THE performance of the national doubles players in the just concluded Thailand Open was shockingly poor but they will get the opportunity to make amends in the China Masters which begins in Chengdu tomorrow.

The absence of most of the top 10 pairs meant that one of the five Malaysian pairs had the best chance of clinching the Thailand Open crown but none of them rose to the occasion.

Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah and fast improving Fairuzizuan Tazari-Zakry Latif were the best bets but they were beaten by Thailand’s Tesana Panvisvas-Sudket Parapakamol in the quarter-finals and second round respectively.

What made the defeat harder to digest is the fact that Tesana retired after the 2004 Athens Olympics and only made a comeback a couple of months ago and there is no reason for both the Malaysian pairs to lose to them.

Tan Fook-Wan Wah and Fairuz-Zakry will be competing in the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 13-19 and letting the momentum slip away will not give them the edge in the major tournament.

Another world championship-bound pair Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock were toppled by Indonesia’s back-up pair Bona Septano-Mohamed Ahsan while Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How were shown the exit by Denmark’s third ranked pair of Simon Mollyhus-Anders Kristiansen in the first round.

Gan Teik Chai-Lin Woon Fui provided some respite when they reached the semi-finals after having failed to clear the preliminary rounds in their first three tournaments as a pair.

Teik Chai-Woon Fui will not be competing in the China Masters but the other four pairs need to produce results in the super series tournament to prove that what transpired in Thailand was a grey patch.

The competition will be tough in the China Masters but with just two strong pairs — World No 1 Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China and World No 4 Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia — competing, the Malaysians will get the perfect opportunity for redemption.

Tan Fook-Wan Wah, the joint third seeds should have no problems reaching the last eight where they are likely to meet compatriots Fairuz-Zakry and the winner of the match are expected to face Markis-Hendra in the semi-finals.

Chong Ming-Thien How can make life easier for their compatriots if they can upset Markis-Hendra, the second seeds, in a first round clash.

Bin Shen-Soon Hock also have an easy ride to the quarter-finals and they will earn a place in the semi-finals for the first time this year with a win over fourth seeds Anthony Clark-Robert Blair of England.

Haifeng-Cai Yun are the biggest stumbling blocks for the Malaysians as the favourites from China will not be prepared for a defeat in front of their home crowd.

If any one of the Malaysian pairs can upset Haifeng-Cai Yun in the China Masters, that will be a massive boost for them in their buildup to the World Championships.

WORLD No 2 Chen Hong of China clinched his first title of the year when he downed local favourite Boonsak Ponsana for the Thailand Open crown in Bangkok yesterday.

Chen Hong, the second seed, defeated Singapore Open champion Boonsak 21-14, 11-21, 23-21 in a 57-minute final.

Chen Hong’s previous success was in October last year where he clinched the China and Denmark Opens.

The men’s doubles title went to South Koreans Lee Jae Jin-Hwang Ji Man who defeated compatriots Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae 21-19, 19-21, 21-9 in 37 minutes.

It was the third time the two Koreans pairs have met in an international final with Jae Jin-Ji Man emerging champions twice.

Jae Jin-Ji Man won the German Open while Jae Sung-Yong Dae were victorious in the Korea Open in January.

Results — (All finals) Men’s singles: Chen Hong (Chn) bt Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) 21-14, 11-21, 23-21.

Doubles: Lee Jae Jin-Hwang Ji Man (S Kor) bt Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae (S Kor) 21-19, 19-21, 21-9.

Women’s singles: Zhu Lin (Chn) bt Zhou Mi (HK) 20-22, 21-5, 21-14.

Doubles: Gao Ling-Huang Sui (Chn) w.o. Du Jing-Yu Yang (Chn).

Mixed doubles: He Hanbin-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Han Sang Hoon-Hwang Yu Mi (S Kor) 21-12, 21-14.

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