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Koo-Tan must strive for consistency





WORLD No 1 Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong's second Malaysia Open title may have given them an ideal start to a hectic year but it also revealed that they still have much to do.

Missing from the Malaysia Open were Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia and China's world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng while South Koreans Jun Jae Sung-Lee Yong were first round casualties, yet Kien Keat-Boon Heong won it the hard way. While it may have been only their first tournament of the year, Kien Keat-Boon Heong's inconsistency in every match was flabbergasting and they would have had to pay a heavy price if another top pair had been around. They cannot hope for such luxuries in the All England in Birmingham on March 9-14 as the best will be there and Kien Keat-Boon Heong must work hard on rectifying their weaknesses. What was encouraging though was the fact that Kien Keat-Boon Heong were able to grind out victories despite not being at their best.



This was a major weakness in their game before, as they would give up when their attacking play was neutralised. This is another aspect that Kien Keat-Boon Heong must change in their game as they are too reliant on their attack. Their defensive play must improve, as well as their mental strength if they are to have a shot at winning gold in the World Championships and defending the Asian Games gold.

Chief coach Rexy Mainaky and Rosman Razak must also start grooming a strong back-up pair with the Thomas Cup Finals (May 9-16) in mind as Zakry Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari are not showing any signs of getting out from their slump. Ong Soon Hock-Hoon Thien How, who upset Jae Sung-Yong Dae, and Tan Wee Kiong-Mak Hee Chun, who defeated veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, provide some hope while a more consistent Chan Peng Soon-Lim Khim Wah can also improve the strength on the bench. Women's doubles Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui have to resign themselves to the fact that they are not in the same league as the China pairs but they still have other goals to attain. They are still good enough to win the Commonwealth Games gold in New Delhi and with more effort, can also earn medals in the Asian Games and World Championships, which they have never achieved before. They also have the lead role to play in the Uber Cup Finals where another solid performance can help Malaysia to a top-four finish. They were an integral part of the team who clinched gold in the Laos Sea Games and with the young pairs showing some progress and Pei Tty-Eei Hui pulling their weight, a semi-final appearance can be achieved.



NST

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