Fairuzizuan-Zakry get in the fray for Masters Finals
News 9:34 AM
PETALING JAYA: The men’s doubles pair of Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif have received a stroke of good fortune.
They will get to compete in the top-eight BWF Super Series Masters Finals, starting in Johor Baru next Wednesday – thanks to a number of withdrawals.
And Fairuzizuan-Zakry, who are the second ranked Malaysian pair after world No. 1 Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, hope to make the most of the opportunity in the lucrative tournament by getting past the group stage.
They reached the semi-finals in the inaugural tournament last year in Kota Kinabalu and were beaten by Kien Keat-Boon Heong, who went on to beat top Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung to lift the title.
Zakry said that it was a pleasant surprise to learn that they were in the fray following the withdrawal of several higher ranked pairs, including world champions Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China.
Double duty: Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung (right) will both be playing two events at the Masters Finals “We never expected this. We were already in 13th spot after losing in the first round of the Hong Kong Open. We did not play in the China Open and had given up hope of getting to play in the Mastes Finals,” said Zakry.
Fairuzizuan and Zakry opted out of the final leg of the Super Series circuit tournament in Shanghai last week because the latter did not want to risk aggravating an elbow injury.
Zakry said that it did not matter to them whether they are drawn in the same group as Kien Keat-Boon Heong or Yong-dae-Jae-sung.
The draws for the Finals will be made on Tuesday.
“If we can bring out our best performance, we have a good chance to make it to the semi-finals again. We did not reached the semi-finals in a Super Series tournament this year and this is our chance to do it,” he said.
“Staying out of the China Open gave us some good quality training under our coach Rexy (Mainaky).”
The best result in an international tournament this year for Zakry-Fairuzizuan was a semi-final appearance in the world championships in Hyderabad in August.
The absence of Haifeng-Cai Yun and also Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia has brightened the chances of Kien Keat-Boon Heong setting up another final encounter against Yong-dae-Jae-sung, who trooped out as winners in the China Open.
The Korean pair are on a high after retaining the Hong Kong Open title before their triumph in Shanghai but Kien Keat-Boon Heong can count on home ground advantage in their bid to beat them for the first time this year.
Yong-dae will also feature in the Master Finals mixed doubles with Lee Hyo-jung and the Olympic champions will be eager to continue their winning momentum after bagging the Hong Kong and China Open titles.
World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei looks good for a successful defence of the men’s singles title in the absence of top Chinese shuttlers Lin Dan and Chen Jin.
But out to stop him will be Indonesian Taufik Hidayat, Chinese Bao Chunlai and Danes Peter-Gade Christensen and Jan Jorgensen.
Completing the men’s singles cast are Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana, former Asian champion Park Sung-hwan of South Korean and Taiwanese Hsieh Yu-hsin.
Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Peter Gade (Den), Park Sung Hwan (Kor), Bao Chunlai (Chn), Taufik Hidayat (Ina), Jan Jorgensen (Den), Boonsak Ponsana (Tha), Hsieh Yu-hsin (Tpe).
Men’s doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas), Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den), Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung (Kor), Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson (Eng), Guo Zhendong-Xu Chen (Chn), Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan (Ina), Rian Sukmawan-Yonathan Dasuki (Ina), Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (Mas).
Women’s singles: Pi Hongyan (Fra), Saina Nehwal (Ind), Lu Lan (Chn), Salakjit Ponsana (Tha), Yao Jie (Ned), Nicole Grether (Ger), Juliane Schenk (Ger), Kim Moon-hi (Kor).
Women’s doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui (Mas), Ha Jun-eun-Kim Min-jung (Kor), Lee Hyo-jung-Lee Kyung-won (Kor), Cheng Wen-hsing-Chien Yu-chin (Tpe), Gabrielle White-Jenny Wallwork (Eng), Duang Anong Aroonkesorn-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (Tha), Lena Frier Kristiansen-Christina Pedersen (Den), Nicole Grether-Charmaine Reid (Ger-Can).
Mixed doubles: Lee Yong-dae-Lee Hyo-jung (Kor), Joachim Fisher Nielsen-Christina Pedersen (Den), Songphon Anugritayawon-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (Tha), Ko Sung-hyun-Ha Jung-eun (Kor), V. Diju-Jwala Gutta (Ind), Anthony Clark-Donna Kellogg (Eng), Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam (Tha), Robert Mateusiak-Nadiezda Kostiuczk (Pol).
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 9:34 AM.
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