A long rally, and a long wait for new shuttle stars

BADMINTON has a way of springing surprises, both good and a bad. And this week has been no exception.

First, there was the appointment of Wong Tat Meng as Lee Zii Jia’s coach. That came as a real surprise. It, however, brought a lot of relief, too.

Everyone knows that Zii Jia cannot go on playing without a coach at his side. Even top stars need someone to stand by them.

Tat Meng has earned himself a good reputation as a coach, having worked his magic on his former players like our own Wong Mew Choo, An Se-young of South Korea and even with Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong.

Ka Long, however, did not take the news of Tat Meng ditching the Hong Kong players too well. He expressed his frustration on social media, questioning the sudden move - Tat Meng had just signed a contract with Hong Kong last year.

Tat Meng, though, is determined to lead Zii Jia to a medal at the Paris Olympic Games but he obviously has a lot of work to do.

Zii Jia ran out of gas in the second round of the Malaysian Masters, losing to Lin Chun-yi of Taiwan. It underlined his inconsistency and lack of fitness, something Tat Meng will have to work on.

Zii Jia said he was unwell, but it was evident that he needs to be physically stronger, polish up his defence and be more sturdy on court.

Hopefully, with Tat Meng by his side from July, the world No. 10 can re-establish himself and move up the world standings.

He could take a look at the performances of Pearly Tan-M Thinaah for inspiration.

Their tireless work en route to victory over Japan’s Rena Miyaura-Ayako Sakuramoto has become the talk of the town.

Their 211-shot long rally, which lasted over three minutes, at 16-14 in the deciding game will surely be remembered for a long time.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) do not keep records in terms of exchanges of strokes in a serve but many believe that the rally on Thursday was record-breaking.

That rally showed Pearly-Thinaah’s determination, fortitude and solid defence.

And they continued their fantastic form against another Japanese pair Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota yesterday to reach the semi-finals.

Hopefully, they will stay consistent on the international stage, for as long as that rally was!

Off the court, there was a celebration of two former greats – Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan.

Both were inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame in Kuala Lumpur as the two most successful players of the new millennium – 2000-2020.

Former arch-rivals but now very good friends, both have given fans first-class badminton shows. Their rivalry on court was a cut above and unforgettable.

The 2007 Malaysian Open was a memorable one. Chong Wei was trailing 13-20 in the deciding game but came back from that almost impossible position to win the title. What a comeback that was.

Lin Dan even walked out during the prize presentation as he could not accept Chong Wei’s unbelievable come-from-behind win.

Of course, Lin Dan had his days, beating Chong Wei in the Olympic Games and World Championships.

The two legends were cocky, crafty and they knew how to treat their fans to super skills and impossible shots – they simply oozed class.

We have yet to see players of the same calibre in this era.

No Malaysian has come close to Chong Wei’s standard and stature while China, too, has not found a replacement for Lin Dan.

Except for Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, to some extent, all other men’s’ singles players can lose against any players on their off days.

Japan’s Kento Momota had seemed invincible at one point, but a road accident after the 2020 Malaysian Masters led to him fizzling out.

Chong Wei and Lin Dan have remained role models for many aspiring players.

A new Chong Wei or Lin Dan is what the country – and even badminton – sorely needs.

But Malaysian shuttlers are far from being there. Will we even have a winner at home this weekend in the Masters?

Chong Wei was the last champion at home. Let’s hope there will be a pleasant surprise soon.