KUALA LUMPUT, Aug 18 – Malaysia has been drawn in Group D together with Japan, England and Canada in the Thomas Cup Championships finals to be held in Aarhus, Denmark from Oct 9-17.
Badminton fans will remember the heartbreak in the 2014 Thomas Cup final in New Delhi, India.
That was the year Malaysia drawn as favourite to regain the prestigious silverware they last won in 1992.
However, Japan wrote history when they clinched a 3-2 win over the Malaysians with Takuma Ueda defeating Liew Darren 21-12, 18-21, 21-17 in the decider. It was Japan’s first-ever Thomas Cup title.
Now retired Datuk Lee Chong Wei had given Malaysia a flying start with a 21-12, 21-16 win over Kenichi Tago in the first singles.
Japan took the first doubles through Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa with a 12-21, 21-17, 21-19 win over Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How,
Kento Momota gave Japan a 2-1 lead with a 21-15, 21-17 win over Chong Wei Feng before Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong snatched a 19-21, 21-17, 21-12 win over Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda.
In Aarhus, the top two teams in their respective groups will advance to the quarterfinals.
Malaysia has a tough draw in the Uber Cup Finals and has 14-time winners China, Denmark and Canada for a company in Group D.
THOMAS CUP
A: Indonesia, Taiwan, Algeria, Thailand
B: Denmark, South Korea, France, Germany
C: China, India, Netherlands, Tahiti
D: Japan, Malaysia, Canada, England
UBER CUP
A: Japan, Indonesia, Germany, France
B: Thailand, India, Spain, Scotland
C: South Korea, Taiwan, Tahiti, Egypt
D: China, Denmark, Malaysia, Canada
About The Author
