Asian Games: Malaysia fall to South Koreans in the semis

MALAYSIA will have to wait for four years more to get another chance to win the Asian Games gold medal in team badminton after they crashed to a 1-3 defeat by defending champions South Korea in the men's semi-finals at the Aspire Hall 3 in Doha last night. 

The hope was on Lee Chong Wei to earn the first point for Malaysia against Lee Hyun-il but he played a match littered with mistakes and was beaten 19-21, 19-21. It was the Malaysian number one's first defeat by the Korean in five meetings this year. 

Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Lin Woon Fui, featuring as the top ranked pair for Malaysia for the first time, put up a fighting display in their 21-19, 20-22, 16-21 defeat by Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung. 

Mohd Hafiz Hashim, who had a lucklustre match in the group tie against Hong Kong on Saturday, losing to Ng Wei, redeemed himself with a 21-12, 11-21, 21-17 victory over Park Sung-hwan. 

DOWNFALL: A dejected Lee Chong Wei afterlosing the opening singles to Lee Hyun-il.

But it was only a reprieve for Malaysia. The second ranked doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong failed in their bid to outwit Hwang Ji-man-Lee Jae-jin in their first meeting. They were beaten 14-21, 21-23 and with it the Malaysia's hopes of reaching their first team final in 16 years were flushed down the drain. 

The Koreans also defeated Malaysia at the same stage when they hosted the last Asiad in Busan in 2002.  

Malaysia will have to settle for the bronze yet again and chief coach Yap Kim Hock said that things did not work out as planned. 

“We knew the Koreans would take the fight to us and our hopes were on Chong Wei to get the first point. His failure intensified the pressure on the younger players,” he said. 

“Kien Keat-Boon Heong should have been braver to attack the Korean pair when they had the opportunities but they lifted the shuttle instead. 

“We now have to turn our attention to the individual events. Our players are still young and this was a good experience for them. Our gamble did not work out ... it all part of the game.” 

But from the players' performances, Malaysia have to admit that they were just not good enough to win the tie against the Koreans last night.