OLD hands Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui and Wong Choong Hann bade farewell to their last World Championships campaign after losing in the second round at the Wembley Arena on Wednesday.

But they still deserve a pat on their backs for their long services, strong determination and fighting spirit over the many years that they have served the country in the world meet.

Pei Tty-Eei Hui did not give up even when the chips were down against Japanese Miyuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa.

The Malaysians fought valiantly but lady luck deserted them at the crucial stage and they went on to lose 16-21, 24-22, 20-22 in 88 minutes – the longest match of the third day’s action.

The defeat ended their hopes of winning their first-ever medal since playing for the country at the 2003 world meet in Birmingham.

Their best results in the series were the quarter-final finishes in Anaheim (2005) and Hyderabad (2009).

Team manager Ng Chin Chai applauded Eei Hui-Pei Tty’s will to outdo themselves.

“We analysed their match and most of their rallies were stretched to 15 exchanges. They displayed remarkable fightbacks. Both were totally crushed after the defeat but we want to commend them for their good attitude on the court,” said Chin Chai.

“We hope more youngsters will show the same kind of determination and commitment on court.”

The self-funded Choong Hann went down 13-21, 18-21 to Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana but not before staging mini-fightbacks during the match.

“I am just happy to be part of this world meet here at Wembley. I can now look back and be proud of what I have achieved in the world meet,” said Choong Hann, who has competed in every world meet since the 1997 edition in Glasgow.

Prior to the Wembley series, Choong Hann was Malaysia’s best performer when he became the first Malaysian to reach the final at the 2003 edition in Birmingham.

Said national coach Rashid Sidek: “He deserves a standing ovation. He may not be at his best at this year’s world meet but he has done us proud all these years.

“He will always be a true fighter to all of us.”

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.

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.

Men’s singles

Second round: Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) bt Wong Choong Hann 21-13, 21-18; Derek Wong Zi Liang (Sin) bt Taufik Hidayat (Ina) 21-17, 21-14; Du Pengyu (Chn) bt Kazushi Yamada (Jpn) 21-12, 21-14.

Third round: Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Park Sung-hwan (Kor) 21-10, 21-5; Lin Dan (Chn) bt Lee Hyun-il (Kor) 21-16, 21-13; Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Den) bt Derek Wong Zi Liang (Sin) 21-16, 21-10; Peter-Gade Christensen (Den) bt Simon Santoso (Ina) 21-18, 14-21, 21-14; Sho Sasaki (Jpn) bt Du Pengyu (Chn) 10-21, 24-22, 21-10; Chen Jin (Chn) bt Ajay Jayaram (Ind) 18-21, 21-12, 21-11.

Men’s doubles

Second round: Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) bt Adrian Liu-Derric Ng (Can) 21-5, 21-10; Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor) bt Chris Adcock-Andrew Ellis (Eng) 18-21, 21-13, 21-13; Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata (Jpn) bt Ruud Bosh-Koen Ridder (Ned) 21-14, 18-21, 21-12;

Mads Conrad-Petersen-Jonas Rasmussen (Den) bt Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan (Ina) 22-20, 13-21, 21-18; Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) bt Naoki Kawamae-Shoji Sato (Jpn) 21-17, 15-21, 21-14; Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae (Kor) bt Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn) 21-14, 21-5; Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) bt Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang (Tpe) 21-13, 21-14; Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor) bt Cho Gun-woo-Kwon Yi-goo (Kor) 21-15, 21-17.

ARCH-rivals and crowd-pullers Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan of China marched into the men’s singles quarter-finals with superb wins over their South Korean opponents at the Wembley Arena here yesterday.

World No. 1 Chong Wei showed his class by whipping Park Sung-hwan 21-10, 21-5 in just 29 minutes of their World Badminton Championships third round match.

Chong Wei will take on the winner of the match between Pablo Abian of Spain and Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon today.

The 29-year-old Chong Wei, eyeing his first world title, was totally taken aback by the lack of sting in Sung-hwan’s game.

“It was my easiest win over Park. I am really surprised by how easily I won as I was expecting a stiffer challenge from him,” said a delighted Chong Wei, who confidently blasted his way to victory and hardly giving Sung-hwan any time to plan his moves.

Most of the points the Korean shuttler picked up were mainly due to Chong Wei’s own unforced errors.

The Malaysian showed greater purpose in the second game as he romped home for a convincing win to leave Sung-hwan in a state of shock.

“Sung-hwan neither attacked nor showed any urgency to get back into the game. He lost his confidence quite early in the game,” said Chong Wei.

“I feel good. This is my best game of the tournament so far. I just want to keep this rhythm going.”

Although up next is either a Spain or a Guatemala player, Chong Wei refuses to take it easy, saying “I will be prepared for anyone”.

“Whoever it is, he must have done exceptionally well to come this far. I will just be ready for him,” said Chong Wei.

Cordon had upset China’s Chen Long in the opening round while Abian dumped 14th seed Marc Zwiebler of Germany.

Three-time world champion Lin Dan, meanwhile, had to work a little harder to make the third round, but he was still “satisfied” with his game after beating a stubborn Lee Hyun-il 21-16, 21-13 in 37 minutes.

“Hyun-il is a patient and steady player. He is certainly playing better after coming out of retirement. But I am happy that I stayed calm and did my job well,” said Lin Dan.

“I feel good about my game so far and I will give my best.”

Lin Dan will take on Japan’s Sho Sasaki, who beat China’s Du Pengyu 10-21, 24-22, 21-10.

National coach Tey Seu Bock said that both Chong Wei and Lin Dan were on track for a showdown in Wembley.

“It was a good win for Chong Wei. Park looked so tensed today and did not play his game. On paper, the next round’s match seems easy but we will not take it lightly at all,” he said.

“Lin Dan is also looking good. Usually, he will take the first few rounds to toy with his opponents. He is playing more aggressively here ... but we have not seen his best yet.”

WOMEN’S doubles shuttler Wong Pei Tty is feeling upbeat after winning the first match at the World Championships on Monday.

The unseeded Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui silenced the fans at the Wembley Arena when they brushed aside their country’s top pair of Jenny Wallwork-Gabrille White 21-14, 21-12 in 38 minutes.

Today, the Malaysians will take on fourth seeds Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa of Japan for a place in the third round.

“I did not compete at the world meet last year because of my injury. It sure feels good to have made a winning comeback here,” said Pei Tty, who was forced out of competition for eight months due to injury.

She has, however, been going great guns since returning to competition in March.

“I was quite tense in the beginning and I wasn’t even confident. Then, slowly I got the hang of it. It is certainly a good start for us,” she said.

Pei Tty is now ready for a more challenging time against the Japan­ese pair, whom the Malaysians beat at the Australian Open Grand Prix Gold in March.

“This Japanese pair remind us of only one thing – long rallies. We will be prepared to go the distance against them.” she said.

Pei Tty-Eei Hui have never gone beyond the quarter-finals in the world meet since making their debut in Birmingham in 2003.

DOUBLES shuttler Koo Kien Keat loves to sport a new hairstyle at every tournament. And it’s not because he is vain.

It’s just his way of adding a touch of glamour to the badminton events – especially when he also happens to be the ambassador for a hair salon in Kuala Lumpur.

“I like fashion ... so this is one way that I keep up with the latest trend,” said Kien Keat, with his slightly long hair all pushed up.

“It’s not about attracting attention to myself. It’s my way of playing a part in making the world of badminton more hip and happening.

“I constantly get my hair cut, trimmed and permed according to the latest trend. (Lee) Chong Wei is also an ambassador of this hair salon.”

Kien Keat said that he was not the only one looking to look cool on and off court

He said that South Korea’s Lee Yong-dae, China’s Cai Yun and England’s Nathan Robertson were also making themselves more appealing to the crowd with their own styles.

Yong-dae sports a Justin Bieber-like hairstyle; Cai Yun, dubbed as the Aaron Kwok of badminton, has a stylish short crop; and the heartthrob of English badminton Robertson turns up at tournaments with a goatee.

“Remember coach Misbun (Sidek) with his Mohawk hairstyle? That drew a lot of attention – not only to him but to the game as well. It’s just one way to promote the sport,” said Kien Keat, who will open his men’s doubles campaign in the World Championships with partner Tan Boon Heong today.

The fourth-seeded Malaysians will take on Liu Xiaolong-Qui Zihan of China.

“It will be an important first round match for us. The Chinese pair are not seeded and have nothing to lose. We will brace ourselves for a challenging time,” he said.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong did well last year when they reached the final of the World Championships in Paris.

The duo went down to Cai Yun-Haifeng after a rubber-game defeat.

LONDON: Malaysian pair Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Hoon Thien How crashed out in the second round of the badminton World Championships with a 24-26, 20-21 defeat to Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu of Taiwan here on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Spanish teenager Carolina Marin created an upset in the first round of the women's singles in the badminton World Championships when she beat 15th seed Eriko Hirose from Japan 21-23, 21-16, 21-16.

First round results

Men's singles: Wong Choong Hann (Mas) bt Hsieh Yu Hsing (Tpe) 21-7 21-9.

Second round results

Men's doubles: Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu bt Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Hoon Thien How (Mas) 26-24, 21-20

Women's singles: Carolina Marin (Spa) bt Eriko Hirose (Jpn) 21-23, 21-16, 21-16.

WORLD BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS
WEMBLEY (AUG 8-14)

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STOCKY doubles shuttlers Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Hoon Thien How walked out of the court at the Wembley Arena with their tails between their legs yesterday.

The duo’s campaign in the World Badminton Championships came to a grinding halt after they suffered a painful 24-26, 19-21 defeat to 10th seeds Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu of Taiwan in the second round.

And their excuse was: poor finishing and sloppy service.

Just a day earlier they had knocked out former world champions Tony Gunawan-Howard Bach of the United States in the opening round.

Zakry was disheartened with the manner they lost.

“It was so close between us. In fact, we were leading in both the games but we just could not finish them off. This is disheartening,” lamented Zakry.

Zakry-Thien How were involved in a close fight with the Taiwanese from the start but managed to take a 20-18 lead in the opening game.

Instead of pressing home, they allowed Chieh-min-Sheng-mu to get back into the game. And the Taiwanese grabbed the lifeline and went on to win it 26-24.

The match took a similar pattern in the second game, with the Malaysians looking good to force a decider after taking a 19-16 lead.

Then, Zakry sent the shuttle into the net. And Thien How followed suit.

“We were quite nervous at that stage after our blunders at the net. The Taiwanese then caught us offguard with two flicked serves. It completely messed up the rhythm of our game,” said Zakry.

“Both pairs are of equal standard but they took their chances well.”

Zakry-Thien How had beaten the Taiwanese pair en route to reaching the quarter-finals of the All-England in March.

Debutant Thien How said: “It’s disappointing to lose a close match but we tried our best. I have learnt that we cannot afford to make the slightest mistakes at this level.”

With the defeat of Zakry-Thien How, Malaysia are now left with only fourth seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong to challenge for honours in the men’s doubles event.

Chan Peng Soon-Lim Khim Wah had crashed out to Poland’s Adam Cwalina-Michal Logosz 13-21, 19-21 in the first round on Monday.

WORLD No. 1 men’s singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei and South Korean Park Sung-hwan won their second round World Badminton Championships matches in double quick time at the Wembley Arena yesterday.

And they will now lock horns in the third round today.

Yesterday, top seed Chong Wei displayed more urgency in his game to blow away Ville Lang of Finland 21-10, 21-11 in 20 minutes.

Korean No. 1 Sung-hwan was equally impressive, staying on court just a minute longer en route to demolishing compatriot Shon Wan-ho 21-14, 21-10.

But then that could be because his younger compatriot did not push too hard.

While top seed Chong Wei walked out of the court in an upbeat mood, the Korean preferred to sit quietly in his own corner at the warming down area.

“Yes, Sung-hwan will be a tough nut to crack tomorrow. He is a player who rises to the occasion in major events ... but I am not going to worry about that for now,” said Chong Wei.

Last year, Sung-hwan pulled off the biggest shock of all when he dumped three-time world champion Lin Dan of China in the quarter-finals in Paris.

“I had a good workout today. I was playing against a weaker opponent and I went all out to test all my shots. I am quite happy as I certainly played better than my opening match (against Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk),” said Chong Wei.

“I will go into the match tomorrow focused on beating Sung-hwan.

“He is quite good in counter attacks. I beat him at the Sudirman Cup (in May) and I am confident I can do it again ... but I won’t under-estimate him.”

It was also a great day for Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark when he charged into the third round with a resounding 21-5, 21-9 win over Stanislav Pukhov of Russia.

He will take on Indonesia’s Simon Santoso for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It was a good quick win for me as I had hoped for. My next match will not be easy.

“I will be counting on the ‘home’ support to go through to the next round,” said the Dane.

Like Chong Wei, the Dane too is hoping to win his first world title at Wembley.

Results

Men’s singles

First round: Du Pengyu (Chn) bt Chen Yong (Sin) 21-10, 16-21, 21-12; P. Kashyap (Ind) bt Dieter Domke (Ger) 21-13, 23-25, 21-11; Stanislav Pukhov (Rus) bt Kaveh Mehrabi (Irn) 21-18, 21-12; Sho Sasaki (Jpn) bt Brice Leverdez (Fra) 19-21, 21-12, 21-11; Simon Santoso (Ina) bt Pedro Martins (Por) 21-10, 21-14; Eetu Heino (Fin) bt David Snider (Can) 21-16, 21-19.

Second round: Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Ville Lang (Fin) 21-10, 21-11; Kevin Cordon (Gut) bt Henri Hurskainen (Swe) 21-19, 21-17; Park Sung-hwan (Kor) bt Shon Wan-ho (Kor) 21-14, 21-10; Peter-Gade Christensen (Den) bt Stanislav Pukhov (Rus) 21-5, 21-9; Pablo Abian (Spa) bt Marc Zwiebler (Ger) 21-7, 7-21, 24-22; Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Den) bt Mathieu Lo Ying Ping (Fra) 21-8, 21-14; Chen Jin (Chn) bt Dicky Palyama (Ned) 21-13, 21-17; Ajay Jayaram (Ind) bt Vladimir Ivanov (Rus) 21-19, 21-17; Nguyen Tien Minh (Vie) bt P. Kashyap (Ind) 24-22, 17-21, 22-20; Simon Santoso (Ina) bt Dmytro Zavadsky (Ukr) 21-19, 21-8; Sho Sasaki (Jpn) bt Tony Penty (Eng) 21-13, 21-13; Lee Hyun-il (Kor) bt Eetu Heino (Fin) 21-10, 21-7; Lin Dan (Chn) bt Scott Evans (Irl) 21-15, 21-16; Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) bt Wong Choong Hann (Mas) 21-13, 21-18.

Men’s doubles

Second round: Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) bt Liu Xiaolong-Qui Zihan (Chn) 21-6, 20-22, 21-15; Chai Biao-Guo Zhengdong (Chn) bt Sam Magee-Tony Stephenson (Irl) 21-11, 21-10;

Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung (Kor) bt Anthony Clark-Chris Langridge (Eng) 21-10, 21-16; Mads Conrad-Petersen-Jonas Rasmussen (Den) bt Dorian Lance James-Willem Viljoen (Rsa) 21-10, 21-7; Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) bt Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Sozonov (Rus) 21-12, 14-21, 21-12; Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn) bt Ross Smith-Glenn Warfe (Aus) 21-9, 21-11; Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang (Tpe) bt Ingo Kindervater-Johannes Schoettler (Ger) 21-19, 18-21, 21-16; Cho Gun-woo-Kwon Yi-goo (Kor) bt Vitalij Durkin-Alexandr Nikolaenko (Rus) 21-10, 21-16; Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano (Ina) bt Baptiste Careme-Sylvain Grosjean (Fra) 21-15, 21-17.

*Matches involving Malaysians in other events

Women’s doubles

Second round: Matsutomo Misaki-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) bt Ng Hui Lin-Ng Hui Ern 21-10, 21-11; Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa (Jpn) bt Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty 21-16, 22-24, 22-20.

Mixed doubles

First round: Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying bt Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork (Eng) 21-19, 21-19.

HOTSHOTS Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong flirted with danger before checking into the men’s doubles third round in the World Badminton Championships at the Wembley Arena yesterday.

The fourth seeds were taken to the distance by China’s lowest ranked pair of Liu Xiaolong-Qui Zihan before prevailing 21-6, 20-22, 21-15.

Today, they will take Taiwan’s Chen Hung-ling-Lin Yu-lang, whom they have beaten in the last three meetings.

After a brilliant start, Kien Keat-Boon Heong were made to look like novices in the second game by the fiery attacking greenhorns.

Forced to withdraw into their defensive shell, the Malaysians lost the second game 20-22.

The strong showing by the Chinese created panic in the Malaysian camp because Kien Keat-Boon Heong had lost to a lower ranked Chinese pair in similar fashion in the opening round of the Malaysian Open in January.

Fortunately, there was no such repeat as the Malaysians regained their touch to romp home triumphantly.

Boon Heong attributed their roller-coaster performance to “first-round jitters”.

“It was our first match in the tournament and, naturally, we had to make some adjustments. What is important is that we recovered and it all ended well,” said Boon Heong.

“They forced us to retreat to a defensive game and that limited our movement. Overall, we are happy with our game.”

Kien Keat admitted that they would have to fine-tune their game.

“Being our first match, I think the way we won it is acceptable. But we cannot continue to play like this,” said Kien Keat.

“We must settle down quickly and keep our focus throughout the match. The matches will get tougher and we have to be mentally prepared.”

National coach Rexy Mainaky also paid tribute to the Chinese youngsters for changing their strategy in the second game.

“They did not give Koo and Tan room to control the front and prevented the Malaysians from going for broke in their attacks. It was quite tense but I am glad our guys pulled through,” said Rexy.

“There have been quite a number of upsets in this tournament and the top players are taking their time to settle down.

“I hope it will be smooth sailing from now on.”

China were still all smiles yesterday when their second ranked pair of Chai Biao-Guo Zhengdong defeated Ireland’s Sam Magee-Tony Stephenson 21-11, 21-10.

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WORLD No 1 singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei savoured the moment as he stepped into the Wembley Arena yesterday.

“I stopped for a while and took in everything. This is where I hope to fulfil two of my childhood dreams,” said Chong Wei.

“The first is to give my best at the World Championships. The next is to go all out at the Olympic Games, which will be held here too. This is where it is all going to happen for me, hopefully.

“Now that I am here, I am more than inspired to go all out. I will it give my best.”

Chong Wei and his team-mates spent about an hour to get a feel of the stadium yesterday.

The 29-year-old Chong Wei is the top seed in the World Championships, which will begin tomorrow, and he is also the best bet to win the title for the first time for Malaysia since the tournament’s inception in 1977.

Chong Wei said that he had a good feel of the stadium after a light workout yesterday.

“It is quite similiar to the one in Birmingham (where he won the All-England title for the last two years) but bigger and wider. The lighting is good and I did not experience any strong wind,” he said.

The stadium can fill up to 12,500 spectators.

National coach Rashid Sidek, who competed here two decades ago, said he was still in awe of the place, which had undergone some minor changes.

“This is Wembley where many past greats made a name for themselves. The hall looks newer. I am looking forward to some great matches in the next one week,” said Rashid.

China, Indonesia, South Korea and Denmark players also had a feel of training at the competition venue yesterday. Most of China’s men’s shuttlers were spotted with a short haircut, including three-time world champion Lin Dan.

FORMER internationals Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen’s fight to seek justice following their omission from the World Championships squad has reaped some dividends.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have finally agreed to come out with a clear guideline for independent shuttlers who want to be considered for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

BAM secretary Ng Chin Chai said that the guideline was one of four “compromises” made for the Apacs-KLRC sponsored Teik Chai-Bin Shen after they were overlooked for the world meet despite qualifying on merit.

The BAM had instead named Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Hoon Thien How for the world meet.

“Whether the decision was rightly or wrongly made (on Teik Chai-Bin Shen’s omission), we at the BAM want to move forward. We are coming out with a clear guideline for all the independent shuttlers on all future events which have a qualification process,” said Chin Chai, who is also the team manager for the Malaysian team at Wembley.

“We will bring it up during our council meeting on Aug 20 for approval.”

Chin Chai also said that Teik Chai-Bin Shen would be allowed to train twice a week – and more if they request – with the national team.

“We will continue to enter their names for international tournaments through their respective state BAs. And if they perform well in these tournaments, we will consider them for the SEA Games, Thomas Cup Finals and other major events,” said Chin Chai.

Teik Chai-Bin Shen had taken their case to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) for justice.

“I have met with Datuk Sieh (Kok Chi) and gave details on why we made our decision.

“I have also sent official letters to the Kedah and Selangor BAs to advise the players who come through them to use the proper channel when airing their grouses.”

THIS year’s World Championships will be the last for old gems Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia. And they mean it.

And they have different objectives. Christensen wants one last shot at winning the world title while 2005 world champion Taufik wants to use the tournament to revive his sagging form.

The 35-year-old Christensen said that the desire to win the world title “has kept me going” and he is now into his 11th outing.

“I am surprised that I have lasted this long. I am staying on until next year’s Olympic Games. I have one more world meet here and that’s it,” he said.

“There is no better place to end my quest for the world title than Wembley. This place has a lot of history and I am happy just to be a part of it.

“I should have won the world title in 2001 in Seville but Hendrawan popped up unexpectedly to win. Anyway, I have no regrets ... I have enjoyed every single event since my debut in 1995.”

Christensen said that strong will power and mental strength as well as his willingness to accept new ideas have kept him among the top echelon of shuttlers and made him a genuine contender for the title after 16 years.

“I have to look at new ways to keep up with the other players, especially with the world’s top two Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei,” he said.

“I am physically at a high level and I believe that I can still optimise my condition.

“I have the mental edge over many of my opponents and I will use to it my advantage.”

While Christensen is going great guns, Taufik is hoping to re-ignite his form, which has dipped of late.

“My ultimate goal is next year’s Olympic Games. I am here at the world meet to find my touch again. My game is going downhill and I need to regain my momentum,” said Taufik.

“It will be nice to pick up the pace in Wembley. This is my last world meet. It is the right time for me and I will say ‘no thank you’ even if I get the chance (to play in the world meet) again.”

Taufik said that he was prolonging his badminton career for one reason – to create a history of sorts in the Olympic Games.

“It will be a rare feat if I make it to the Olympic Games next year. It will be my fourth outing (after 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing). Not many have that record,” said the 2004 Olympic champion.

Both Taufik and Christensen are in different halves of the draw in the world meet.

Taufik is in the top half with top seed Lee Chong Wei and China’s Chen Jin and Chen Long.

The Dane is in the lower half with second seed Lin Dan of China, Indonesia’s Simon Santoso and Japanese Sho Sasaki.

MALAYSIA’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan shook hands and exchanged greetings and pleasantries when they met at the Wembley Arena for the first time on Saturday.

But that friendship and mutual respect will be pushed aside as the top two seeds try to live up to their status in the World Badminton Championships, which begin today at a venue where many past greats had left their marks.

It will be tougher for Chong Wei to gun for glory than it is for the three-time champion Lin Dan. That’s because Chong Wei will be carrying the weight of expectations of the whole nation after failing to lift the title in his last five attempts.

Pressure, injuries and the lack of match temperament have all been cited as reasons for Chong Wei’s repeated failures.

This time it is different. He has enjoyed a good season, having won six titles over the last six months, including the breakthrough win over Lin Dan in the final of the All-England.

Even the 10-day training stint in Bath was like a breath of fresh air for Chong Wei, as far as his preparation was concerned.

National coach Rashid Sidek agreed that Chong Wei was focused and looked confident and he is hoping for a strong finish too.

“Past experiences showed that we have always come short at the last hurdle. The competition begins tomorrow (today) and it will be a challenge for Chong Wei to contain all kind of emotions as he takes it one day at a time,” said Rashid.

“Of course, we want him to win but we are also aware of all the pitfalls that are ahead of him. We will ensure that Chong Wei will be wary of every opponent and stay out of injury.”

“Lin Dan is still the heavy favourite. He has won the world title thrice and the pressure on him will be different. It will be great if Chong Wei can face Lin Dan in the final but, for now, I would rather focus on his earlier threats.”

Today, the 29-year-old Chong Wei will take on Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk and the energetic Thai youngster is certain to go the extra mile in the opening match.

The other more challenging players in his half are South Korean Park Sung-hwan, Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat and China’s Chen Long and Chen Jin.

Lin Dan, who plays Lithuanian Kestutis Navickas tomorrow after enjoying a bye today, has his own set of challenges in the lower half.

He may have to fend of some old – but persistent – rivals in Lee Hyun-il of South Korea, Sho Sasaki of Japan, Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark and Simon Santoso of Indonesia.

The race is more open in the men’s doubles and Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong have as good a chance as others of emerging triumphant.

They nearly pulled it off in Paris last year. Despite a brilliant start against Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng in the final, they eventually blew it.

“We have pushed them in training. Now, it’s time for the players to push themselves – physically and mentally – on court if they want to emerge as worthy champions,” said national coach Rexy Mainaky.

It will be tough for Malaysia to expect any outstanding results from the women’s and mixed doubles because China, Indonesia, Japan and Denmark are simply a class above.

WORLD No. 1 men singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei accomplished his job of reaching the second round of the World Championships at the Wemb­ley Arena yesterday but not in an impressive way.

And it turned out to be even more worst for fifth seeded Chen Long of China when he was unceremoniously dumped by an unheralded Kevin Cordon of Guatemala.

The lanky Chen Long tried to save two match points but eventually, walked off with his head hung low after losing 19-21, 21-8, 25-27 in a 74-minute encounter against Cordon.

But for the 24-year-old Cordon, it was his best career win and a boost for his country, where badminton is just a passing hobby.

“I knew it was bad luck when the draw was out but today, I have just experienced my best career win,” said a jubilant Cordon.

“This will certainly boost my hope to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.

“I lost to China’s Bao Chunlai in the first round of the Beijing Olympic Games four years ago but today’s win against another Chinese player had given me a lot of confidence.

“I spend a lot of time training in Europe to improve my badminton. This time, I was based in Spain since March. Hopefully, I will keep doing well here.”

Yesterday, the spotlight was also on top seed Chong Wei but he struggled to find his quality shots against Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensom­boon­suk. He went on to win 21-15, 21-17 in 31 minutes.

Chong Wei will take on Ville Lang of Finland in the second round tomorrow.

The win against the lanky Thai was Chong Wei’s fourth straight success but probably the most challenging one.

“I know, it was not a very impressive win but the most important thing is that I made it to the next round,” said Chong Wei.

After taking his time to slowly get into the game, Chong Wei only started showing more urgency after Tanongsak took a 11-9 in the second game.

“My retrieves were out of reach and my shots were inaccurate. And the combination of that saw me being pressured by Tanongsak. I was also guilty of committing many mistakes today.

“It was a good warm-up though and hopefully, I will grow more confident and become better in every match. I will meet Lang next and I will not take his challenge lightly.”

“I have one day rest tomorrow (today) and I hope to come back stronger for the second round match,” he added.

Today, Malaysia’s independent shuttler Wong Choong Hann will begin his campaign when he takes on Hsieh Yu-hsing in the opening round.

The first round matches are being played over two days.