All the money is on Lee Chong Wei emerging as the national champion for an eighth consecutive time from the National Grand Prix Finals, which begin today at the Bandaraya Stadium here.

But national singles chief coach Rashid Sidek does not want the other national shuttlers to be demoralised by the situation to throw in the towel. He expects them to give their best shots in every match.

“They have to put in their best efforts from the group stages right until the end even though realistically their chances of winning the title are slim.

“I don’t want to see players showing no fighting spirit at all,” he said yesterday.

The other national players in the men’s singles competition are Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, Liew Daren, Chan Kwong Beng, Tan Chun Seang, Iskandar Zulkarnain and Mohd Syawal Ismail. Youngster Iskandar got into the fray after Mohd Hafiz Hashim withdrew because of poor physical condition.

“The players must remember that performing up to expectations will be important here in determining selection to play in future Opens. There are also places at stake in the squad for the Thomas Cup Finals (in May),” said Rashid.

He added that in a match against Chong Wei, their aim would be to run themselves to the ground for a great upset.

Rashid said that he was also looking forward to Iskandar and Syawal, who were promoted recently to the national back-up squad from the youth side, giving good performances in the Finals.

“They have strong fighting spirit and I believe they have the ability to grab wins against the other back-up players.

“This is the early stage for them to prove themselves in the national set-up,” he said.

In the women’s singles, Lydia Cheah is the favourite to bag the title in the absence of Wong Mew Choo.

The other national players in the fray include Ooi Swee Wenn, Lim Yee Theng, Sonia Cheah and Tee Jing Yi.

Courtesy of The Star