My hero: Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn looks up to Lee Chong Wei and hopes the legend can be at the Malaysian Open to cheer him on. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand’s men’s singles sensation Kunlavut Vitidsarn hopes his idol Datuk Lee Chong Wei will support him if he reaches the final of the Malaysian Open.
Kunlavut is aiming to achieve a breakthrough by making it into his first final in the World Tour Super 1000 event which gets underway at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today.
And the 23-year-old hopes Chong Wei, who has won the crown a record 12 times will be there to cheer him on if he manages to book his spot in the final which will be held on Sunday.
Choong Wei won it in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018.
“Chong Wei is my idol and I have learnt a lot from him.
“I met him before the Paris Olympics (last August) and he gave me some good advice on improving my attacking game,” said Kunlavut after a training session at the Axiata Arena yesterday.
“This year, I hope I can reach the final here and he will be there to support me. I have never reached a Super 1000 final yet and this is a very big challenge for me but my aim is to try to get a breakthrough.”
Lee Chong Wei.
Kunlavut, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the world, already has an impressive record in major events and is out to strike again after capturing the world title in 2023 and silver in the Olympics.The Thai though will not have it easy as he has been handed a tough draw, starting from the first round where he will face rising Frenchman and world No. 18 Alex Lanier.
If Kunlavut gets past his opening hurdle, he could face Indonesia’s world No. 10 Anthony Ginting before a possible showdown against Denmark’s defending champion and world No. 2 Anders Antonsen.
While acknowledging the difficult task ahead, Kunlavut is keen to rediscover his best form after an inconsistent end in 2024.
The youngster captured the Korean Masters title but did not progress past the last eight in the Japan and China Masters in November.
Kunlavut was also eliminated in the group stage in the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last month.
“In the Olympics, my performance was nice but after that I was attending many events and my performance dropped as expected,” said Kunlavut.
“I lost early in a few tournaments and my performance was just normal. This is the first tournament of the year and I hope to get my form back here.”
