World Championships: Coach wants at least two men's pairs to make semi-finals

MALAYSIA are certain of having a maximum of three men's doubles qualifying for the World Championships but national coach Tan Kim Her's target is to see at least two pairs making the semi-finals in Guangzhou on Aug 4-11.
World No 2 Kien Keat-Boon Heong's goal is to go for the title while second ranked Tan Wee Kiong-Hoon Thien How, the World No 10, have been set a semi-final target.
Kim Her wants to see a revival of Malaysian men's doubles in Guangzhou.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong's best achievement was finishing runners-up in Paris in 2010 but they faltered in the quarter-finals in 2011.
The last time Malaysia had two pairs in the semi-finals was in 2009 but Kien Keat-Boon Heong and Zakry Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari failed to progress further.
The fight for the third slot is still open with independent pairs Zakry-Fairuz, ranked World No 23, and Gan Teik Chai-Ong Soon Hock, No 27, and national pairs Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah and Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kah Ming, ranked 35th and 36th respectively, aiming to break into the top 24 by the end of April.
"Kien Keat-Boon Heong have been set by BAM to achieve at least a place in the final and if we can have another pair in the semis, it will show a lot of progress. We have eight months to get the top two pairs into the medal rounds of the World Championships in Guangzhou," said Kim Her.
"Kien Keat-Boon Heong have made the final once and they will be motivated to go for the title although the competition will be stiff.
"They have beaten World No 1 Mathias Boe-Cartsen Mogensen (of Denmark) twice since the London Olympics while favourites Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (of China) have not been playing regularly.
"The new threats are from South Korea where Ko Sung Hyun-Lee Yong Dae and Kim Ki Jung-Kim Sa Rang have set the early pace in the title race for the World Championships.
"We have a lot of catching up to do but there is sufficient time to focus on the objective and work hard to return with our heads held high.
"About four pairs are in the running for the third slot and we have not set a target for them.
"However, I want to witness one of Malaysia's best performances in the the World Championships, and the coaches and the players are already putting in their efforts.
"Although the super series events are not priority for the top two pairs, they must also do well as the top five pairs will regularly feature in these events."
Kien Keat-Boon Heong and Wee Kiong-Thien How will compete in the Korea Open, which begins in Seoul on Tuesday, and the Malaysia Open on Jan 15-20.
Besides the men's doubles, World No 3 Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying have also been set a target of reaching at least the semi-finals and break their jinx in the major events where they have never gone past the quarter-final stage.
Courtesy of New Straits Time