Malaysian shuttlers buckle up to race for last singles slot in Thomas Cup finals – Badminton News
The male singles shuttlers of Malaysia are fully charged to secure the last single slot in Thomas Cup squad by living up to their billing at the Yonex Australian Open GP Gold in Sydney.
The World Number one Lee Chong Wei will lead the national singles squad, which comprises Daren Liew and Hafiz Hashim, in the Thomas Cup finals.
Only one seat is vacant for a reserve player and three singles shuttlers Arif Abdul Latif, Wei Feng Chong and Chan Kwong Beng are the strong contenders for this spot.
The esteemed team event will be in full swing from May 20-27 in Wuhan, China so the battle is set to hot up while three expected reserve players of Malaysia are participating in the Australian Open.
The World Number 51 Arif Abdul Latif is aware of the challenge and he is in high spirits to end the long streak of failures to elevate his chances for the Thomas Cup squad.
He said, “I have to prove myself if I hope to be selected for the Thomas Cup Finals again. I have not been doing well and I need to raise my game. I have not given up hope though.”
Though, the World Number 45 shuttler Wei Feng Chong is his biggest challenger in this campaign but Arif still stands good chance as the Indonesian maestro Taufik Hidayat tagged him as “one with a better technique”.
Meanwhile, the National Number two Daren Liew, who has a confirm spot in Thomas Cup squad, is also subjected to a tough trial in Australian Open as he is up against the World Number six Japanese shuttler Sho Sasaki in the second round of the event.
Daren is determined to utilise his vital experience of All-England and the Swiss Open to edge his higher ranked rival.
He said, “It is not an easy draw. I have a qualifier in the opening round and, if I win, I will take on Sasaki. He is a strong player but I will be ready to face him.”
The three other Malaysian shuttlers Arif, Wei Feng and Kwong Beng will also test their skills against tough contenders like Shon Wan Ho, Jen Hao Hsu and P. Kashyap respectively in the opening rounds of Australian Open 2012.
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