Kuala Lumpur
Old rivals Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan will have different battles at the Thomas Cup Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 20-27.
Chong Wei has a challenging task as Malaysia’s first singles while Lin Dan’s role is easier as China’s third singles.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) released the names of the players for the 16-member premier team competition yesterday.
As first singles, Chong Wei’s opponents from the top teams are Chen Long of China, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Son Wan-ho of South Korea, Kento Momota of Japan and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie.
National head coach Datuk Misbun Sidek said the 35-year-old Chong Wei has a tougher job.
“The younger players are after his scalp. They’ll match their physical strength against his experience,” said Misbun after a training camp at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
Chong Wei’s first test is in group stage against world champion Axelsen.
Malaysia are in Group D with defending champions Denmark, Russia and Algeria.
Malaysia and Denmark are expected to reach quarter-finals but Malaysia want to be group champions to avoid other group winners in the last eight.
The 24-year-old Axelsen skipped the Thomas Cup qualifier in February in Kedah because of a foot surgery but showed he is back at his best by winning the European Championships title in Spain last month.
The notable player missing from Denmark’s line-up is Carsten Mogensen.
The doubles ace, who missed the Finals action two years ago in Kunshan after a brain surgery, is ill again and has withdrawn.
While Chong Wei is bracing for a tough time, five-time world champion Lin Dan can breathe easy, as on paper, he is the strongest player at the third singles slot.
The 34-year-old’s opponents at third singles are Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin or Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia; Heo Kwang-hee or Ha Young-woong of South Korea; Hans-Kristian Vittinghus or Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark; Kazumasa Sakai-Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan; and Firman Abdul Kholik or Ihsan Maulana Mustofa of Indonesia.
“Teams will be out to avoid dragging China into a deciding last tie because of the prospect of playing Lin Dan.
“He’ll be the strongest – but having saying that, nothing is impossible in team events and that makes this year’s edition quite exciting,” added Misbun.
