Arif, Daren blow their chances of making Thomas Cup squad
Posted by valsus on January 14, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR : It is now safe to rule out back-up singles shuttlers Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Liew Daren for places in the Thomas Cup Finals squad after their pathetic performances in the qualifying tournament of the Korean Open in Seoul yesterday.
Arif and Daren were sent packing in the first qualifying round by South Korea’s second stringers, who are ranked lower than them in the world rankings.
Arif went down 18-21, 12-21 to Choi Ho-jin while Daren lost 21-10, 17-21, 12-21 to Jang Young-soo.
The defeats have certainly destroyed any chance they had in strengthening their bid for a place in the premier team competition, which will be held in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16.
Tan Chun Seang, however, made it to the main draw after clearing two Korean hurdles.
He defeated Han Ki-hoon 21-14, 20-22, 21-15 in the opening round before knocking out Choi Ho-jin 17-21, 21-15, 21-16.
Chun Seang will take on China’s Du Pengyu in the tournament proper today.
National chief coach Rashid Sidek admitted that Arif and Daren had blown their chances of making the squad for the Thomas Cup Finals.
“We expected better performances from them. Their early defeats have certainly diminished their chance to impress the coaches,” said Rashid.
“However, there will not be any drastic actions taken against them. We will continue to review their performances this year.”
The poor showing of Arif and Daren has now left three players – Chun Seang, Chong Wei Feng and Chan Kwong Beng – in the running to feature in the Finals.
“Chun Seang is more determined to prove a point – especially after making a comeback to the national team. He has the skill and we hope he will continue to be focused on improving himself in training,” said Rashid.
The others who will be in action in the first round of the singles events are top seed Lee Chong Wei, Wei Feng and Wong Mew Choo.
Chong Wei should get past Andrew Smith of England while Wei Feng has a tough encounter against Peter-Gade Christensen of Denmark.
Mew Choo will begin the season with her first round match against second seed Zhou Mi of Hong Kong.
