There won’t be Lee Zii Jia to headline the country’s participation in South Korea beginning with the Korea Open which gets underway on Tuesday, but hopes are rife that the national contingent can come away with another podium finish.
Tee Kai Wun-Man Wei Chong kicked off the year with the men’s doubles title at the Syed Modi International in January, before their team-mates Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin followed it up by bagging the German Open last month.
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Goh-Izzuddin also made the Swiss Open final last week along with Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, but both pairs failed to get past the final hurdle.
Still, it was a commendable feat which the Malaysians surely hope to match or eclipse in the city of Suncheon.
With Lee skipping the Korean meets, including next week’s Korean Masters to focus on the Thomas Cup preparation, his assistant coach Liew Daren leads the challenge in the men’s singles.
Liew faces K. Srikanth in the first round, while Ng Tze Yong is up against Kalle Koljonen and Cheam June Wei is set to take on India’s H.S.Prannoy.
In the men’s doubles, national pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh-Izzuddin will not see action, and in their absence Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi are seeded the highest at sixth and face young Indian pair Bokka Navaneeth-Reddy B.Sumeeth.
Meanwhile, there is an all-Malaysian battle between Lim Khim Wah-Nur Azriyn Ayub and Goh V Shem-Low Juan Shen, and Tan Kian Meng-Tan Wee Kiong play Irish pair Joshua Magee-Paul Reynolds.
Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien, who did well to reach the Swiss Open semi-finals, have a first-round match against a local pair in the women’s doubles.
Goh-Lai would look to put their Swiss Open final disappointment aside when they face Thai pair Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran in the opening round.
Fifth seeds Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing are up against India’s Reddy B.Sumeeth-Ashwini Ponnappa, while Ong-Goh Liu Ying take on Guo Xin Wa-Liu Xuan Xuan.
