PETALING JAYA: Doubles shuttler Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif hopes to play his cards right to keep alive a hope of two Malaysian pairs in the semi-finals of the Super Series Masters Finals.

Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari have been drawn in Group A with team-mates Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, China’s Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen and Indonesians Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan.

On current form, defending champions Kien Keat-Boon Heong have a good chance to top the group.

The duo emerged as champions in the Denmark Open in October and went on to finish as the runners-up in the tournaments in France and China.

In Group B are South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung, England’s Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson, Denmark’s Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen and Indonesians Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan.

Only the top two pairs in each group qualify for the semi-finals.

Zakry hopes to come good in the Masters Finals after struggling to find his footing with Fai-ruzizuan in the last few tournaments since a semi-final appearance in this year’s world championships in India in August.

“It will be great if both the Malaysian pairs can make the semi-finals,” said Zakry.

“We skipped the recent China Open and had a good two weeks of training. Hopefully, this will help us to give a strong performance in the Masters Finals.

“We have not played against the China pair and we will treat them with great caution. We have a reasonably good chance against Yonathan-Rian.”

Zakry and Fairuzizuan made it into the Finals — thanks to the withdrawal of several qualifiers for the eight-pair competition. They were ranked 11th in the standings after 12 legs of the Super Series circuit.

“It was a stroke of good fortune for us. We do not want to waste this chance. We have not reached a final of any international tournament this year. It will be a bonus if we can pull it off here,” said Zakry.

Malaysia will also be banking on Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty to retain the women’s doubles title in the absence of the top pairs from China and South Korea.

HOTSHOTS Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong say that their real tests in the world championships begin today while Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif feel that they have regained their touch after winning their opening round matches.

The action in second-round matches in the men’s doubles competition yesterday also saw the exit of third seeds Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark.

For Kien Keat-Boon Heong, they were hardly tested against Nigerians Ola Fagbemi-Jinkan Ifraimu, romping to an 21-5, 21-16 win in just 17 minutes.

The easy win was a blessing in disguise for Kien Keat, who had twisted his ankle during training.

“It is just a slight twist but I am being very careful about it. I do not want this minor problem to affect my game tomorrow,” he said.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong will play against Japanese Naoki Kawamae-Shoji Sato today for a place in the quarter-finals. The Japanese had eliminated former Malaysian No. 1 Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng in the opening round on Monday.

“We have not played against them and we will not take them lightly. Our match will get tougher from here and we will be ready,” said Kien Keat.

Zakry-Fairuzizuan, who had been having problems to complement each other on the court, got their acts right yesterday when they defeated Yoshiteru Hirobe-Hajime Komiyama of Japan 21-14, 23-21.

But they courted letting each other down in the second game while trailing 15-19 but quick communication saw them covering for each other well to escape with a narrow win.

And for Zakry, it has given them a huge dose of confidence to take on Indonesians Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan for a place in the quarter-finals.

“There was a stage in the second game that I lost focus. Fortunately, I regained the rhythm. But this is my weakness and I cannot afford to do this tomorrow,” said Zakry.

“This win is important as it had given Fairuzizuan and I some confidence after going through tough times. We hope to play even better tomorrow.”

On the match against Yonathan-Dasuki, Fairuzizuan said: “We have won all three previous matches against them but we will not be over confident. We know a lot is stake on our performance here and we will give our best.”

The big upset in the event yesterday was the elimination of former champions Paake-Rasmussen, who were beaten 19-21, 21-15, 17-21 by South Koreans Han Sang-hoon-Shin Baek-cheol.

KUALA LUMPUR: Top seeds Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia will not be defending the men’s doubles title at the World Championships due to the former’s health problems.

And that is good news for Malaysia’s fourth seeds Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, who are in the same half as the 2008 Beijing Olympic champions.

According to Kompas website, the stocky Markis has high blood pressure and had even fainted once during physical training.

Following advice from coach Sigit Pamungkas, Markis has now been ruled out from the world meet, which will begin in Hyderabad, India, on Monday.

On Wednesday, it was also confirmed that the All-Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) had notified the Badminton World Federation (BWF) of Markis-Hendra’s withdrawal.

This is not the first time that Markis has faced such a setback. He was laid low by a knee injury and even took time off from training following the death of his father early this year.

National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky said he knew about Markis’ health condition earlier and hoped that Fairuzizuan-Zakry would make full use of this opportunity to justify their seeding.

“The absence of Markis-Hendra should make life much easier for the players in the top half of the draw. Fairuzizuan and Zakry should grab this opportunity,” said Rexy.

According to BWF media and communications manager S. Selvam, there will not be a re-draw or promotion of players from the reserve list to replace Markis-Hendra.

Earlier Fairuzizuan-Zakry had been expected to meet Markis-Hendra in the quarter-finals. But now, they will have to be wary of two seeded pairs – 11th seeds Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan of Indonesia and 14th seeds Kenichi Hayakawa-Kenta Kazuno.

There are also three unseeded, but equally dangerous, pairs – Hu Chung-shien-Tsai Chia-hsin of Taiwan, South Koreans Cho Gun-woo-Yoo Yeon-seong and China’s Chai Biao-Liu Xiaolong – who can be spoilers in the Malaysians’ bid to make the top four.

Said Zakry: “We are certainly in a better position now.

“Still, we cannot take it easy at all in our quarter.”

“The other Indonesian pair of Yonathan-Rian are no pushovers. They have made life difficult for us in the past. Fairuzizuan and I will tread with caution.”

The Malaysians, who went down in their opening match at the previous world meet in Kuala Lumpur in 2007, are expected to take on Yonathan-Rian in the third round.

Second seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong are in the same half as two other Malaysians Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng as well as South Koreans Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae and Mathias Boe-Carsten Morgensen of Denmark.

KUALA LUMPUR: So far, this year has not been a bed of roses for national men’s doubles shuttler Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif.

He has faced various setbacks – ranging from injury, being dropped from tournaments and the frank admission of his partner Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari about their lack of compatibility on court.

But Zakry is not one to take things lying down. He has chosen to be positive, hoping that things will turn out to be better – starting with a good showing at the World Championships in Hyderabad, India, from Aug 10-16.

“It has been a tough year for me. But I am taking it all in a positive note. I think this will only make me a better player,” said Zakry.

“I am more than determined to play well with Fairuzizuan at the world meet.”

Yesterday, Zakry and Fairuzizuan showed better understanding on court as they trained under the watchful eyes of the men’s doubles coaches – Rexy Mainaky, Rosman Razak and Pang Cheh Chang – at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara.

Zakry said he had worked out his differences with Fairuzizuan on court. “We used to have our own game plan on court. I have my own thoughts and Fairuzizuan his. I think this led to a lack of understanding in our game.”

“We have had a discussion on how to strengthen our combination on court.”

At the start of the year, Zakry had to miss the Malaysian Open because of a knee injury. Then, he missed out on defending the Singapore Open title after being dropped for not attending a physical training meeting.

As for his second world meet outing with Fairuzizuan, the talented Zakry said that it would all be a “psychological game”.

“The standard among the men’s doubles pairs are about the same. But, at this stage, some will try to gain advantage by playing mind games,” he said.

“This is normal. The Danes and the pairs from China and Indonesia are well known for this. We will not be intimidated or overly-confident. What is important is to make sure we get our acts right together.

“Fairuzizuan and I had a disastrous world meet debut in Kuala Lumpur two years ago. We were beaten in the opening round. This time we hope to go far.”

The Malaysians are in the same half with top seeds and Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan. Barring any upsets, they are expected to clash in the quarter-finals.

The other Malaysian pairs – second seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng – are in the lower half with South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif’s partnership has hit a rocky patch.

And it is threatening to derail their hopes of winning the men’s doubles title at next month’s World Championships, which is less than 10 days away.

Mixed fortune: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Wong Pei Tty in action en route to the mixed doubles title. Pei Tty later paired up with Chin Eei Hui to win the women’s doubles gold medal in the Mini Olympic Games at the Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara yesterday.

And the duo are set to hold clear-the-air talks with national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky either today or tomorrow to settle their differences ahead of the world meet, which will be held in Hyderabad from Aug 10-16.

It was evident that something was wrong with their two-year partnership when they went down tamely – 18-21, 14-21 – to back-up shuttlers Goh Wei Shem-Vountus Indra Mawan in the quarter-finals of the Mini Olympic Games at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara on Wednesday.

They did not complement each other and there was no semblance of understanding in their game at all in that defeat.

In fact, the pair have been struggling to regain their form since their good showing in the semi-final tie against China in the Thomas Cup Finals in Jakarta last year.

This year, their best results in the Super Series events have been quarter-finals finishes at the All-England and Indonesian Open.

Fairuzizuan admitted that his partnership with Zakry had hit a rocky patch.

But he is determined to stick with Zakry until the day he calls it quits.

“We are not as compatible as before. We do not seem to have the same understanding when we are on court. Both of us are at a loss as to what has gone wrong (with our game),” said Fairuzizuan yesterday.

“Sometimes I play my own game and Zakry his own. And sometimes we complement each other so well.

“Zakry was injured for a while (early this year). He is an explosive player and does most of the attacking. But, due to injury, he has slowed down. I am a setter and I found it difficult to go on the attack.

“I think this has affected our performances as a pair this year. But Zakry and I have come a long way and we are determined to work things out.”

Fairuzizuan hopes that things would change for the better once he and Zakry discuss their problems with Rexy.

“I want this partnership with Zakry to work. I have no plans to go separate ways after the world meet. I want to play with Zakry until I retire,” said Fairuzizuan.

“I want to put this behind us and work towards doing well in the world meet.”

The eighth-seeded Fairuzizuan-Zakry are in the same half with top seeds and defending champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the world meet. Barring an upset, the duo are likely to face Markis-Hendra in the quarter-finals.

“Zakry and I have practically crashed out in the quarter-finals of most of the tournaments this year. We hope that we will be able to make a breakthrough in this world meet,” said Fairuzizuan.

Besides Fairuzizuan-Zakry, Malaysia’s three other Hyderabad-bound pairs are second seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif’s partnership has hit a rocky patch.

And it is threatening to derail their hopes of winning the men’s doubles title at next month’s World Championships, which is less than 10 days away.

Mixed fortune: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Wong Pei Tty in action en route to the mixed doubles title. Pei Tty later paired up with Chin Eei Hui to win the women’s doubles gold medal in the Mini Olympic Games at the Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara yesterday.

And the duo are set to hold clear-the-air talks with national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky either today or tomorrow to settle their differences ahead of the world meet, which will be held in Hyderabad from Aug 10-16.

It was evident that something was wrong with their two-year partnership when they went down tamely – 18-21, 14-21 – to back-up shuttlers Goh Wei Shem-Vountus Indra Mawan in the quarter-finals of the Mini Olympic Games at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara on Wednesday.

They did not complement each other and there was no semblance of understanding in their game at all in that defeat.

In fact, the pair have been struggling to regain their form since their good showing in the semi-final tie against China in the Thomas Cup Finals in Jakarta last year.

This year, their best results in the Super Series events have been quarter-finals finishes at the All-England and Indonesian Open.

Fairuzizuan admitted that his partnership with Zakry had hit a rocky patch.

But he is determined to stick with Zakry until the day he calls it quits.

“We are not as compatible as before. We do not seem to have the same understanding when we are on court. Both of us are at a loss as to what has gone wrong (with our game),” said Fairuzizuan yesterday.

“Sometimes I play my own game and Zakry his own. And sometimes we complement each other so well.

“Zakry was injured for a while (early this year). He is an explosive player and does most of the attacking. But, due to injury, he has slowed down. I am a setter and I found it difficult to go on the attack.

“I think this has affected our performances as a pair this year. But Zakry and I have come a long way and we are determined to work things out.”

Fairuzizuan hopes that things would change for the better once he and Zakry discuss their problems with Rexy.

“I want this partnership with Zakry to work. I have no plans to go separate ways after the world meet. I want to play with Zakry until I retire,” said Fairuzizuan.

“I want to put this behind us and work towards doing well in the world meet.”

The eighth-seeded Fairuzizuan-Zakry are in the same half with top seeds and defending champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the world meet. Barring an upset, the duo are likely to face Markis-Hendra in the quarter-finals.

“Zakry and I have practically crashed out in the quarter-finals of most of the tournaments this year. We hope that we will be able to make a breakthrough in this world meet,” said Fairuzizuan.

Besides Fairuzizuan-Zakry, Malaysia’s three other Hyderabad-bound pairs are second seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng.

A DISCIPLINARY problem resulted in doubles shuttler Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif being sidelined for a major tournament recently.

Now that the dust has settled over the incident, Zakry is raring to make a statement — that he is serious in wanting to win honours with Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari.

“I thought it was a small matter that was misconstrued by many. I had a heart-to-heart talk with the coach (Rexy Mainaky). It’s all settled and in the past. All I want to do is to prove myself by achieving good results,” he said.

Zakry went absent from a physical training session and he was dropped from the squad for the recent Singapore Open.

In fact, the Indonesia Open last week was his first tournament in three months partnering Fairuzizuan and the duo were beaten by eventual champions Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung of South Korea in the quarter-finals.

“I was overzealous in wanting to do well in my first international tournament after a three-month layoff and ended up making errors. I am more composed now,” said Zakry.

He added that their main task was to get well-prepared for their second appearance in the world championships in August.

Zakry-Fairuzizuan made their debut in the championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 and they were early round casualties.

“I still remember the painful defeat by the Chinese pair (Guo Zhengdong-Xie Zhongbo). Fairuzizuan and I are determined to make the world championships this time a memorable one,” said Zakry.

In the Malaysian Grand Prix Gold tournament yesterday, Zakry-Fairuzizuan won their two matches against China’s Qiu Zihan-Zhang Nan and compatriots Mohd Lutfi Zaim Abdul Khalid-Teo Kok Siang to qualify for the quarter-finals.

KUALA LUMPUR: It has been three months since the men’s doubles shuttler Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari partnered Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif in an international tournament.

But there is no reason for him to doubt his partner’s ability. In fact, he is confident that they will soar high again when they make a return to competition at the Indonesian Open, which begins on Wednesday in Jakarta.

The duo are the defending champions and they are the fourth seeds in the Super Series event.

In the last two international outings, Fairuzizuan went without his partner and he played in the mixed doubles at the Sudirman Cup world mixed team championships in Guangzhou and in the Singapore Open, which ended yesterday.

Zakry was not selected for the Sudirman Cup because of his poor physical condition and he was dropped from the Singapore Open after missing most of the sessions with the physical trainers.

Confident: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (right) and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif out to shine at Indonesia Open.

Fairuzizuan added that they were still compatible even though they had not played in as many international tournaments this year.

“We know each other so well and we will be able to play well together in the Indonesian Open,” he said. In the Pahang Open last month, the duo emerged as the champions for the first time on the local circuit.

“It will be tougher in an international tournament but both of us are ready. Our physical conditions are better.

“In my absence during the Singapore Open, Zakry has been training hard. We will give our best.”

In the Indonesian Open, the duo are in the same quarter as South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung.

“We have never beaten the Koreans before. It will be a big breakthrough for us if we can pull off a win over them,” said Fairuzizuan.

“If we can overcome them, we will try to go all the way to defend our title.”

The other pairs in the same half of the draw as Fairuzizuan-Zakry are top seeds Markis Kido-Hendra Gunawan of Indonesia and Malaysian veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah.

The other half has second seeds Mathias Boe-Carsten Morgensen of Denmark, China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng and Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.

Swiss Open champions Kien Keat-Boon Heong will be hoping for a quick rebound after losing to eventual champions Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson of England in the second round of the Singapore Open on Thursday.

PETALING JAYA: A decision to drop doubles shuttler Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif (pic) from the team to the Singapore Open is all his own doing.

Zakry has not been named with Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari to defend the men’s doubles title in the championships scheduled for June 9-14.

National doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky said that Zakry had fallen short on his commitment in physical training.

“A player’s selection is not only based on his or her performance in on-court training. It is also based on progress reports from other sectors — including the nutritionist and physical trainers,” he said.

“Based on the report from our physical trainer, Zakry attended only six out of the 16 physical training sessions and it was decided that he was not ready to go for the Singapore Open. It is our hope that players show commitment in all areas.”

The 25-year-old Zakry also did not make it to the team for the just concluded Sudirman Cup world mixed team championships in Guangzhou.

However, he will make a return to international competition with Fairuzizuan at the Indonesian Open from June 16-21. The duo won the title in Jakarta last year but there has been no outstanding result from them since then.

KUALA LUMPUR: On Friday, Malaysians Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were hot. Yesterday, they blew cold, going down to compatriots Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open.

Fairuzizuan-Zakry took just 36 minutes to beat Kien Keat-Boon Heong 12-21, 21-13, 22-20 in a men’s doubles match that saw both pairs playing well below par.

In the final: Fairuzizuan-Zakry took just 36 minutes to beat compatriots Kien Keat-Boon Heong in the Hong Kong Open yesterday.

Just a day earlier, Kien Keat-Boon Heong had been on cloud nine after beating top seeds and Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia.

With yesterday’s defeat, Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s campaign in the 12-leg Super Series this year comes to an end without them having qualified for a single final.

Following their exits, expectations are high on Fairuzizuan-Zakry to end their five-month title drought when they take on South Koreans Lee Yong -dae-Jung Jae-sung in today’s final.

Yong-dae-Jae-sung defeated England’s Anthony Clark-Nathan Roberston 21-19, 21-17 in the other semi-final.

Zakry said there was no joy in beating their compatriots

“I have nothing much to say on our win against our good friends. I think, we got lucky today,” said Zakry in a telephone interview.

“We are not in the best of condition. It will be tough for us in the final. No one is going to make it easy for us.”

Fairuzizuan, however, seemed more optimistic.

“Our key to success today was the fact that we were more aggressive in our attacks. We hope to stay focused and cut down on our mistakes,” Fairuzizuan said.

The duo’s previous Super Series wins came at the Singapore and Indonesia Opens in June.

Despite their below par performances, national chief coach Rexy Mainaky was happy that both pairs — Zakry-Fairuzizuan and Kien Keat-Boon Heong — have made it to the Super Series Masters Finals, which will be held in Kota Kinabalu from Dec 18-21.

“It was an anti climax that Koo-Tan lost to Fairuzizuan-Zakry. But, at least, we have one pair in the final,” he added.

The men’s singles final will be an all-China affair with China 0pen champion Lin Dan taking on Chen Jin.

In the semi-finals, Lin Dan disposed of Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana 21-15, 21-16 while Chen Jin overcame Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat 21-17, 21-14.