Malaysia Open 2009: No hiding from the truth

Clockwise from left: Men’s singles Lee Chong Wei; Mixed doubles Nova Widianto (top) and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia; Women’s doubles Lee Kyung Won (left) and Lee Hyo Jung of Korea; Men’s doubles Jung Jae Sung (top) and Lee Yong Dae of Korea; Women’s singles Tine Rasmussen of Denmark.

THE conclusion of the Proton Malaysia Open has raised the question again: How long more can Malaysia ride on Lee Chong Wei on the international scene?

The scenario in this edition was the same as that of last year's as Chong Wei was the last man standing then as his teammates fell even before the semi-finals.

Thankfully, he went on to win the title then and came to the rescue again this year for his fifth Malaysia Open title.

Barring injuries or tiredness, Chong Wei is the favourite for the Korea Open which begins with the qualifying round today, thanks to the absence of China.

Much will depend on Chong Wei's physical condition which was the difference between him and his rivals at Putra Stadium and if he can sustain his fitness level, the richest Super Series prize money of US$22,500 (RM81,000) should be his.
A first-round meeting with Korean back-up Hong Ji Hoon and Thailand's Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in the second should be easy pickings for Chong Wei and, if he overcomes Korean Park Sung Hwan, who he beat in the final on Sunday, in the last eight, there should be another lightweight opponent in Poland's Przemyslaw Wacha awaiting him in the semi-finals.

The battle for the title should be against either Simon Santoso or Sony Dwi Kuncoro, both from Indonesia, and Chong Wei will be the favourite.

But that is as good as it should get for Malaysia has, based on last week's performance, very little to aim for.

The doubles squad are skipping the Korea Open in preference to completing their conditioning training and it is a good move following the Malaysia Open showing where Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were the only local pair to make the last eight.

Chief coach Rexy Mainaky attributed Kien Keat-Boon Heong's exit to tiredness but he has set the entire doubles squad the target of doing well in the All England and Swiss Open in March.

But the doubles, despite Rexy's positiveness, are still highly inconsistent and this must be addressed during the one-week training-cum-motivation camp in Sarawak after the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong remain Malaysia's best bets but the fear is that with every passing tournament, they are being left further behind Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia and Malaysia Open champions Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae of Korea.

These two pairs are Kien Keat-Boon Heong's toughest opponents and the Malaysians must start beating them on a consistent basis if they are to have any hope of winning the world title in Hyderabad, India on Aug 10-16.

The Malaysia Open also drove home the point that there is really nothing much women's doubles Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui can aim for now that Korea's Lee Kyung Wong-Lee Hyo Jung and Taiwan's Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin are back.

The China stars will also start competing soon and Pei Tty-Eei Hui's run on the Super Series is virtually over.

And it could be the same for Malaysia for the situation is bleak.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong and Zakry Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari are inconsistent, the other pairs are still coming to terms with new combinations while the women -- singles and doubles -- are merely making up the numbers.

That leaves just Chong Wei but what will the situation be when Olympic champion Lin Dan returns?

It is time for the other shuttlers to start sharing the burden for Chong Wei can't go on being the last man standing in tournaments.

NST