Thomas Cup 2008 Semi Finals - China vs Malaysia

Date : 16/05/2008
Time : 2pm
Venue : Istora Senayan Stadium, Jakarta

In today’s semi-finals, it will be a tall order for Malaysia to upset the defending champion, China. China will have a strong line up in their men singles as 3 of their players - Lin Dan(LD), Bao ChunLai(BCL) and Chen Jin(CJ) - are ranked top 4 in the world. In their men doubles department, China will have Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng(CY-FHF) and Guo Zhengdong-Xie Zhongbo(GZD-XZB).

Malaysia’s 1st singles will be represented by Lee Chong Wei(LCW). The world no. 2 does not have a good record against LD. He has played 11 matches against him and only won 3. Twice his wins are from the Malaysia Open and the other one from Japan Open. Although LD has been a dominant singles player for the past few years, it does not mean that he is invincible. LCW just has to play back his own game and force LD to make errors.

In the 1st doubles, Malaysia can either field Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah(CTF-LWW) or Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong(KKK-TBH) to match CY-FHF. I would personally prefer CTF-LWW to play this tie as they have a good record against CY-FHF. In their previous 10 encounters, they have won 6. If such, KKK-TBH will be fielded as 2nd doubles against GZD-XZB. Based on their recent performance, KKK-TBH would not find much trouble in beating the Chinese 2nd pair. But whether are they going to play this match is much dependent on the first 3 matches. If China can seal the tie in the first 3 matches, it is game over.

In the other 2 singles event, Malaysia will have Wong Choon Hann(WCH), Mohd Hafiz Hashim and youngster Mohd Arif Abdul Latif to choose from. In the 2nd singles against BCL, Malaysia can either field WCH or Hafiz. At the age of 31, WCH will have enough experience to handle the pressure to deliver a point for Malaysia. But since returning from injury, he has not been showing consistency in open tournaments. Fitness and stamina would be a disadvantage to WCH if the match goes to rubber set. As for Hafiz, he is also been under-performing since winning the All-England title in 2003. However, at the previous Asian Championships, BCL is defeated by Hafiz in the third round. Apart from that, Hafiz also defeated BCL at the 2002 Thomas Cup Finals. I would prefer Hafiz to play against BCL as I think he will have a psychological advantage over him.

If it is tie at 2-2 and goes to a deciding match on 3rd singles, it should be very exciting. If Hafiz is playing against CJ, I would say both have the equal chance of winning. Playing at the deciding match, it is not just about the game. Being the defending champion, CJ will have to face the pressure and the expectations of his teammates, coaches and his fellow people. This situation is same goes to Hafiz. If Arif is to be fielded, it will be a very difficult task for him to beat CJ as he is still young and inexperience. If Arif were to lose this match, I do not wish to see him stumble in his badminton career like Kuan Beng Hong. I hope he will take this experience as a lesson and bounce back stronger. Anyway, who knows he might pull off an upset by clinching the winning point for Malaysia? Like football, the ball is round and anything can happen. And if this really happen, Malaysia will have a new HERO! :)

From my point of view, the 1st singles is the most important match. Like football, getting an early goal is important to boost your teammates confidence and winning spirit. This also applies to this tournament as it is a team event. Although the odds are against Malaysia but if LCW is able to deliver the first point, then I think Malaysia will stand the chance of beating China.