Chin-Wong begin quest for ticket to the Olympics
Top News 2:07 PM
PETALING JAYA: Former national No. 1 women’s pair Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty set off on the long road to Olympic badminton qualification in the Australia Open, beginning today in Melbourne.
Pei Tty-Eei Hui were ranked fourth in the world before the former decided to undergo knee surgery after the Taiwan Open last August.
Their seven-month absence from tournaments has brought them down to 68th spot on the world list behind two other Malaysian pairs, Ng Hui Lin-Ng Hui Ern (46th) and Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (64th).
It will be a tough call for the veteran combination to make their way back into the top 16 within a year to get to the London Olympics next year.
But coach Pang Cheh Chang is optimistic that the pair, who opted to skip the Kuala Lumpur Open starting tomorrow to play in the Australia Open, can rise to the challenges.
“An international competition will be a good gauge on where they stand,” he said.
“Pei Tty’s physical condition is much better compared to when she came back to training two months ago. I have to see their match temperament. If they remain fit, they can qualify for the Olympics.”
The unseeded Pei Tty-Eei Hui should clear the first two rounds in Melbourne but it will get tough from the quarter-finals as they have in their path All-England runners-up and the top seeds, Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiwa of Japan.
If they upset the world No. 4, Pei Tty-Eei Hui can expect a match against third seeds Shinta Mulia Sari-Yao Lei of Singapore.
Good results in the Australia Open are also crucial as they need to break into the top 64 to have any chance of making it to the world championships in London in August.
It is a case of different fortunes for two former top Malaysian singles players Wong Choong Hann and Mohd Hafiz Hashim in their hopes to get into the cast for the world meet.
Choong Hann, ranked 24th, will seal his place if he reaches the quarter-finals. But Hafiz, currently ranked 33rd, needs to end a five-year title drought to earn a place alongside Choong Hann and world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.
The Australia Open have two top 10 players in the fray – Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand and Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 2:07 PM.
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