He he, apparently the Chinese press reported WMC's parents will be in Jakarta to cheer for their daughter. Yeah, 1st time LCW & WMC make their relationship public in Msian media.
Korea fielding C-team against England The hot news is that Korea is once again fielding a team that is designed to lose. In the match against England in Thomas Cup, Korea is not fielding any of their top 3 singles players in single. They all play doubles. Apparently the task is to finish third in the group to meet either Japan or Denmark in the Quarterfinals.
NST 12 May Thomas and Uber Cup Finals: Easy start for our girls Malaysia clinched the winning point when second singles Julia Wong beat New Zealand’s Michelle Chan 21-18, 21-7. MALAYSIA proved too strong for minnows New Zealand and won their opening Uber Cup Group Y match 5-0 at the Istora Senayan yesterday. Performance-wise, the Malaysians gave a good account of themselves as the match was more to fine-tune their game and adapt to a competition situation but the problem the players faced was drift in the stadium. But stadium conditions aside, the real test for the Malaysians will come in today's clash against Denmark which will decide the group champions. A win is crucial for Malaysia as it will give them an easier passage to achieving their semi-final target. National captain Lim Pek Siah said it was an important win against New Zealand towards achieving their semi-final target. "We came here to do better than out quarter-final achievement in the 2004 edition (Jakarta) and we have taken our first step today (yesterday) towards making it a reality. We have to admit that all of us felt tensed before as we were worried. But we have overcome it," said Pek Siah yesterday. World No 10 Wong Mew Choo set the tone, albeit nervously, before beating Rachel Hindley 21-18, 21-6 in 30 minutes. The second doubles match between Pek Siah-Ng Hui Lin and New Zealand's Donna Cranston-Emma Rodgers was played first as Rachel, who had just played against Mew Choo, was scheduled to play the first doubles. Pek Siah and Hui Lin, a scratch pair, easily beat Donna-Emma 21-7, 21-16 for Malaysia's second point. The Malaysians clinched the winning point when second singles Julia Wong beat Michelle Chan 21-18, 21-7. Julia said she faced problems with the drift in the stadium but managed to adapt in the second game. "I feel very happy to clinch Malaysia's winning point," said Julia. World No 10 pair Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui then made it 4-0 with a 21-13, 21-14 win over Rachel Hindley-Renee Flavell, before another debutante, Lydia Cheah secured a 21-11, 21-8 win against Jessica Jonggowisastro in 22 minutes. In an earlier match, 10-time Uber Cup champions China beat the US 5-0 in a Group W match. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Sport/2237549/Article/index_html
NST 12 May Thomas and Uber Cup Finals: No sweat for the men By : From Ajitpal Singh Lee Wan Wah (right) and Choong Tan Fook congratulate each other after defeating England’s Robert Adcock and Robin Middleton 21-19, 21-16 in the men’s doubles match at Istora Senayan yesterday. MALAYSIA'S Thomas Cup campaign got off to a winning start when they demolished England 5-0 in their Group B tie on a day when the draft, glare from the lighting and the environment at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, gave the Malaysian players more problems than the young English team. The manner in which Lee Chong Wei, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and Wong Choong Hann won their matches was hardly impressive. The question now is whether the Malaysians can take a giant leap against South Korea today. Chong Wei was the first to be troubled by the draft as he made several bad judgements and unforced errors to allow Andrew Smith to give him a run of his money. The World No 2 also seemed restless and in a hurry to finish the game, and had it not been for his experience, he could have lost. He prevailed 21-17, 21-15 in 31 minutes. Tan Fook-Wan Wah, the World No 4, had an unimpressive 21-19, 21-16 win over little-known Robert Adhock-Robin Middleton, while Choong Hann played like a novice against England's No 2 Rajiv Ouseph before winning 22-20, 21-16 to give Malaysia an unassailable lead. Choong Hann, 31, admitted that he had a bad game yesterday. "The lighting and draft troubled me today (yesterday). Besides that I was unfamiliar with Rajiv's game style," said Malaysia's captain. Only Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and third singles Hafiz Hashim gave a good account of themselves. Kien Keat-Boon Heong showed grit and determination in their 21-12, 21-12 win over England's Christopher Adcock-Christopher Langridge. Hafiz also put on an excellent performance to beat Ben Beckman 21-15, 21-14. National singles coach Misbun Sidek said his charges found it tough to adapt to the conditions in the stadium. "Adjustments had to be made during their respective opening matches and they took time to make the necessary changes," said Misbun yesterday. "However, it was a good opening outing for the shuttlers as they will be more prepared for the cruncher against South Korea tomorrow (today)." Misbun left no doubt that only the best team will play against the South Koreans. Meanwhile, national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky warned the shuttlers that they must adapt to the stadium's conditions as quickly as possible if they hope to progress. "If the players fail to do it, we may have problems against the better teams," he said. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Sport/2237548/Article/index_html
NST 12 May Thomas and Uber Cup Finals: Indonesia stun Japan Indonesia’s Adriyanti Firdasari celebrates after defeating Japan’s Yu Hirayama 21-11, 20-22, 21-13 yesterday. — AFPpic HOSTS Indonesia caused a major upset in the Uber Cup when they defeated second seeds Japan 4-1 in a Group Z tie at the Istora Senayan yesterday. Eriko Hirose earned the only point for Japan when she beat Maria Kristin 9-21, 22-20, 22-20 in the first singles. However, backed by a boisterous home crowd, Lilyana Natsir-Vita Marissa saw off Satoko Suetsuna-Miyuki Maeda 9-21, 21-19, 21-14 before Adriyanti Firdasari edged Yu Hirayama 21-11, 20-22, 21-13. Greysia Polii-Jo Novita secured Indonesia winning point when they beat Reiko Shiota-Tomomi Matsuda 21-14, 21-18. Pia Zebadiah delivered Indonesia's fourth point when she beat Kaori Mori 21-19, 21-17. In other Uber Cup matches, China, the defending champions, thrashed the United States 5-0 while South Korea had no problems disposing South Africa 5-0. In the Thomas Cup, champions China had it easy against Nigeria winning 5-0. Nigeria, who had only four available players yesterday, are competing in the Thomas Cup for the first time. Their other three players will only arrive today due to flight problems. In other matches, Thailand edged Germany 3-2 while Denmark beat New Zealand 5-0. addthis_pub = 'nstonline'; http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Sport/2237550/Article/index_html
The Star Online > Sports Monday May 12, 2008 Choong Hann vows to come good against the Koreans SKIPPER Wong Choong Hann's moment of truth has arrived in his bid to make up for the disappointment of being forced out on the team – albeit due to an injury – during the quarter-final tie against South Korea at the last Finals in Japan two years ago. Then, Choong Hann snapped his Achilles tendon and had to be flown back home. Choong Hann will be playing the second singles match today against the same South Korean team in the final Group B tie and he has vowed to put up a better performance after getting off to an inspiring start yesterday. He was stretched to the limit by England's Rajiv Ouseph before winning 22-20, 21-16. If South Korea decide to play at full strength today, the 31-year-old Choong Hann will be up against Lee Hyun-il today. A relief: Wong Choong Hann applauds the fans after edging England’s Rajiv Ouseph 22- 20, 21-16 yesterday. “I did not contribute a point for Malaysia against South Korea the last time around but this time, I will go all out to make up for that disappointment,” he said. “I did not play as good as I had expected against England. I rarely play against Rajiv and found this tall player to be a difficult opponent. His shots were out of my reach. But I am glad that I got back into the rhythm in the second game. “It could be good to start this way. It has fuelled the fire in me to perform even better.” Choong Hann reiterated that Malaysia will not hold back against the Koreans. “All of us are seasoned campaigners. We did not get off to a good start today. But we will not allow this to rattle us. “We have faith in each other and we believe that we will only get better and better,” he said. “We have a tough tie against South Korea unless they decide to field a weakened side. The Koreans can do whatever they want but the Malaysians will be focused on their mission – to fight all the way to win the Cup.”
The Star Online > Sports Monday May 12, 2008 Malaysia out to beat Danes to reach first ever semi-final COACHES Yap Kim Hock and Rexy Mainaky are confident that the Malaysian women’s team can still overcome Denmark at the Istora Senayan today even if Wong Mew Choo loses the first singles match of a crucial Uber Cup tie to determine the Group Y winners. Malaysia and Denmark both want to top the group to avoid being in the same half of the knockout draw together with overwhelming favourites China. World number 10 Mew Choo will be up against an in-form Tine Rasmussen, who is ranked fifth. “We want Mew Choo to give us a morale boosting first point against Tine. But if she loses, all is not lost. We have enough quality to bounce back in the next four matches,” said Kim Hock. Rexy pointed out that the Malaysian women’s 5-0 win over New Zealand yesterday should not be used as a yardstick to predict the chances against the Danes, who emerged as the winners in the Uber Cup European Zone qualifiers. “It was good that we could play a weaker side like New Zealand before taking on Denmark. The players were feeling excited before the first tie and can be forgiven for not giving their best. “But more importantly, the players have found their rhythm for the challenge against the Danes,” he said. “The Danes also fear playing against us. It is not only in the first singles or the first doubles, which are crucial ones, but we also have fighting chances to get points in all the five matches.” Mew Choo, who has a 1-1 career record against Rasmussen, rates her chances of overcoming the lanky Dane as being 50-50. “Denmark’s strength lies in their first singles and first doubles. If we can get the first two points, then the tie is as good as ours. But it would not be an easy task. I pledge to do my best to give Malaysia a winning start,” said Mew Choo. Skipper Lim Pek Siah said that they were eager to create history by becoming the first Malaysian Uber Cup squad to play in the semi-finals. Malaysia have only qualified for the Finals on merit once before, also in Jakarta in 2004 and they reached the quarter-finals. http://www.thestar.com.my/services/...ile=/2008/5/12/sports/21221732.asp&sec=sports
Redemption time... ....it's been 2 long years, and although this won't be a QF match, it's redemption time for WCH..
Doesn't matter.. ..against who he's playing, he's got another shot at redeeming his match, from 2 yrs ago. Hope the KOR squad will field their best players, too...
The Star Online > Sports Monday May 12, 2008 Malaysia not holding back By Rajes Paul and Loganath Vello Photos by Kamal Selleuddin MALAYSIA have decided that they want to emerge as the winners of Group B for a direct entry to the Thomas Cup quarter-finals, even if it means going into the same half as defending champions China. Malaysia chalked up a 5-0 win over England yesterday and they will play against South Korea at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta today. The losers will have to play an extra tie to get into the quarter-finals in the other half of the draw, which should have Indonesia and Denmark. National singles coach Misbun Sidek said yesterday of their final group fixture: “Today, we fielded our best players. We will do the same to take on the South Koreans.” If Malaysia beat South Korea to top the group, they will play against either Germany or Japan in the quarter-finals. The Germans were beaten 2-3 by Thailand in Group D yesterday and they will have to earn the quarter-final berth in a play-off against the runners-up in Group C. Sweat it out: Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah needed all their experience to beat England’s Robert Adcock-Robin Middleton 21-19, 21-16. And a quarter-final win for Malaysia will give them a tie against China for a place in the final. Yesterday, a Malaysian team at full strength came under stiff challenges from the English side. Lee Chong Wei, Wong Choong Hann and the veteran pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, especially, had to dig deep into their reserve to win their matches. The other two points came from Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Mohd Hafiz Hashim. Misbun said that it was a good warm-up ahead of the tie against South Korea. “The players took time to get adjusted to the draught in the stadium, the lighting and the whole environment. Some of our players struggled but I am not worried at all. Chong Wei did not show variety in his game and he has to improve on this,” he said. National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky admitted that the Malaysian players would have to double their efforts, especially in the doubles. “I understand why the players struggled today. They were the best Malaysian players and nothing but a win was expected from them. This affected their play,” he said. On their chances against South Korea, Rexy said that it would depend on the line-up their opponents chose to field. “You know the Koreans. They are full of mystery when it comes to the Thomas Cup Finals. In the Thomas Cup qualifiers (in Vietnam in February), they fielded a singles player in the doubles. They always have tricks up their sleeves,” he said. “It is good for us if they field an under-strength team. Then, we can beat them easily and achieve our target. But the tie could go down to the wire if they field their best. “At the last Finals, Malaysia managed to win only one point (from the doubles) and it will be great if both the pairs can deliver this time.” If both teams are at full strength in the singles, Chong Wei will face Park Sung-hwan. The second and third singles matches will pit Choong Hann against Lee Hyun-il and Hafiz against Shon Seung-mo respectively. But Malaysia may rest Tan Fook-Wan Wah and field Kien Keat-Boon Heong at first doubles against against All-England champions Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae. The younger Malaysian pair will have the better chance to cope with the pace of the Koreans. This option will give Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari a match against Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-Man.
Based on today's KOR lines-up against the ENG, I have 100% confident that WCH will get his revenge, against a non-single KOR player
Thomas and Uber Cup Finals: Malaysia crash at volatile Istora Denmark’s second doubles pair of Christinna Pedersen (right) and Mie Schjott Kristensen celebrate after beating Malaysia’s Lim Pek Siah-Ng Hui Lin to seal a 3-2 win for Denmark in their Uber Cup Group Y tie at the Istora Senayan yesterday. MALAYSIA'S failure to analyse their opponents and handle the pressure of the intimidating Indonesian fans proved to be their downfall as the women crashed to a 3-2 defeat to Denmark in a Group Y Uber Cup tie at the Istora Senayan yesterday. The loss has dented Malaysia's hopes of achieving the semi-final target set by the BA of Malaysia (BAM). They will now face second seeds Japan, who lost both their Group Z matches to Indonesia and Netherlands, in the play-off today. The winners of the playoff will likely face South Korea in the quarter-finals. After a confident performance against New Zealand on Sunday, hopes were high that the Malaysian team would justify their fourth seeding against the European champions yesterday. It would have been a different story if World No 10 Wong Mew Choo had beaten Tine Rasmussen in the first singles. Mew Choo collected nine straight points to win the first game 21-19 but had no answer to the 25-year-old Tine's aggressive play in the second. Mew Choo made numerous unforced errors and the Danish shuttler won the second game 21-19 in 18 minutes. The deciding game was no different as Tine's deceptive play caught the Malaysian flat-footed time and again as she won 21-14. Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui's gallant effort put Malaysia on level terms when they defeated Kamilla Rytter Juhl-Marie Ropke 22-20, 21-16. Julia Wong then took to the court in the second singles and was expected to beat unknown Nanna Brosolat Jensen easily for Malaysia's second point. It seemed to go Julia's way when she won the first game 21-14. However, Nanna -- thanks to the support of the Indonesian fans -- raised her game to win the second 21-19. The second game was interrupted when a spotlight burst. The match was stopped for 10 minutes as officials cleared up the shattered glass. In the third game, the Indonesian fans continued to torment Julia and she eventually lost 21-19. Hopes were on Lim Pek Siah-Ng Hui Lin to level the tie but they failed to deliver, losing 21-18, 21-18 to Christinna Pedersen-Mie Schjott Kristensen. In the dead third singles, Lydia Cheah gave a good account of herself by beating Camilla Sorensen 21-11, 21-14. Team captain Pek Siah admitted the loss against Denmark had put a dent in their hopes of reaching the semi-finals. "I feel bitter losing to Denmark and it will be very tough to see off Japan in the play-off tomorrow (today). "However, the team's morale is still high despite the defeat and we hope for the best against Japan,"said Pek Siah. She blamed herself for the defeat, saying that she and Hui Lin should have won their match. "Of course the pressure was there to deliver the point but I was confident we would win against Christinna-Mie. "However, I just did not give 100 per cent. Credit should be given to the Danes as they played their hearts out." http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Sport/2238789/Article/index_html
NST 13 May Thomas and Uber Cup Finals: It's a breeze for the men 2008/05/13 IT was a tie that South Korea had no interest in winning and that meant Malaysia, who fielded their best, had an easy win in their Thomas Cup Group B tie at the Istora Senayan Stadium yesterday. Malaysia won 4-1, thanks largely to Korea fielding a weakened lineup as part of their strategy to win the title but national chief coach Yap Kim Hock was not bothered by the nature of the win. Malaysia will play the winners of the Germany-Japan playoff today in the quarter-finals tomorrow. "I received information about Korea's plan on Sunday. However, we are not bothered as we came here with the intention of winning all ties," said Kim Hock yesterday. South Korea rested Park Shun Hwan and Lee Hyun-Il and fielded scratch pairs in the doubles against England (which they lost 4-1) and Malaysia yesterday. World No 2 Lee Chong Wei started the ball rolling with an effortless 21-14, 21-14 win over South Korea's third ranked Shon Seung Mo in the first singles. In the second singles, Wong Choong Hann saw off reserve shuttler Hong Ji Hong 21-14, 21-10 in just over 30 minutes. However, South Korea pulled one back when scratch pair Jung Jae Sung-Lee Jae Jin stunned World No 5 Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah 20-22, 21-10, 21-16 to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Former All-England champion Hafiz Hashim provided the winning point when he thrashed Hwang Ji Man, a doubles player, 21-5, 21-11 in 20 minutes. Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong then wrapped up the tie with a 23-21, 21-19 win over Lee Yong Dae-Hong Ji Hoon
