 |
| Liew Daren hopes to end the year on a high. |
Only World No 1 Chong Wei, a two-time All England champion, and Japan's Kenichi Tago have qualified for the eight-player men's singles competition in the Finals on Dec 12-16 in Shenzhen, China.
Although Daren is sixth in the Super Series rankings, he cannot take his place for granted as those vying for the other six spots are also competing in Hong Kong.
China's Chen Long, bronze medallist at the London Olympics, and Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana are also among the 15 players hoping to qualify.
"It has so far been a breakthrough season for me and, hopefully, I can end the year on a high," said Daren when contacted in Hong Kong yesterday.
"I should be able to qualify for the Super Series Finals regardless of my result here but I do not want to take any chances.
"I hope to achieve my target and become only the second Malaysian singles shuttler besides Chong Wei to play in the Finals."
Daren also hopes to break into top 15 of the world rankings by doing well in Hong Kong but the 25-year-old's dream could be halted as he has been handed a tough draw.
The Kuala Lumpur-born opens against Indonesia's World No 24 Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka today and if he wins, will likely face second seed Chen Long, who won last week's China Open, in the second round.
Daren has not beaten either player on the tour since he turned professional five years ago.
After winning the French Open, Daren was expected to make an impact on the China Open but he exited in the second round, going down to Gao Huan of China, ranked 95th in the world.
"I did not play too badly in China. Gao Huan was well prepared and I could not do much to stop him from winning," he said.
On his target in Hong Kong, Daren said he will take it one match at a time.
"I need to think of strategies for my opening match against Dionysius. I lost to him in 2010 but I believe I have the upper hand this time following my triumph in France," Daren added.
Chong Wei starts his campaign against Boonsak today while compatriots Arif Latif and Chong Wei Feng take on Russia's Vladimir Ivanov and sixth seed Tago, respectively.
Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, who are top seeds in the Hong Kong Open, lead the Super Series men's doubles rankings and have already booked their spot in the Finals.
The World No 4 pair, semi-finalists at the Olympics, will open against Thailand's Patiphat Chalardchalean-Nipitphon Puangpuapech today.
Courtesy of New Straits Times
No comments:
Post a Comment