The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Ill-prepared Chong Wei no match for Houwei
- Divers to skip Canada Grand Prix to focus on US GP
- Friendlies with China on road to World League semis
| Ill-prepared Chong Wei no match for Houwei Posted: 06 Apr 2013 06:08 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Forget Chen Long and Lin Dan. An ill-prepared Lee Chong Wei will need to buck up after being sent crashing out in the semi-finals of the Australian Open GP Gold by another of China's badminton princelings – Tian Houwei – in Sydney. World No. 1 Chong Wei was expected to stroll to an easy victory Down Under but struggled to get his game going as world No. 196 Houwei outplayed him for a 21-19, 17-21, 21-18 win yesterday. Houwei, the 2009 world junior champion, playing in only his first tournament of the year, got off to a bright start and showed no fear against Chong Wei, taking a close first game 21-19. The two-time Olympic silver medallist, however, utilised all his experience to fight back ad level the tie by winning the second 21-17. But Chong Wei, who was ill prior to the tournament, appeared a spent force as Houwei raced to an 11-3 lead in the deciding rubber. To his credit, Chong Wei managed to close the gap to 14-17, but the 21-year-old Houwei held firm for a famous victory. Making the final represents Houwei's best career achievement, having been beaten in the first round of this tournament by Hong Kong's Hu Yun last year. For the title, he will face 19-year-old compatriot Xue Song, who also gave a polished display to oust Indonesia's Alamsyah Yunus 21-10, 18-21, 21-15 in the other semi-final. National singles head coach Rashid Sidek believes that "the defeat is a good lesson for Chong Wei never to underestimate his opponents". "The China shuttler really played well. He showed maturity in his game and was not afraid to take on Chong Wei," said Rashid. "We did not even expect him to play like such a seasoned and experienced player. "In contrast, Chong Wei's performance was affected by the fact that he is still recovering from a sickness, although that should not be used as an excuse. "This defeat is a good lesson for him to never ever underestimate the younger players ... especially those from China. "But I'm confident though that he will bounce back well and be better prepared for his next tournament." Chong Wei's next assignment will be the India Open Super Series in New Delhi from April 23-28. Meanwhile, it was a fairly disappointing day for the professional duo of Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari as they were beaten 18-21, 18-21 by Malaysian Open champions Hendra Setiawan-Muhammad Ahsan of Indonesia. The fifth-seeded Indonesians will face compatriots Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra for the title. Results Semi-finals Men's doubles: Hendra Setiawan-Muhammad Ahsan (Ina) bt Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (Mas) 21-18, 21-18; Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra (Ina) bt Kim Dae-eun-Shin Baekcheol (Kor) 21-9, 21-14. Women's singles: Sayaka Takahashi (Jpn) bt Pai Hsiao Ma (Tpe) 21- 16, 21-15; Nichaon Jindapon (Tha) bt Suo Di (Chn) 9-21, 21-8, 21-11. Women's doubles: Aprilsasi Putri Lejarsar Variella-Vita Marissa (Ina) bt Ko A-ra-Yoo Hae-won (Kor) 19-21, 21-11, 21-12; Savitree Amitapai- Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Chen Qingchen-Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-17, 26-28, 21-15. Mixed doubles: Irfan Fadhilah-Weni Anggraini (Ina) bt Liu Yuchen- Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-19, 13-21, 22-20; Shin Baek-cheol-Jang Yena (Kor) bt Huang Kaixiang-Chen Qingchen (Chn) 23-25, 21-13, 21-19. |
| Divers to skip Canada Grand Prix to focus on US GP Posted: 06 Apr 2013 06:10 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: A change of plans will see Malaysian divers going only for the United States Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale from May 9-12. It will be a crucial meet to assess their readiness ahead of the World Championships in Barcelona in July. Head coach Yang Zhuliang had earlier planned to take the divers to the Canada Grand Prix on the preceding week but has since changed his mind. "If we were to go for the Canada GP, it will be troublesome. We have to go to Singapore to apply for the visas this time and they have to skip training. "We're only going for the US GP next month. It's important to us and we cannot afford to miss it. "It's an outdoor competition and conditions will be similar to what we'll face at the World Championships. "Many countries will be sending their top divers to the US GP this time ... it will be like an Olympic field," he said. The biennial world meet will be held from July 19-Aug 4 at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuic. Zhuliang said that the venue for the world meet was located on a hilly area and "can be unnerving for divers who have no experience competing in an outdoor pool". "They can feel the force of the wind when they stand on the 10m platform. In indoor competitions, you do not have to worry about anything except your dives and the competition," he said. "But diving outdoors is challenging because wind conditions make it harder for co-ordination. "We're planning to go to China after the US Grand Prix for training and we are looking at an outdoor venue." The squad have not been finalised but several newcomers – like Chew Yiwei, Traisy Vivien Tukiet and Nor Dhabitah Sabri – could be included. Malaysia won a medal at the aquatics world meet in 2009 when Pandelela Rinong and Leong Mun Yee bagged a bronze in the 10m synchro platform in Rome. Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela will be competing along with Wendy Ng Yan Yee, Leong Mun Yee, Cheong Jun Hoong, Ooi Tze Liang and Yiwei in the third leg of the FINA Diving World Series in Edinburgh next weekend. Pandelela already has a bronze medal in individual platform from the first leg in Beijing last month. |
| Friendlies with China on road to World League semis Posted: 06 Apr 2013 06:10 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: The national hockey team will play five friendlies against China here next month in preparation for the World League semi-finals at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru from June 29 to July 7. The friendlies will be played after the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), which ends on May 19. The scheduled dates for the matches are May 25, 26, 28, 30 and 31. The competition in Johor Baru is an important assignment for Malaysia to qualify for next year's World Cup in the Hague, Holland. Malaysia have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups – Germany (2006) and New Delhi (2010). Eight teams will feature in the World League semi-finals. Besides Malaysia, the other teams are Olympic champions Germany, Argentina, England, South Korea, Pakistan, South Africa and one more team to be named later. However, all the six teams are ranked higher than 13th-placed Malaysia. There are two World League semi-final competitions. Rotterdam are hosting the first semi-finals from June 13-22 and the teams competing there are Australia, Spain, India, Ireland, New Zealand and two more teams that will be announced later. Four teams from each semi-finals will qualify automatically for the 2014 World Cup. National assistant coach S. Arulselvaraj said that the friendlies against fast-attacking China would be vital in preparation for the World League semi-finals. "The matches will also give us an idea on our team's strengths and areas which we need to work on," he said. There are 30 players in the squad and training will commence next week. The World League is an important assignment for national coach Paul Revington, who was hired last September to help Malaysia qualify for the World Cup. Under the South African coach's guidance, Malaysia finished fourth in Champions Challenge I in Argentina last November. A month later, in the second edition of the Asian Champions Trophy in Doha, the national team won the bronze. And in the six-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh last month, Malaysia lost 3-2 to Australia in the final. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan