Three Malaysian men’s singles players have withdrawn from the Philippines Open, which begins today in Manila. But Malaysia can still count on winning the title through national number one Lee Chong Wei.

The trio who have opted out of the US$120,000 tournament are veteran Wong Choong Hann, Mohd Roslin Hashim and Kuan Beng Hong.

Choong Hann, who chalked up a notable result with a runner-up finish in the China Masters last week, returned home yesterday complaining of pain in the knee.

“There was a feeling of discomfort in the knee area when I was in China. I arrived in Manila hoping for it to get better but it did not. I am not taking any risks and I have decided to go home,” said Choong Hann in a telephone interview before leaving Manila.

Roslin and Beng Hong decided to skip the tournament because of poor health.

Roslin, who also skipped the China Masters last week, quelled speculations that he was suffering from injuries that could jeopardise his participation in the World Championships, which will be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Aug 13-19.

The Nusa Mahsuri player, a wild card entry for the world meet, said that he should get back into full training next week.

“No, I am not down with injuries. I have a bout of flu and bad cough,” said Roslin, who is now ranked 24th in the world.

“It is pointless for me to go there and perform poorly. I have not achieved good results of late. I prefer to stay at home and get ready for the World Championships.”

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) general manager Kenny Goh said that Beng Hong was still suffering from the effects of a viral fever.

In the absence of the trio, Malaysia are left with six senior and five back-up shuttlers. Besides Chong Wei, the others in the fray are Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Sairul Amar Ayob, Lee Tsuen Seng, Yeoh Kay Bin, K. Yogendran, Tan Chun Seang and Liew Daren. Lim Kenn, Beryno Wong and Chan Kwong Beng won their matches in the qualifying tournament to move into the main draw.

Second seeded Chong Wei, who won the Indonesian Open and was a semi-finalist in the China Masters, has a good chance to win the title.

In his half of the draw are China’s Bao Chunlai and Indonesian Simon Santoso, Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Andre Kurniawan Tedjono. The top seed is Chen Hong, who has in his half South Korean Park Sung-hwan, Hafiz, Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen and Indonesian Taufik Hidayat.

Copyright © 2007 thestar.com