Coach Rexy glad to have James along for the ride
Top News 9:39 AM
PETALING JAYA: National doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky is looking forward to having high performance director Datuk James Selvaraj with the national team at the Indonesian Open, which will begin on Wednesday in Jakarta.
This will be the first time that former international James will be accompanying the Malaysian team to an international event since taking up the job on part-time basis last September.
Said Rexy: “He is following us (the team) for the first time. He will be able to get first-hand information on what the players go through during the tournament. It will also give him an idea on what needs to be done for the players.
“All these will certainly help us as we evaluate the players as a team ahead of the World Championships.”
A warm up: Koo Kien Keat (left) and Tan Boon Heong are using the Indonesian Open as part of their preparations for the world meet.
The Indonesian Open is the last international event before the World Championships, which will be held in London from Aug 8-14.
Malaysia have never won a world title since the tournament’s inception in 1977 and hopes are high that this could be our year.
Malaysia will be represented by three elite pairs – Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Ong Soon Hock and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Hoon Thien How – and the independent pair of Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen.
Rexy also said that it was unfortunate that Malaysia had been given a tough draw “as all four pairs are in the same quarter in the Premier Super Series event”.
“It is a pity that all our pairs have been lumped into the same quarter. The chances of them meeting each other is quite high,” said Rexy.
Fourth seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong will take on Thailand’s A.Songphon-Sudket Prapakamol in the opening game. If they get past the Thais, they will take on the winners of the match between Teik Chai-Bin Shen and Japan’s Naoki Kawamae-Shoji Sato in the second round.
Zakry-Thien How will play Bona Septano-Mohd Ahsan of Indonesia in the first round. And if they progress, they will take on the winners of the match between Fairuzizuan-Soon Hock and sixth seeds Lee Sheng-mu-Fang Chieh-min of Taiwan.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong and Zakry-Thien How are using the Indonesian Open as part of their preparations for the world meet.
Rexy is hoping that Kien Keat-Boon Heong will achieve good results for a timely boost ahead of the world meet. Last year, the duo came agonisingly close to ending the country’s wait for a world title before succumbing to China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng in the decider in Paris.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 9:39 AM.
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