CHONG WEI AND LIN DAN FACE CONTRASTING ROUTES IN THOMAS CUP

KUALA LUMPUR: Old rivals Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan will have different battles at the Thomas Cup Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 20-27.

Chong Wei has a challenging task as Malaysia’s first singles while Lin Dan’s role is easier as China’s third singles.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) released the names of the players for the 16-member premier team competition yesterday.

As first singles, Chong Wei’s opponents from the top teams are Chen Long of China, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Son Wan-ho of South Korea, Kento Momota of Japan and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie.

He has lost to all except for Jonatan, the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games champion, as they have crossed path.

National head coach Datuk Misbun Sidek said the 35-year-old Chong Wei has a tougher job.

“The younger players are after

his scalp. They’ll match their physical strength against his experience,” said Misbun after a training camp at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday.

Chong Wei’s first test is in group stage against world champion Axelsen.

Malaysia are in Group D with defending champions Denmark, Russia and Algeria.

Malaysia and Denmark are expected to reach quarter-finals but

Malaysia want to be group champions to avoid other group winners in the last eight.

The 24-year-old Axelsen skipped the Thomas Cup qualifier in February in Kedah because of a foot surgery but showed he is back at his best by winning the European Championships title in Spain last month.

The notable player missing from Denmark’s line-up is Carsten Mogensen.

The doubles ace, who missed the Finals action two years ago in Kunshan after a brain surgery, is ill again and has withdrawn.

While Chong Wei is bracing for a tough time, five-time world champion Lin Dan can breathe easy, as on paper, he is the strongest player at the third singles slot.

The 34-year-old’s opponents at third singles are Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin or Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia; Heo Kwang-hee or Ha Young-woong of South Korea; Hans-Kristian Vittinghus or Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark; Kazumasa Sakai-Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan; and Firman Abdul Kholik or Ihsan Maulana Mustofa of Indonesia.

“Teams will be out to avoid dragging China into a deciding last tie because of the prospect of playing Lin Dan.

“He’ll be the strongest – but having saying that, nothing is impossible in team events and that makes this year’s edition quite exciting,” added Misbun.