London Olympics 2012: Koo Kien Keat – Tan Boon Heong cruise into Men’s Doubles semi-final
Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, the top Men’s Doubles shuttler from Malaysia, lived up to the expectations as they stretched their winning run and cruised into the semi-final of London Olympics 2012, which is in progress in England.
In the quarter-final battle, Kien Keat and Boon Heong showed an elevated performance and ousted Thailand’s Maneepong Jongjit and Bodin Issara on Thursday, August 2, at Wembley Arena, London.
The World Number Eight Kien Keat and Boon Heong, who have been heavily criticised for their bad performance for the last couple of years, shut the mouth of critics by proving their elite class in quarter-final and secured their berth in the top four.
While playing against the Thai shuttlers, the spirited Kien Keat and Boon Heong showed an incredible aggression and ended up the match without losing any game with a reasonable 21-16 and 21-18 margin on score board.
In the meanwhile, the World Number 19 Issara and Jongjit tried their level best to dictate the pace of rallies but they failed to break the rhythm of their higher ranked Malaysian opponents and lost the battle in straight sets.
After winning the match, Kien Keat said that he was having pressure before the contest but he found his confidence back just in time and secured victory.
He stated, “It was a sleepless night for me as my mind was on the game. One can say I was nervous but once the match got underway I gained in confidence. Making the semis is good but taking it another step is what we want to do. It is the final that were
are aiming for as that will assure us of a medal.”
Boon Heong also said that he was also having a similar feeling for the quarter-final battle.
He added, “My heart felt like coming out of my body as I was so nervous. It is different then playing in other competitions as this is the Olympics.”
However, Boon Heong is determined that the duo will give hundred percent in Men’s Doubles semi-final against the ruling World Champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China who are also the top seeds in the draw.
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