Easy draw for our men

KUALA LUMPUR: It should be a breeze for Malaysia in the Asian Zone Thomas Cup qualifiers as the draw has pitted them against minnows in the meet, which will be held in Jaipur, India from Feb 15-19. 

In the draw conducted at the Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC) secretariat here yesterday, the top-seeded Malaysians head Group A, which also comprises Iran, Pakistan and Nepal. 

But the Malaysians were not so lucky in the Uber Cup qualifiers. They are in Group Y with top seeds South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan and Iran. Only the top two teams in the group will qualify for the Finals in Japan from April 28-May 7. 

Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, India and Pakistan are in Group X. 

Malaysia’s chief coach Yap Kim Hock said the qualifiers would not pose much problem for the men. “No problems. We have an easy group. But that does not mean we will take it easy. The qualifiers will now allow me to give the younger players more time on the court. The seniors will only be fielded in some matches so that they get a chance to experiment with the new scoring system,” said Kim Hock. 

The 21-point scoring system will be used in the qualifiers and the Finals. This will be the first tournament this year to use the format.  

Kim Hock said the format would also be used in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, thus the need for them to experiment with it in Jaipur. 

For the Uber Cup, he said they would have a tough fight to book one of the four places. 

“We are in a very tough group. The Koreans will grab the top place and we have to fight for the second spot with Indonesia and Taiwan. We have a chance as some of our players have beaten the Indons and the Taiwanese. But they too have beaten us,” he added. 

The 13 teams in the Thomas Cup were drawn into four groups. All the group champions will qualify for the Finals.  

South Korea are the second seeds and were placed in Group D along with Taiwan and Sri Lanka. Indonesia head Group B with Thailand and Vietnam and face the prospect of playing Malaysia in the semi-finals. The teams in Group C are Hong Kong, India and Singapore. 

Indonesian assistant team manager Luis Pongoh was happy with the Thomas Cup draw but felt that the Uber Cup would be a bit of a challenge for them. 

Thailand team manager Choompon Leelatian was happy with the draw.  

“I think it is a fair draw for us. We have Indonesia for company in the Thomas Cup. That will be the big match. In the Uber Cup, we stand a good chance of making the cut. This is an easier group compared to the other,” he added. 

The Asian Zone will have four qualifiers in the Finals while Europe will have three. The other continents – Pan America, Africa and Oceania – would have one each. 

China, as defending champions for both the Thomas and Uber Cups, are automatic qualifiers along with hosts Japan.