah said that being an unseeded pair, it was no surprise that they had to play a tough opener. “It is really tough to have to beat the former world champions to go through. But it is no use worrying about the draw. It is better for us to prepare ourselves to clear the first round match against the Indonesians. We will give it our best shot,” said Wan Wah. Said Tan Fook: “We have no fear playing against the Indonesians. We have nothing to lose.” If the Malaysians manage to score an upset win, the will meet either Germans Joachim Tesche-Jochen Cassel or Americans Kevin Han-Howard Bach in the second round. A place in the third round should pit them against second seeds Lee Dong-soo-Yoo Yong-sung. The Malaysian pair also have a uphill task here as they have won only one of their last three matches against the South Koreans – in the semi-finals of the Japan Open last year. “We can't be thinking about playing against the Koreans. Our priority is to clear the first hurdle,” said Wan Wah.
Ha & Kim did not enter this year's All England. Candra & Sigit beat Lee Dong-soo & Yoo Yong-sung quite convincingly 15-7 15-5 in 32 minutes. Lee and Yoo did not play anywhere near as well as in their semi-final win over Jens Erikson & Martin Lundgaard which went to 3 sets and over 90 minutes.
