One veteran – Wong Choong Hann – is on a high
while two others – the men’s pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah – are
at the ebb after their contrasting fortunes at the German Open.
Yesterday,
Choong Hann proved his worth as a potential candidate for the Thomas
Cup Finals squad by outlasting Indonesian youngster Andre Kurniawan
Tedjono 21-14, 21-10 in just 28 minutes to reach the third round in
Mulheim.
Choong Hann, the former Thomas Cup team skipper who
celebrated his 31st birthday two weeks ago, will take on P. Kashyap of
India for a place in the quarter-finals.
The win against Andre
showed that Choong Hann is still a player to be reckoned with. He is on
the short-list of players named by the Badminton Association of Malaysia
(BAM) for the Finals at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16.
Besides the German Open, he has several tournaments, including the
All-England, to prove that he can still be counted on.
“This is a
good win for me today and I feel that my physical condition is getting
better. But I am aiming for better results here than just a win against
Andre,” said Choong Hann in a telephone interview. “I am certainly
looking forward for an opportunity to play for the country once again in
the Thomas Cup Finals,” added Choong Hann, who is ranked 14th in the
world.
Ahead of him in the Malaysian team is world number one Lee
Chong Wei and then Mohd Hafiz Hashim who is ranked 25th. Yesterday,
Hafiz and two other back-up shuttlers – Tan Chun Seang and Chan Kwong
Beng – also reached the third round. Hafiz will take on Kwong Beng while
Chun Seang has set up a meeting with Denmark’s rising star
Hans-Kristian Vittinghus.
Back-up shuttlers Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee
Kiong and Hoon Thien How-Ong Soon Hock kept Malaysia’s hope alive in the
German Open when they checked into the quarter-finals in convincing
fashions.
Hee Chun-Wee Kiong will take on Yohan Hadikusumo
Wiratama-Wong Wai Hong of Hong Kong while Thien How-Soon Hock have a
tall order against second seeds Chen Hung-lin-Lin Yu-lang of Taiwan.
In the women’s singles, Wong Mew Choo was left alone to shoulder the
challenge for Malaysia when she breezed into the last eight with a
21-6, 21-11 win over Karina Jorgensen of Denmark yesterday.
Courtesy of The Star
