Tan Boon Heong – Koo Kien Keat win against Kenichi Hayakawa – Hiroyuki Endo in Malaysia Open GP Gold 2011
Malaysia’s Men’s Doubles top seeds, Tan Boon Heong – Koo Kien Keat, managed to win against the impressive Japanese pair of Kenichi Hayakawa – Hiroyuki Endo, in the quarterfinal of the Malaysia Open GP Gold 2011, on Friday May 6. The Championship is being
played at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium at Alor Setar, Malaysia.
Tan Boon – Koo Kien lost the opening set to the Japanese 15-21. The Malaysian pair was struggling to find the momentum and failed to stop the winning run of opponents in the opening set.
In the second game however, the top seeds played better badminton by trying variation in the game. They kept the pace high and dominated the game at the net. Tan Boon – Koo Kien leveled the match by winning the second game with a 21-14 margin.
The third game was closer as compared to the previous two sets. Both pairs remained close till the ending points of the set. However, the experienced Malaysians managed to clinch the final set by a 21-17 margin, thanks to the errors of the Japanese, which
they made at some crucial stages of the third set.
After the match, Koo Kien said, “We had a slow start in the opening game but got into our groove in the second. “But we seem to have some kind of phobia when our opponents reduce the gap and overtake us. This is what happened to us in the decider.”
Tan Boon – Koo Kien desperately need this title as they have not won a single trophy after their triumph in the 2010 Malaysia Open GP Gold. The duo has been struggling hard to find the right flow against top pairs of the world in major events.
Koo Kien said, “We need to adopt the right attitude if we are to end our title drought in Alor Setar”.
In the semifinal, the top seeds will take on Koen Ridder – Ruud Bosch of Holland, who thrashed Bona Septano – Mohd Ahsan of Indonesia in the quarter-final of the event. The Dutch duo finished the match in just two sets by playing a highly impressive game
against the talented Indonesians.
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