SHAH ALAM – Former Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann believes that the Malaysia men’s team has a strong line-up for the upcoming Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC), scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old Choong Hann, who replaced his compatriot Wong Tat Meng, who left the Hong Kong Badminton Association as the men’s singles head coach in July last year, said that Malaysia’s experienced players will give the national men’s team an extra edge to defend their title on home soil.
“Malaysia’s line-up for this year’s tournament looks really solid with the players they have on the team.
“Experienced players like Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, and Leong Jun Hao have been showing up in all the tournaments they have competed in over the years, while the team also has a mixture of young players such as Eogene Ewe Eon.
“Jun Hao has evolved a lot, and he has proven what he is capable of in the last edition. I think now, with better experience, he will do better, and it’s evident with his presence on the team.
“As a whole, the team looks very well-balanced and promising, with the coaches giving exposure to junior shuttlers for this year’s edition,” said Choong Hann after the test court session at Setia City Convention Centre today.
ABM will be fielding its strongest line-up for the BATC 2024 challenge by listing national men’s singles champions Zii Jia, Tze Yong, Justin Hoh, and Eogene for the singles category.
In men’s doubles, Malaysia will be represented by 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, and Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri.
For the women’s squad, Goh Jin Wei, K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, and Siti Nurshuhaini Azman will lead the challenge in singles, while top pairs Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee, and Low Yeen Yuan-Tan Zhing Yi will feature in doubles.
BAM has set a target of reaching at least the semi-finals for the national squad at the tournament, which will be held at Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam from February 13 to 18.
The women’s team is placed in Group Y with third seeds Thailand and the 41st-ranked United Arab Emirates, while the men’s team, the tournament’s fourth seeds, will battle in Group B with Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, and Brunei.
Last year, the Malaysian men’s team clinched their maiden team title, while the women’s team secured their place in the Uber Cup Finals on merit after reaching the semi-finals.
The top four teams from both the men’s and women’s events will qualify for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in China on April 28 to May 5. – February 11, 2024