Sudirman Cup’s real test nears for hosts

AUSTRALIA’S quest for bona fide badminton respect will go up a notch tomorrow when the hosts face their toughest competition yet at the Sudirman Cup.

Rated unlikely to progress past the group stages at the World Mixed Team Championships, the Aussies claimed an emphatic 4-1 victory over the US on Monday before tackling world No.32 Austria last night.

Next on the menu at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre is Singapore, ranked world No.16 but flexing their muscle with a 5-0 tournament opener against Austria.

The Sudirman Cup shapes as a test of the strength of Australian badminton.

With Asian nations, including world No.1 China, dominating the rankings, No.19 Australia will get an early glimpse of the standard needed for future events.

Coach Lasse Bungaard has stressed that the tournament is essentially a warm-up for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which will be held at the same venue.

Officials have been quick to praise the Gold Coast location, the first time the 27-team Sudirman Cup has been held outside of Europe or Asia.

In yesterday’s earlier matches, Macau China thrashed New Caledonia 5-0 and world No.6 Malaysia notched the same result against Germany.

Vietnam kept the floggings coming when they crushed Canada 5-0, while Scotland enjoyed a 4-1 triumph over New Zealand.

The tournament’s quarterfinals start on Friday before the final is held on Sunday.