Dubai deliverance?
Chong Wei out to make amends after Glasgow disaster
PETALING JAYA: Lee Chong Wei gets another chance to redeem himself at a top-level event after a disastrous outing at the World Championships.
At the world meet in Glasgow, Chong Wei went out in the opening round for his worst-ever outing in the series.
National coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock hopes the national No. 1 shuttler will make amends at the World Superseries Finals in Dubai starting today.
“Chong Wei played under pressure in Glasgow.
“He’s more composed now and has regained confidence after winning the Hong Kong Open (last month).
“I hope that he’ll enjoy every match that comes his way in Dubai.
“It’s a good chance for him to end the year on a good note at this world-level tournament.
“The goal is to reach at least the semi-finals.”
The four-time World Superseries Finals champion will face Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong in his Group A opening round match today.
The only other player in his group is South Korea’s Son Wan-ho following the withdrawal of Olympic champion Chen Long of China.
According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Chen Long has pulled out at the eleventh hour because of a knee injury.
In Group B are India’s S. Srikanth, China’s Shi Yuqi, Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen and world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Only the top two in each group will advance to the semi-finals.
In the singles, Srikanth and Axelsen have been the most consistent this year.
The Indian won four Superseries titles in Indonesia, Australia, Denmark and France while the Dane, apart from the world title, also bagged titles in Japan and India.
“Chong Wei’s opening match will be tricky.
He has lost to Angus recently (China Open last month) but hopefully, he can turn things around this time,” added Seu Bock, who left for Dubai yesterday to join Chong Wei.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, the other national shuttlers in action in the tournament, will face world No. 4 Wang YilyuHuang Dongping of China in their first Group B match today.
It’s a good chance for him to end the year on a good note at this world-level tournament. The goal is to reach at least the semi-finals. Datuk Tey Seu Bock