KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, China and South Korea are the shoo-in for the Thomas Cup Finals. But none of them intend to hold back their punches in the Asian Zone qualifying tournament, which starts today at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras. And with all the top teams ready to give their best, an explosive tournament is on the cards. The qualifiers offer five places to the Finals, which will be played in Jakarta in May. Indonesia are automatic qualifiers by virtue of being the hosts and defending champions. At the last qualifying tournament for the 2002 Finals in Melbourne, Malaysia emerged as the Asian Zone champions. They went on to finish as the runners-up to Indonesia in the Finals in Guangzhou. Malaysia's singles chief coach Misbun Sidek said: “Our players are all ready. They will be playing the qualifiers at home and they will certainly go all out to give the home fans something to cheer.” Top seeds China, who are bent on winning the Thomas Cup after a lapse of 14 years, want to be in the Finals as the Asian Zone champions. And they have sent their best team, comprising Chen Hong, Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Yu in the singles and the doubles pairs of Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, Sang Yang-Zheng Bo and Cheng Rui-Wang Wei. Their singles coach, Zhong Bo, said: “We are here to win the tournament. But we are not under-estimating our opponents. No one will give up without a fight and we are prepared for the challenges.” Korean team manager Kim Jung-soo said that they would be satisfied to reach the semi-finals but warned: “From the semi-finals onwards, we will fight all the way.” The Korean line-up has Lee Hyun-il, Shon Seung-mo, Park Tae-sang and Park Sung-hwan in the singles and the doubles combination of Yim Bang-eun-Kim Yong-hyun, Lee Dong-soo-Yoo Yong-sung and Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon. Fourth seeded Japan, who are in Group C with Singapore and Pakistan, are all fired up to win a ticket to the Finals for the first time in 20 years. Thailand and Hong Kong are also contenders for berths in the Finals. “Japan can emerge as the group winners. This is the best chance for Japan to book a place in the Finals,” said the team's Chinese coach, Xu Bioa. Being the Olympic year, the players will also be out to rake in ranking points for qualification to the Athens Games in August. Said Misbun: “The players are aware that they will have to pay a heavy price for poor performances. Those who under-perform will be left behind in the race for places in the Olympics. The coaches have done their part and it is now up to them to go out there and deliver.” Malaysia will be represented by Wong Choong Hann, Mohd Roslin Hashim, Lee Chong Wei and Kuan Beng Hong in the singles and the doubles pairs of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Koo Kien Keat-Gan Teik Chai, Chang Kim Wai-Chew Choon Eng. Malaysia are in Group B with Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. They are expected to play against South Korea, who are tipped to win Group A, in the semi-finals. The other semi-finals will probably be between China and Japan. The group champions are assured of places in the Finals. The fifth berth will be decided in playoffs among the runners-up of the groups and Thailand and Hong Kong are expected to fight for the last slot. Malaysia will open their campaign in the Thomas Cup on Wednesday against Sri Lanka.
