Daren carries Malaysia’s hopes at World Championships
years ago, Liew Daren was heavily criticised for his failure in delivering the winning point in Malaysia’s 3-2 defeat to Japan in the Thomas Cup final in New Delhi.
Fast forward to present day, the independent shuttler is now Malaysia’s only hope for some kind of magic at the World Championships in Nanjing.
After stunning last year’s Sea Games gold medallist Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the men’s singles first round on Tuesday, Daren followed through with another convincing 21-16, 21-16 win over Israel’s Misha Zilberman yesterday.
Daren, 31, is now hoping to spring another surprise as he gears up to face World No 6 K. Srikanth of India next.
Srikanth had to dig deep before securing a 21-15, 12-21, 21-14 win over Spain’s Pablo Abian in the second round.
“I am pleased with the way I’m playing now. After beating Jonatan in the first round, I got fired up. I want to go as far as I can in this tournament. Most importantly, I am playing without pressure,” said the World No 38 yesterday.
“My next match is a big one. It has been about five years since I last played him. Back then, I won twice but that cannot be used as a yardstick anymore as Srikanth is now No 6 in the world.
“However, I am looking forward to our match. Hopefully, I get to stage another upset.”
The 2012 French Open champion also took the opportunity to thank the BA of Malaysia (BAM) for allowing national women’s singles coach Tey Seu Bock to sit behind him during his matches.
“Seu Bock’s presence has definitely helped me a lot. He helps me identify my mistakes and also guides me through. For this, I thank BAM,” Daren added.