Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong need to find the missing momentum to get back on the winning track
Malaysia’s top seeded pair, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, need to find momentum to get back on the winning track as they are suffering with the worst bad patch of their career. The duo were seeded at the top in 2011 India Open Super Series, but lost to the pair, Noriyasu Hirata and Hirokatsu Hashimoto, of Japan, in the Men’s Doubles semi-final of the event.
The Malaysians were the favourites in 2011 India Open Series as many top pairs were missing the event. But the Japanese pair shocked the former world number one duo of Malaysia in just 32 minutes with a 21-16 and 21-19 score on the board.
The Malaysian pair also suffered a first round exit in the 2011 Kuala Lumpur Open, where the junior pair of Chooi Kah Ming and Ow Yao Han delivered a stunning performance against the experienced team-mates and won the battle by beating the Malaysian duo.
Malaysia’s Men’s Doubles National coach, Rexy Mainaky is still optimistic that the duo will find the lost momentum. He said that only skills and speed cannot bring success.
“What they need is to have a winning attitude once they are on court,” said Rexy.
He also added, “Koo-Tan have always relied on their skills, speed and power. There is no doubt that they are exceptionally good in these areas ... but they need more.”
Right from the start of 2011, the pair from Malaysia were struggling to win a title, largely due to inconsistent performance. Their best display in 2011 came about when they played the final of the All England Premier Super Series 2011. In this tournament, they defeated the Indonesian pair of Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan and the Chinese pair of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.
Rexy said, “They have to show the same kind of fighting spirit once again. They do not have to alter their ... just add a little more fire in their bellies.”
In the upcoming event of Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold, Koo Kien and Tan Boon have been ranked as top seeds. In the first round of the event, the Malaysian duo will be up against Kenta Kazuno – Yoshiteru Hirobe of Japan. Winning a title on home ground will boost their confidence for the mega event of the 2011 World Badminton Championships, in England, starting from August 8, 2011.
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