Koo and Tan out to hit the Thais for a second time

ODENSE: Malaysia’s top pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong want to prove that their London Olympics quarter-final win over Bodin IsaraManeepong Jongjit was not a fluke shot when they take on the Thais at the Denmark Open next.

The Malaysians received a free ride into the men’s doubles quarterfinals after Danish pair Jonas Rasmussen-Joachim Fischer Nielsen withdrew following an injury to Fischer on Thursday.

Bodin-Maneepong showed great tactical awareness to beat Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra of Indonesia 21-19, 21-13 in their second round match.

Said Boon Heong: “We are not thinking beyond the Thais right now. They are good and we must be at our best. Kien Keat and I want to keep the momentum going.”

On the opening day, the duo stunned the more fancied Lee Yongdae-Ko Sung-hyun of South Korea to prove their determination to come good again after struggling to find their footing of late.

Meanwhile, Hoon Thien HowTan Wee Kiong, can be proud of themselves despite losing for the second time to Japan’s Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa on Thursday.

The duo came agonisingly close to pulling off a win before succumbing 21-19, 13-21, 17-21 in the second round.

The Japanese pair had beaten the world No. 20 Malaysians in straight games at the China Masters two months ago.

Thien How is optimistic that they will continue to improve.

“We are the second ranked pair in the country because the others below us have been split up and are starting from scratch. We have a head start on them and, for now, we are heading in the right direction,” said the stocky Thien How.

“Wee Kiong and I are able to complement each other and we hope to be untouchable in the future.”

The duo will head to the French Open, where they have a tough draw. They are expected to face top seeds Mathias Boe- Carsten Mogensen in the second round.