PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Eogene Ewe is hoping to prove himself if selected for the Thomas Cup Finals from April 27-May 5 in Chengdu, China.
The 19-year-old is one of the players in contention to be included in the squad for the prestigious team meet and is waiting to see if he will get the nod.
Eogene was surprisingly selected for the Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam in February and could now get a call-up for what will be his biggest tournament so far.
“I think there’s a 50-50 chance that the coaches will pick me for the Thomas Cup,” said Eogene.
“If I’m selected, I will prepare myself well and give my very best.”
It was a steep learning curve for Eogene in the Asian team meet where sickness and injury to the country’s No. 1 Lee Zii Jia and No. 2 Ng Tze Yong had seen him thrust into action in the second singles in the final against China.
Eogene, who is currently ranked 204th in the world, lost out to world No. 33 Lei Lanxi in straight games.
The team eventually lost out 0-3 to settle for the runners-up spot.
Eogene wants to do better if given an opportunity to play in the Thomas Cup.
“It will be tough in the Thomas Cup but I want to perform better than I did in the Asia team meet,” said Eogene.
“I do have lots to improve on especially in terms of on-court strategy. The physical aspect and skills are not enough as game intelligence is also important.
“I have to work hard to close the gap to my seniors.”
The deadline to name the players for the team meet is on April 13.
The other players who are under consideration to be included in the team are Zii Jia, Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Justin Hoh.
Malaysia have been placed in the same group as Denmark, Hong Kong and Algeria.
Only the top two teams will progress into the last eight.
