Chong Wei fails to deliver for Hyderabad Hunters

Lee Chong Wei ( right ) at the press conference to announce informations on the Legends' Vision.- SHAARI CHEMAT / THESTAR

PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Lee Chong Wei has suffered a drawback in his run-up to the Malaysian Masters in Penang from Jan 19-24.

The 33-year-old failed to get off to a good start to the new season, losing 12-15, 15-6, 7-15 to India’s K. Srikanth in the men’s singles at the Premier Badminton League (PBL) in Mumbai, India, on Sunday.

Chong Wei’s team – the Hyderabad Hunters – eventually lost 2-3 to Srikanth’s Bengaluru Top Guns.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) technical director Morten Frost, however, is not reading too much into Chong Wei’s loss.

“It’s just a minor blip. It won’t hurt Chong Wei’s preparations for the Malaysian Masters. An international tournament is completely different from a league match,” said Frost.

“Although he has only been involved in league matches (including the Purple League) since the Hong Kong Open in November, I believe he will be well prepared for the challenge in Penang.”

If everything goes according to the form book, Chong Wei should meet Srikanth at the Malaysian Masters final. The Malaysia No. 1 is seeded first with Srikanth the second seed.

Chong Wei kicks off his campaign against Indian R.M.V Gurusaidutt. He is expected to breeze into the quarter-finals where he should face either India’s Ajay Jayaram or Hong Kong’s Hu Yun with a clash with third seed Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia in the semi-finals on the cards.

Srikanth’s first-round rival is Malaysia’s Chong Wei Feng.

The other Malaysian singles shuttlers in the fray are Liew Daren, Lim Chi Wing, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, Soong Joo Ven, Goh Soon Huat, Soo Teck Zhi, Tan Chun Seang, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Zulfadli Zulkiffli.

In the men’s doubles, the Malaysian pairs in the fray are Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Hoon Thien How-Lim Khim Wah.