Park Joo Bong says Malaysia can win Men’s Doubles fight against China in Thomas Cup Finals
Park Joo Bong, an impressive former Korean shuttler, said that Malaysian players stand a chance to win against the Chinese pairs if they raise their game on the given day at the Thomas Cup Finals, which will start from May 20, at Wuhan, China.
Malaysia will play against China and it is crucial for Malaysian shuttlers to get past the Chinese might if they want to achieve their target in Thomas Cup.
However, on paper, Chinese shuttlers are very strong and Malaysians need to deliver their best to shake the boat of Chinese squad.
According to Joo Bong, Malaysia’s top shuttler and World Number Eight Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong stand a chance to defeat the home favourites Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng who are currently ranked at the top in Men’s Doubles world rankings.
Malaysia’s second best pair in Men’s Doubles category will be Goh V Shem – Lim Khim Wah who are expected to take on either Xu Chen – Guo Zhengdong or Shen Ye – Hong Wei.
Boon Heong and Kien Keat have not an impressive record against Yun and Haifeng as the Malaysians are 4-8 down in head-to-head meetings.
However, the Malaysian shuttlers are quite experienced and also possess required skills to beat the top seeds.
Joo Bong said, “Cai Yun-Haifeng are in their 30s but they still have great speed and power in their game. If the Malaysians can counter them in this area, they will have a chance.”
While talking about Malaysia’s second best pair in Men’s Doubles category, Joo Bong said that they have to elevate their game if they want to overpower Chinese opponents.
He added, “Malaysia’s second pair are still not very stable. We have seen some good performances but they have also dished out lousy games. They have to raise their game to stand a chance.”
Joo Bong stressed that Malaysia needs to win points in Men’s Doubles fights as it will be virtually impossible for Malaysia’s second and third Men’s Singles players to beat the Chinese rivals.
Malaysia’s Liew Daren and Muhammad Hafiz Hashim will take of China’s Chen Long and Chen Jin respectively and their chances are quite scanty to beat the higher ranked Chinese players.
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