Decent draw for Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Keat in the 2011 Badminton World Championships
Malaysian Men’s Doubles pair of Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Keat found a decent draw in the 2011 Badminton World Championships, which are all set to take place in London from August 8-14.
The currently World Number Four Malaysian pair, have three competitive challengers in their half of the draw, which includes World Number Two and the second seeds of the event, Denmark’s Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen. Indonesia’s Bona Septano and Mohd
Ahsan, Korea’s Yoo Yeon Seong and Ko Sung Hyun and China’s Guo Zhengdong and Chai Biao will also contest in the same group.
The Malaysians have never been able to defeat the Korean pair of Yoo Yeon and Ko Sung. However, this time the Malaysian shuttlers are playing well and are expected to break the deadlock against the Koreans. If everything proceeds according to paper, both
pairs are expected to meet in the Men’s Doubles quarter-finals.
Tan Boon and Koo Kien were runners-up in the last edition of the World Championships in 2010, as the duo lost to China’s Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng in the Men’s Doubles final of the event. The current World Number One Chinese pair is seeded at the top in the
Men’s Doubles draw of the event.
Doubles coach, Rexy Mainaky, wants Tan Boon and Koo Kien to meet Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng again in the final of the mega event, however, he knows that it will be quite challenging for the Malaysians to reach that far in the tournament. Rexy said, “Cai Yun-Haifeng
are probably in the best condition now. They may be the veterans but their game is solid and they are playing well.”
He further added, “It is good that Cai Yun-Haifeng and two other top pairs are not in the same half but it does not make it any easier for Koo and Tan. They have not beaten the second ranked Koreans (Sung-hyun-Yeon-seong) but they can do it during the world
meet.”
The Malaysian pair will participate in the training camp at the University of Bath in England, which will end on August 5, just two days before the World Championships. Given the current status of the duo, the Malaysians will surely be one of the top contenders
for the Men’s Doubles title in the world meet.
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