MY: BADMINTON: Thomas Cup (Asia Zone qualifying rounds)
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Related Stories:
* China smashed
* Team spirit won us the day
* Rashid: I'm back at my best
* More organised training for finals outing
* How the Malaysia-China match went
* Other results
CHINA SMASHED
Rashid and Co upset formbook to triumph in qualifiers
By S.T. Arasu
_________________________________________________________________
AUCKLAND: Malaysia upset the formbook again and stunned China to win
the Asian Zone Thomas Cup qualifying rounds at the Auckland Badminton
Hall yesterday.
Rashid Sidek and Pang Chen picked up the points in the singles before
reigning World Grang Prix champions Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock
delivered the winning point in the first doubles after a three-hour
battle.
The whole tie lasted six and a half hours. Malaysia won the tie 3-2.
National chief coach Razif Sidek was overjoyed. "It was unbelievable
the way they team fought. They played even beyond our expectations,"
he said, adding that the team was on the right track for the Finals.
"If we can maintain this rate of progress, we will be strong
contenders for the title in Hong Kong."
Razif said he had expected Malaysia to win the first two singles
against the Chinese but it was unlucky that Ong Ewe Hock lost the
second singles.
Ewe Hock played his best match of the competition last night but it
was not enough to get past former world junior champion Sun Jun. Ewe
Hock led 14-11 in the first game but ended up losing 15-17, 15-11,
13-15 in 85 minutes.
Rashid, playing with renewed confidence, again paved the way. He came
back from a game down and saved two match points, to pick up
Malaysia's first point. He battled for 89 minutes before getting past
a spent Dong Jiong 10-15, 18-17, 15-3.
Rashid had lost to the world number seven ranked Dong Jiong at the
Taiwan Masters final in January.
After Ewe Hock's defeat, the third singles became crucial for both
teams but it was Pang Chen who showed nerves of steel to put Malaysia
2-1 up.
He clawed back from 2-12 down in the second game against a hard
smashing Yu Lizhi to win 15-10, 17-14 in 43-minutes.
Singles coach Misbun Sidek said the Malaysian success was mainly
because of their excellent fitness, both mentally and physically.
"This is just the beginning. We are capable of better," said Misbun.
With Kim Hock's fitness suspect, the Malaysian had not been expected
to win the doubles match against Huang Zhanzong-Jiang Xin.
But Soon Kit-Kim Hock responded well to the challenge. They employed
the right tactics to seal a Malaysian victory, taking 41-minutes to
overcome a fighting Zhanzhong-Jiang Xin 15-6, 15-9 in 20-minutes.
The win last night is likely to see Malaysia being given the second
seeding behind holders Indonesia at the Finals.
TEAM SPIRIT WON US THE DAY
Smashing with Cheah Soon Kit, Malaysian team captain
_________________________________________________________________
AUCKLAND: Once again the Malaysian team spirit has seen us through a
difficult phase.
We were up against formidable opponents and the whole team responded
well to the challenge.
There were people, who were concerned about the team's ability to play
together.
But last night we showed everyone that when the going gets tough, we
can get going.
Everyone in the team did not want to let the country down. In fact,
the players gave more than 100 per cent in all the matches.
We were not at full strength for the challenge here. And although we
managed to beat two great teams here, we can still improve.
We have not reached our full potential yet. But our confidence has
just been restored. And I believe we can reach our full potential
before the Finals in Hong Kong in May.
Beating the Koreans and the Chinese here should not be used to
underestimate them.
It was not easy for us to beat them here and I am sure that it would
be the same in Hong Kong.
After losing to us here, both teams will be determined to beat us in
the Finals.
It is also more important for us to win in Hong Kong.
China and South Korea are going to go back home and train harder. That
is exactly what we have to do also.
Then, there are the Indonesians.
Winning here should give us the second seeding for the Finals.
After all, we were also the runners-up at the last Finals.
This will be good as we can avoid Indonesia in the preliminary rounds.
It is better to meet them only once in the Finals. That will give us
an element of surprise.
Finally, it has been a memorable outing for the team here and I would
like to extend the team's thanks to all our supporters.
I hope you will continue to keep faith in Malaysian badminton.
RASHID: I'M BACK AT MY BEST
AUCKLAND: Rashid Sidek avenged his Taiwan Open defeat to Dong Jiong
last night and immediately declared that he was back at his best.
"I am back at my best and the All-England is my next target," said a
confident Rashid last night.
Apart from Dong Jiong, Rashid who is ranked seventh in the world, also
beat South Korean ace Park Sung-woo and Taiwan's Indonesian discard,
Fung Permadi, over the last one week.
He put to rest any doubts about his ability although many feel that at
28, he is at the twilight of his career.
"This was the break I have been awaiting, for a very long time," said
Rashid, whose last major title was the 1994 Commonwealth Games singles
gold in Victoria.
He has not won a World Grand Prix circuit title since the 1992 GP
Finals. His only other victory since then was the Brunei Open last
year.
"I am in my best condition ever and it is just a matter of time before
I win another title," said Rashid, who was beaten by Dong Jiong for
the Taiwan Masters crown in January.
"I am even in better shape than for the 1992 Thomas Cup Finals in
Kuala Lumpur," said Rashid.
"Even after the 90-minute battle with Dong Jiong, I was still strong
enough to continue playing."
He added that his current form was the product of of the hard training
programme devised by his coach, mentor and elder brother, Misbun
Sidek.
"The good showing here has given me the confidence to do equally well
at the All-England," said Rashid, who is expected to improve on his
current seventh ranking in the world after this week.
The All-England championships start on March 11 in Birmingham.
"If I can continue to maintain my form, the chance of winning is
definitely there," said Rashid.
His best ever performance in the All-England was reaching the
semi-finals in 1990, where he was beaten by Chinese maestro Zhao
Jianhua.
MORE ORGANISED TRAINING FOR FINALS OUTING
AUCKLAND: Now that they have qualified for the Thomas Cup Finals, the
national shuttlers will undergo a more organised centralised training
over the next two months.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president, Datuk Dr Abdullah
Fadzil Che Wan, said that the preparations for the Finals in Hong Kong
in May would be more systematic.
"It will be true centralised training in all aspects, unlike the
preparations for the qualifying rounds which seemed to be more like
joint training," said Dr Fadzil.
The week-long centralised training for the qualifying rounds came
under criticism from various quarters.
Players from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and the
professional outfits of Nusa Mahsuri and Wira Tangkis failed to create
any sense of team spirit.
Players from the various stables were more content on training on
their own without much interaction.
"We will ensure that the next two months will be utilised to the
maximum," said Dr Fadzil.
He added that the centralised training for the qualifying rounds was
not comprehensive because of the fasting month.
"Now, there is nothing to stop us from arranging better sessions,"
said Dr Fadzil.
He added that BAM would seek the opinion of Nusa Mahsuri and Wira
Tangkis officials to make the centralised training more successful.
However, Dr Fadzil said that centralised training could only start
after the cut-off mark for the Atlanta Olympics on March 31.
The national shuttlers will be taking part in several World Grand Prix
tournaments over the next three weeks, including the Swiss Open,
Swedish Open and the All-England championships.
"We have to give the players the opportunity to gain Olympic ranking
points. The Olympic is also equally important for us," said Dr Fadzil.
He added that the venue for the centralised training would be decided
later.
"We may even have centralised training outside Kuala Lumpur to give
the players a change of environment," said Dr Fadzil.
Two years ago the national shuttlers had training in Langkawi and also
a military style camp in Port Dickson.
HOW THE MALAYSIA-CHINA MATCH WENT
First Singles
Rashid Sidek bt Dong Jiong 10-15, 18-17; 15-3
Dong Jiong started aggressively. He drew Rashid to the net with
delicate drops and when Rashid lifted the shuttle, he was there to
smash it down.
The Chinese ace was 5-0 up before Rashid broke the duck. He then raced
to a 8-1 lead before Rashid found a way through Dong Jiong's tight
defence.
Rashid not only levelled the score at 9-9 but took the lead for the
first time at 10-9.
But Dong Jiong tightened his game and was soon back on top, this time
taking a 13-10 lead. Two tight smashes down the line gave Dong Jiong
the first game in 28 minutes.
Rashid made heavy weather of the second game. With Dong Jiong making
uncharacteristic mistakes, he shot ahead 10-2.
But with Dong Jiong at his mercy, Rashid failed to keep up the
momentum. Dong Jiong whittled down the deficit to 7-10 and then to
11-12.
The Chinese ace then drew level and forced deuce at 13-13. He led
16-14 but Rashid clawed back to reach game point.
Dong Jiong snatched back the service and could have wrapped up the
game.
But his serve was faulted and Rashid benefitted from his opponent's
lapse of concentration to take the game in 42 minutes.
Rashid found his second wind in the decider, winning in 19 minutes.
He smashed his was to a 8-1 lead at the changeover and dropped just
two more points before wrapping up the game and match in another 19
minutes.
Rashid: "Even when I was facing match-point I knew the match was not
lost yet. I was prepared for a long match physically and that proved
to be the decisive factor."
Second Singles
Ong Ewe Hock lost to Sun Jun 15-17, 15-11, 13-15
It was a battle of athleticism between the two shuttlers. While Sun
Jun played at a frantic pace, Ewe Hock played a composed game.
It was Sun Jun who led the initial proceedings. He led 2-0 and 5-3.
But Ewe Hock's fantastic retrievals and delicate net play soon put him
in charge.
He drew level at 5-5 and then led 8-5 and 11-7. Ewe Hock reached game
point at 14-8 but Sun Jun refused to give in.
He matched Ewe Hock stroke for stroke and his gritty display helped
him to force deuce. And despite losing the serve and a point Sun Jun
persevered to take the game 17-15 in 34 minutes.
In the second game, a now confident Sun Jun smashed his way to a 6-2
lead as Ewe Hock's game began to show signs of distress.
But Ewe Hock picked up the winners when it counted to draw level.
Sun Jun pulled ahead once again to 9-6 but Ewe Hock was getting his
touch back.
Both players were level at 9-9 and 11-11 but a late flurry from Ewe
Hock saw him taking the game 15-11 in 20 minutes.
Ewe Hock started confidently in the rubber, leading 4-0, 6-3 and 8-5
but he allowed Sun Jun to dictate the pace with his hard smashes.
Sun Jun levelled at 8-8 and then both players were tied at 10-10,
11-11, 12-12 before Sun Jun used his smashes to reach match point.
Ewe Hock saved the match point and picked up one more point but made
two costly mistakes to surrender the match in 31 minutes.
Ewe Hock: "I tried my best. It was disappointing to lose -- I was
really looking forward to give Malaysia their second point after
Rashid's win. But there is always another time to beat him."
Third Singles
Pang Chen bt Yu Lizhi 15-10, 17-14
Errors from Lizhi allowed Pang Chen to lead 4-0. But Lizhi's
cross-court smashes to the forehand often caught Pang Chen out of
position.
Lizhi tied the score and led for the first time at 5-4. But a another
series of errors from Lizhi saw Pang Chen cruising ahead 12-6.
Pang Chen's half-court returns saw Lizhi inching closer at 10-12. But
Pang Chen showed he was equally adept at smashes as he romped away
15-10 winner in 17 minutes.
In the second game, Lizhi's sharp cross-court smashes were still a
problem for Pang Chen.
His inability to cope with the smashes coupled with Lizhi's strong
defence, saw Pang Chen trailing 0-9 before breaking the duck.
Lizhi increased his lead to 12-2 before Pang Chen staged a gallant
fightback, drawing nearer at 8-13.
Pang Chen's perseverance finally paid off as he drew level at 13-13.
Lizhi refused a setting game and then snatched back the service and
took the next point.
But Pang Chen saved two match points to draw level again. This time
Lizhi agreed to a setting game. But it was Pang Chen, who showed
better mental resilience to take the game 17-14 in another 26 minutes.
Pang Chen: "I was under a lot of pressure after Ewe Hock's defeat.
Lizhi was troubling me a lot, especially in the second game. My high
serves were killed easily and I chose to serve low. He began to tire
as the game progressed and that gave me the confidence."
First Doubles
Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock bt Huang Zhanzhong-Jiang Xin 15-6, 15-9
Soon Kit-Kim Hock came out attacking against the Chinese. They knew
that the Chinese pair were weak in defence and were in total control
of the game.
They employed a lot of low drives and quickly killed off any high
returns with accurate smashes.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock led 10-1 and 12-3. They then dropped three more
points before wrapping up the game 15-6 in 21 minutes.
The Malaysian number one pair continued to attack for a 3-0 lead in
the second game but the tiring first game took its toll as they began
to slow down.
Zhanzhong-Jiang Xin took the opportunity to get back into the game.
They drew level at 5-5 and led for the first time at 6-5.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock were struggling to keep their fast pace but still
managed to pull ahead 9-6 only to see the Chinese draw level again.
Sensing danger, the Malaysians stepped up the pace. They smashed on to
win the game 15-9 and seal the tie in another 20 minutes.
Kim Hock: "We were determined to win. I forgot all about my illness
and just went out fighting. I can feel the strain now. But it was
worth it."
Second Doubles
Soo Beng Kiang-Tan Kim Her lost to Ge Cheng-Tao Xiaoqiang 13-15, 6-15,
15-13
With the tie already decided, there was nothing much to fight out for.
But neither pair wanted to lose.
The fitter and faster Ge Cheng-Xiaoqiang pulled away 13-8. But the
Malaysians clawed back to 12-13 and 13-14. However, the Chinese pair
held on to win in 18 minutes.
Beng Kiang-Kim Her tightened their game to lead 5-0, 7-2 and were in
total control as they took the second game 15-6 in 23 minutes to force
the rubber.
The rubber was a close affair with the Chinese pair holding a slight
advantage throughout.
Beng Kiang: "Although the tie was decided, we really wanted to win the
match. We made too many mistakes. But they took their opportunities
well at the crucial points."
OTHER RESULTS
Thomas Cup
Auckland
Third place play-off: South Korea bt Taiwan 5-0 (Park Sung-woo bt Fung
Permadi 15-7, 15-4; Lee Kwang-jin bt Chang Jeng-shyung 11-15, 15-4,
15-12; Kim Hak-kyun bt Liu En-horng 15-9, 15-7; Kim Dong-moon-Yoo
Yong-sung bt Lee Sung-yuan-Huang Chuan-chen 15-7, 15-8; Park
Joo-bong-Ha Tae-kwan bt Horng Shin-jeng-Liu En-horng 15-0, 15-6).
Prague
Final: Denmark 4 Sweden 1 (Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen bt Jens Olsson
15-12, 15-10; Peter Rasmussen bt Tomas Johansson 15-4, 15-5; Thomas
Stuer-Lauridsen bt Rikard Magnusson 8-15, 17-14, 15-10; Henrik
Svarrer-Michael Sogaard lost to Par-Gunnar Jonsson-Peter Axelsson
6-15, 7-15; Jim Laugesen-Thomas Stavgaard bt Henrik Andersson-Johan
Tholinsson 18-14, 15-12).
Third place play-off: England 3 Holland 2 (Darren Hall bt Jeroen van
Dijk 15-12, 15-6; Peter Knowles bt Pierre Pelupessy 15-6, 15-3; Peter
Bush lost to Chris Bruil 2-15, 4-15; Chris Hunt-Nick Ponting bt Rolf
Monteiro-Gerben Bruystens 15-10, 15-0; Simon Archer-Julian Robertson
lost to Ron Michels-Quinten van Dalm 10-15, 16-18).
Uber Cup
Auckland
Final: South Korea bt China 3-2 (Bang Soo-hyun bt Ye Zhaoying 12-10,
11-7; Ra Kyung-min bt Wang Chen 12-10, 12-9; Kim Ji-hyun lost to Zhang
Ning 4-11, 10-12; Kim Mee-hyang-Kim Shin-young lost to Ge Fei-Gu Jun
15-13, 10-15, 8-15; Gil Young-ah-Park Soo-hyun bt Chen Ying-Peng
Xingyong 13-18, 15-12, 15-4).
Third place play-off: Japan bt Thailand 4-1 (Hisako Mizui lost to
Somharuethai Jaroensiri 12-11, 8-11, 3-11; Yasuko Mizui bt Pornsawan
Plungwech 12-10, 11-0; Takako Ida bt Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn 111-3,
11-4; Tomomi Matsuo-Masako Sakamoto bt Pornsawan Plungwech-Plernta
Boonyarit 15-5, 15-9; Aiko Miyamura-Akiko Miyamura bt Sujitra
Ekmongkolpaisarn-Natsaran Boonvorametee 15-5, 15-6).
Prague
Final: Denmark 5 Russia 0 (Camilla Martin bt Elena Suchareva 11-2,
11-5; Anne Sondergaard bt Natalia Gorodnicheva 11-6, 11-6; Mette
Pedersen bt Elia Karachova 11-5, 11-3; Rikke Olsen-Helene Kirkegaard
bt Nadejda Chervjakova-Ella Karachkova 15-5, 15-4; Ann Jorgensen-Lotte
Olsen bt Elena Suchareva-Natalia Gorodnicheva 15-1, 15-2).
Third place play-off: England 3 Sweden 2 (Jo Muggeridge bt Catrine
Bengtsson 11-7, 11-6; Julia Mann lost to Christine Magnusson 4-11,
8-11; Alison Humby bt Margit Borg 11-4, 11-3; Muggeridge-Julie
Bradbury bt Maria Bengtsson-Borg 15-4, 15-10; Nicola Beck-Joanne
Davies lost to Magnusson-Catrine Bengtsson 10-15, 7-15).