World champ Xia not in team for Thomas Cup qualifiers

KUALA LUMPUR: Top seeds China flew into town yesterday for the Thomas Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament – without their world men’s singles champion Xia Xuanze and doubles player Chen Qiqiu.

Despite their last minute withdrawals, due to injury, China still remain the overwhelming favourites for the qualifiers starting on Monday at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras.

And Malaysia’s doubles chief coach Yap Kim Hock believes China’s doubles players, especially speedy youngsters Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, would be their trump card.

In fact, world number five Cai Yun-Haifeng are even tipped as favourites to win China’s first gold medal in the men’s doubles event at the Athens Olympic Games.


ALL EYES: Coach Yap Kim Hock (left) watching Choong Tan Fook (right) and Gan Teik Chai in action during a training session at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium Friday.
“They have always had an impressive line-up in the singles but now, we can no longer overlook China’s doubles players. Their top pair (Cai Yun-Haifeng) have improved tremendously. If they can work on their tactical game, no one can touch them,” said Kim Hock.

“They are even better than the formidable South Korean pairs (Kim Dong-moon-Ha Tae-kwon and Lee Dong-soo-Yoo Yong-sung). They are even better than the Danes. They are now the favourites in the doubles event for the Olympics,” added Kim Hock.

The Malaysian coach also attributed the Chinese doubles players’ rise to their coach Tang “The Thing” Hsien Hu.

“There has been a great leap in the doubles players' standards after Hsien Hu took charge. He certainly has the golden touch. Cai Yun was a singles player but he saw the talent and paired him up with Haifeng,” said Kim Hock.

“But he (Hsien Hu) is also fortunate because after 10 years, China finally had the material to work with. Cai Yun is a natural talent with an explosive power game. He is fast yet he can control his pace. Haifeng lacks the skill but he makes it up with his fast attacking game.”

Besides Cai Yun-Haifeng, the other doubles players in the China squad are Indonesian Open champions Sang Yang-Zheng Bo and Cheng Rui-Wang Wei. Cheng Rui-Wang Wei are the last minute replacement players for Xia and Chen.

The other Chinese players who arrived here yesterday were world number one Chen Hong, Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Yu.

China are in Group D with Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. They should make it into the semi-finals and their opponents should be Japan, who are in Group C with Singapore and Pakistan.

Malaysia and South Korea are tipped to play in the other semi-final.

Malaysia’s Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah may meet Cai Yun-Haifeng if both China and Malaysia make it to the final. The Malaysians have beaten the Chinese in the Indonesian Open quarter-finals last year.

The qualifiers offer five places to the Finals, which will be played in Jakarta in May. The group runners-up will play off for the fifth spot.

 

You can still go and watch other chinese players..