Kien Keat-Boon Heong aim to break losing jinx against Korean pair
Top News 3:05 PM
NATIONAL suttlers Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will be out to get the monkey off their backs when they take on South Koreans Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong in the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles event in the World Badminton Championships today.
Yesterday, fourth seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong were slow off the starting block but found their rhythm quick enough to beat Taiwan’s Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang 21-13, 21-14 in the third round.
Thanks a million: Tan Boon Heong (left) and Koo Kien Keat acknowledging the crowd after defeating Taiwan’s Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang 21-13, 21-14 in the World Badminton Championships third round match at the Wembley Arena in London Thursday.
It was their fourth straight win against the Taiwanese pair.
Today, they will take on Sung-hyun-Yeon-seong, whom they have never beaten before. The Koreans tamed their younger compatriots Cho Gun-woo Kwon Yi-goo 21-15, 21-17 in another third round match.
Kien Keat said that they were ready to take down the Koreans for the first time.
”It was a good win for us against the Taiwanese. I do not think we were in danger against them at any point during the match,” said Kien Keat.
The two pairs were tied at 6-6 in the opening game before the Malaysians pulled away for a win. In the second game, they traded points until 11-11 before Kien Keat-Boon Heong broke away.
“It will be tougher against the Koreans tomorrow. We have lost to them four times before this, but we do not fear them. We have worked hard for the world meet and Boon Heong and I will be there to score a first victory and march into the semis,” added Kien Keat.
They Malaysians have lost to the Koreans three times last year at the Switzerland, China and Singapore Opens. This year, they were beaten in the BWF Super Series Masters Finals.
Boon Heong said: “We played quite well today and hopefully, we will be able to raise the standard higher against the Koreans.”
At last year’s world meet in Paris, Boon Heong-Kien Keat played beyond expectations when they ended a two-year losing streak against Korea’s top-ranked pair Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae in the quarter-finals enroute to a runners-up finish.
And they will be hoping to achieve a similiar breakthrough against the second-ranked Korean pair today.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 3:05 PM.
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