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Malaysia Dapat Laluan Mudah Ke Suku Akhir Piala Sudirman Li-Ning

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Mac (Bernama) -- Malaysia dijangka menghadapi laluan mudah ke peringkat suku akhir Piala Sudirman LI NING 2013 di Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil di sini dari 19 hingga 26 Mei ini.

Dalam undian yang diadakan di sebuah hotel terkemuka di ibu negara yang turut dihadiri Setiausaha Agung Persekutuan Badminton Dunia (BWF) Thomas Lund Khamis, skuad badminton negara diundi dalam Kumpulan C bersama juara Eropah, Jerman dan Taiwan.

Kumpulan A dianggap kumpulan 'maut' apabila juara lapan kali, China bakal menghadapi tentangan sengit juara 1989, Indonesia dan India pada kejohanan berpasukan campuran berprestij dunia itu.

Juara tiga kali, Korea Selatan pula mengetuai cabaran Kumpulan B bersama Thailand dan Hong Kong manakala Denmark, Jepun dan Singapura diundi dalam Kumpulan D pada kejohanan dwitahunan itu.

Selain 12 negara berkenaan yang diletakkan dalam Kumpulan 1, kejohanan itu turut disertai 19 pasukan lain dalam tiga lagi kumpulan di mana mereka akan bersaing untuk memperbaiki ranking masing-masing dalam senarai BWF.

Kumpulan 2 dianggotai Russia, Belanda, Amerika Syarikat, Perancis, Sweden, Kanada, Scotland dan Austria manakala Kumpulan 3 dihuni Ukraine, Switzerland, New Zealand, Vietnam, Turki, Australia, Sri Lanka dan Lithuania.

Tiga lagi negara iaitu Afrika Selatan, Filipina dan Kazakhstan diletakkan dalam Kumpulan 4.

Mengenai undian tersebut, ketua jurulatih perseorangan negara, Rashid Sidek melihat laluan skuad negara mara ke suku akhir adalah cerah, namun tidak mahu memandang rendah keupayaan dua lagi pesaing mereka yang mampu memberi ancaman.

"Kita boleh nampak kelemahan ketara pemain wanita negara dalam acara perseorangan dengan Jerman mempunyai pemain berpengalaman, Juliane Schenk manakala Taiwan akan menyandarkan harapan kepada (juara Terbuka Malaysia 2013), Tai Tzu Ying.

"Saya percaya jika pemain wanita negara mampu mempamerkan aksi cemerlang pada kejohanan kali ini, kita mampu mara lebih jauh," katanya.

Rashid, yang meletakkan sasaran separuh akhir, berkata Datuk Lee Chong Wei menjadi pertaruhan utama negara alam mengutip mata pertama sekali gus memberi semangat kepada rakan sepasukan untuk mencatat kemenangan.

"Kita semua tahu Chong Wei mampu bangkit jika ketinggalan, namun agak sukar untuk saya menjamin tempat bagi dua lagi pemain perseorangan Liew Daren dan Chong Wei Feng yang tidak konsisten sejak kebelakangan ini," katanya.

Dua pasukan terbaik dalam setiap kumpulan bagi Kumpulan 1, akan mara ke suku akhir pada kejohanan itu manakala pasukan yang menduduki tangga terbawah akan turun ke Kumpulan 2.

Untuk rekod, Malaysia tidak pernah memenangi Piala Sudirman sejak ia mula dipertandingkan di Jakarta, Indonesia pada 1989.

Piala itu dinamakan sempena Dick Sudirman bagi menghargai jasa dan sumbangan bekas legenda badminton Indonesia itu yang merupakan pengasas Persatuan Bulu Tangkis Indonesia (PBSI).



-- BERNAMA

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