Malaysian pairs expected to struggle again at All-England

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men’s doubles department used to boast of having both quantity and quality. But that reputation is fast fading.
The truth was evident in the German Open in Mulheim last week when none of the four pairs performed beyond expectations.
And the harsh reality is expected to be revealed again at the All-England, which begins today with the qualifying tournament at Birmingham.
Malaysia will have the biggest representation with six pairs, led by Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong. But whether even one can make it past the quarter-finals is a big question mark.
The drop in standard among the doubles shuttlers is linked to the players’ lack of discipline during physical training sessions and ineffective communication.
In Germany, Kien Keat-Boon Heong went down in a whimper against South Korean hot-shots Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae, a pair that the Malaysians have beaten only twice in 12 meetings.
Kien Keat did not appear to be in top fitness condition and he was unable to cope with the barrage of attacks by the Koreans.
The combinations of Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Hoon Thien How and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock, who were first and second-round casualties in Mulheim respectively, were not as fast as their opponents.
Former internationals Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen, who lack training and sparring, understandably lost in the second round.
Coach Rexy Mainaky is aware of the situation and he has decided to come out with a new training programme for the elite shuttlers to check their body weight after the All-England.
High performance director Datuk James Selvaraj said: “I have noticed that our players’ overall fitness is not up to the mark.
“I have discussed with the NSI’s (National Sports Institute) physical trainer to strengthen physical training. We have to double the dose of drills.
“I do not want the coaches to defend their players anymore. We have to be honest and deal with the problems immediately.”
All the four pairs who played in the German Open will be joined by the back-up squad’s Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong and Chan Peng Soon-Lim Khim Wah at the All-England. But poor communication is threatening to derail the partnership of Hee Chun-Wee Kiong.
Hee Chun and Wee Kiong have been blaming each other for some time and it had affected their game.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) secretary, Ng Chin Chai, said: “Coach Tan Kim Her had reported that one player is unhappy about the other during the last coaches’ meeting.
And the strain is affecting their game.
“But Hee Chun-Wee Kiong are a pair for the future and have a chance to qualify for the world championships (in August) and we hope that things will get better between them.”
Meanwhile, Zakry-Thien How and Peng Soon-Khim Wah will have to come through from the qualifying tournament today.
The rest will be in action tomorrow. Hee Chun-Wee Kiong, Fairuzizuan-Soon Hock and Bin Shen-Teik Chai are in the top half of the main draw with top seeds Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen of Denmark and German Open champions Jae-sung-Yong-dae.
Fifth seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong are in the other half with second seeded Koreans Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong, Indonesians Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan and Chinese Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng.
Malaysia last won the All-England doubles title through Kien Keat-Boon Heong in 2007.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 3:04 PM. Filed under Latest News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0