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Thursday May 4, 2006

Thomas Cup: Malaysia in semis after dramatic win over South Korea

MALAYSIA reached the Thomas Cup semi-finals in dramatic fashion at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium yesterday.

They defeated South Korea 3-2 in the quarter-finals and skipper Wong Choong Hann will have no more part to play in Malaysia’s bid to regain the prestigious trophy they last won in 1992.

He is out because of a ruptured Achilles tendon.

In the semi-finals tomorrow, Malaysia will be up against Denmark, who advanced with an easy 3-0 win over India.

It was certainly an emotional day for the Malaysians, who had to cope with happiness and sadness.

HERO: Hafiz Hashim celebrating after clinching the winning point for Malaysia in the Thomas Cup quarter-finals in Tokyo, Japan. —STARpic by UU BAN
They got off to an excellent start when Lee Chong Wei overcame a brief period of nervousness to outclass Lee Hyun-il 21-17, 21-14 in just 38 minutes, which got thousands of Malaysian students in the crowd all excited.

“I knew the first point was very important for Malaysia. The first game was tight and I was nervous. But after a while, I got into rhythm. This was probably my best-ever match against Hyun-il,” said the world number two.

However, the Koreans quickly levelled the tie. Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat failed to justify the faith coach Rexy Mainaky had in them and went down 18-21, 22-24 to the scratch pair Jung Jae-sung-Hwang Ji-man.

Choong Hann came in to get Malaysia back on track and got off to a superb start against Park Sung-hwan, who was promoted to play the second singles match as the Koreans opted to drop 2004 Athens Olympics silver medallist Shon Seung-mo.

Leading 10-6, he landed awkwardly. He limped out of court and had to retire.

South Korea were 2-1 up and Malaysia were under tremendous pressure.

Certainly there were fears that Malaysia will not pull through.

But veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah provided the lift for Malaysian again with an astounding 21-18, 21-9 win over the other Korean scratch combination of Han Sang-hoon-Lee Yong-dae.

“We knew how important this match was for the team after Choong Hann had to surrender his match because of injury. But we did not let the setback affect our game. We stayed focused and we did better than the Koreans at the front court.”

It was all up to Mohd Hafiz Hashim to determine the fate of the Malaysians.

SHEER JOY: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei rejoices after defeating South Korea’s Lee Hyun-il in the first match of the quarter-final tie.
He rose to the occasion, giving a polished display to clinch the tie for Malaysia with a 21-17, 21-10 win in 29 minutes over Jang Young-soo.

“I felt more fired up to win the match for Malaysia than pressure. I am glad I won,” he said.

With the narrow win, Malaysia have achieved their target of reaching at least the semi-finals. At the last Finals in Jakarta in 2004, Malaysia were eliminated by Indonesia in the quarter-finals.

National chief coach Yap Kim Hock praised the Malaysians for their fighting spirit.

“All were dejected after Chong Hann’s injury but they did not let it affect them. Tan Fook-Wan Wah and Hafiz did not buckle under pressure. Instead, they lifted the morale of the team with their fighting display,” said Kim Hock.

“I am proud of them. This team is getting stronger and stronger.

“Choong Hann may be out of the team but we are still in the Finals with a fighting chance. We will get ready for Denmark.”

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