Chong Wei, Mew Choo on different missions in China Open
News 9:50 AM
KUALA LUMPUR: One has been a winner in the China Open while another hopes to nail the title for the first time.
And an off-form Wong Mew Choo and a fired up Lee Chong Wei will begin their challenge today to accomplish different missions in Shanghai in the women’s and men’s singles competitions respectively.
Realistically, Mew Choo does not stand much chance to go far compared to Chong Wei, who is all pumped up after winning the Hong Kong Open last Sunday.
Mew Choo, for a start, has a tough passage to make even the quarter-finals. She faces Germany’s Nicole Grether in the first round. If she advances, Mew Choo should have a match against top seed Wang Yihan of China, who has been a sensation this season.
Coach Rashid Sidek hopes to see Mew Choo produce the same form that saw her winning the China Open in 2007.
“It has been a while since we’ve seen some good performances from Mew Choo. She needs a good result to feel good about herself. And this is a good platform to do it,” he said.
“The thing with Mew Choo is that we do not know when her good side will show up. Sometimes, she surprises everyone with great fighting spirit and then, another day she is just an ordinary player.
“This inconsistent performances is due to her injury. But she has prepared well for China and let’s hope that we will see the better side of her this time.”
Chong Wei is in the same quarter as two players who have the ability to scalp more fancied opponents – Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen and Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand.
Denmark’s Peter-Gade Christensen has withdrawn, leaving the challenge to Chen Jin of China, Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia and Thailand’s S. Tanongsak to come through from the other quarter.
Second seed Lin Dan of China is the favourite to enter the final from the other half of the draw.
Said Chong Wei: “The China Open is one of the few Super Series tournaments that I have not won. It is never easy to win but I will give it a shot.”
The other Super Series events that Chong Wei has yet to win are the All-England and Korea Open.
Malaysia will also be represented by Wong Choong Hann in the China Open but he has a tough first-round encounter against Hu Yun of Hong Kong today.
Meanwhile, two Malaysian club players failed to come through from the qualifying tournament yesterday. Pei Wee Chung went down 17-21, 21-11, 13-21 to Chi Yuan-lu of Taiwan while Hoo Kim Long was beaten 12-21, 17-21 by Le Ha Anh of Vietnam.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 9:50 AM.
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