PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will rely heavily on their men’s doubles against Japan, with little room for error in the battle to decide the Group B winners of the Thomas Cup in Horsens.
Malaysia’s men’s doubles have been the backbone of the team so far, remaining unbeaten in ties against England and Finland.
That included Soh Wooi Yik forming a scratch partnership with Tee Kai Wun to help Malaysia bounce back to a 4-1 win over Finland on Monday.
They only dropped one point through Leong Jun Hao who suffered a surprise defeat to Joakim Oldorff in the opening match.
Despite the shaky start, Wooi Yik believes the squad remain focused and determined as they continue their quest to end a 34-year wait for the title.
“Although we lost the first match, we were prepared for it. We’re not down because of that and we still believe we can win,” said Wooi Yik in an interview with the Badminton World Federation.
The men’s singles remain a concern against Japan, meaning the doubles will have to deliver before Malaysia turn to Lee Zii Jia in the third singles.
However, Japan have already played psychological games by resting several key players in their comfortable 5-0 win over England on Monday.
The team, coached by Hitoshi Ohori, left out world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka and instead fielded Yushi Tanaka as their first singles.
There was also no sign of Takuro Hoki-Hiroki Midorikawa in the doubles, with world No. 24 pair Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi fielded as the first pair, followed by world No. 30 duo Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami.
However, Wooi Yik pointed out that Malaysia have had sufficient rest after a day without matches, which should put the team in good stead for their clash against Japan today.
“It’s a long journey in this Thomas Cup,” said Wooi Yik.
“I think we’ve got a good schedule, so we have to be well prepared and take care of our bodies.”
