Thomas Cup Review - M'sia vs China

As stated in my previous post, here's my review of the 5 matches between M'sia and China in the semi-finals of the recently concluded Thomas Cup.

1st Singles
Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan
This was a pure stunner. Chong Wei came out firing from the start of the match and Lin Dan could not do anything about it. Of course, some say that Lin Dan was not at his best during the match but I thought that happened because Chong Wei didn't allow him to play his normal game. Lin Dan's power is in offence while his defence is comparatively week. Hence, it is no surprise that whoever managed to keep him occupied with defence (like how Chong Wei did), beating him will be a huge possibility.

NOTE: Chong Wei came back from 20-12 down in the final set of the 2006 Malaysian Open against Lin Dan to take the set 23-21 and win the championship. It is just possible that this is still lingering on Lin Dan's mind.

1st Doubles
Koo Kien Kiat/Tan Boon Heong vs Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng
This match was a disappointing one for Malaysia. Our pair just collapsed in the match against the world no. 2. They were good enough to give a challenge but ended up looking like schoolboys (though they are rather young). The performance in this match is good reason for splitting up this pair. The two are not communicating well and communication is crucial in doubles. Though I'm in full support of Kien Kiat (my ex-schoolmate), I have to agree that he does let success go to his head easily. Let's hope Rexy can do something to change their mentality.

2nd Singles
Wong Choong Hann vs Bao Chunlai
Choong Hann is at the twilight of his career and was never expected to win this match. Chunlai controlled the entire game and gave us no chance. We salute Choong Hann for his contributions to Malaysian badminton but let's admit that his decision to make this Thomas Cup his last one is a good one.

2nd Doubles
Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif/Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari vs Guo Zhendong/Xie Zhongbo
Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah did not feature in this match-up with China because of injury and fever respectively and this paved the way for this M'sian pair with probably the longest combined name in badminton (must be a mouthful for commentators) to step up. They didn't disappoint. Faced with opponents nearly a foot taller than them, they did not falter. Instead, the pair attached from start to finish and always looked the likely winners. This is probably their biggest win so far and I hope that they keep their feet rooted to ensure further success in the future.

3rd Singles
Muhd Roslin Muhd Hashim vs Chen Jin
Like the 1st singles, this was a huge disappointment. Roslin just lacks the variety in his play and Chen Jin read his play after a while, thus dominated the match. There are some things that you will notice and sigh over when you see Roslin play. First, he depends on a few 'winning-shots' that he feels no one will be able to retrieve. Unfortunately, Chen Jin was good enough to retrieve them. Roslin's reaction? Try the same shot again until it becomes a winner. Second, he tries to learn his opponents trick shots in the same match. It's good to learn and improve but hey, he couldn't done it in practice AFTER the match. Chen Jin wasn't at his best but unfortunately, Roslin did worse.

And my friends, that's my two cents worth on the first badminton match(es) that I've watched in two years. It was entertaining but we can only hope for a better outing in the next edition.