Veteran Choong Hann shows he is back at his best despite loss MALAYSIAN OPEN SUPER SERIES NATIONAL men’s singles shuttler Wong Choong Hann fell to his knees and cried after an agonisingly close defeat to China’s Chen Jin on Thursday. But when he got to his feet, he was greeted with a standing ovation. Such was the veteran’s fighting spirit. In what was one of the greatest matches of the tournament, the 30-year-old battled for 74-minutes – the longest match in the tournament so far – but went down 21-15, 18-21, 20-22 to the younger Chinese star. The match also used the most number of shuttles – a staggering 34. Despite the defeat, it was a clear signal that the former national number one is coming back to his best after a ruptured Achilles tendon floored him at the Thomas Cup Finals in June. National chief coach Yap Kim Hock was so impressed with Choong Hann that he pointed him out as a role model for other players like Kuan Beng Hong. “What a great fighter he is. Everyone who watched the match would agree with me. He worked so hard for every point. Surely, Choong Hann has proved that he is back in the business,” said Kim Hock. Unlike Choong Hann, the 24-year-old Beng Hong showed a distinct lack of fire in his tame 10-21, 13-21 defeat by China’s Bao Chunlai on Thursday. “I hope players like Beng Hong and the other elite players, the juniors and all aspiring players will fight like Choong Hann. He is a good example for them. I feel proud of Choong Hann despite his defeat,” added Kim Hock. For Choong Hann, it was one of his best performances in many years. It evoked memories of his fiery form at the 2002 Thomas Cup Finals in Guangzhou, where Malaysia finished as runners-up to Indonesia and the fighting display he gave against China’s Xia Xuanze in the final of the 2003 World Championships in Birmingham. “It was certainly one of my better games but there is still room for improvement. The quality of the match was high but my game is still unstable. There have been changes in my game, especially in the tactical approach,” said Choong Hann. On the match, he said: “I could not help but cry because I felt I wasted a good chance to beat the Chinese after coming so close. It was so frustrating. I wanted so badly to prove a point here.” Choong Hann’s next assignment is the Korean Open from Jan 23-28.
