"I am surprised that the coaches have entered us for the Australia Open as we have been playing regularly in the super series. Playing in the grand prix event doesn't make it any easier to win the title," said Boon Heong during the Axiata Cup in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.
However, national doubles chief coach Tan Kim Her had earlier clarified that Kien Keat-Boon Heong, the World No 2, have been experiencing a confidence crisis and sending them to the Australia Open was to give them a chance to secure their first international title this year.
It was meant to boost their confidence but Boon Heong doesn't seem to share the same sentiment as Kim Her's and will have to prove that Kien Keat and himself are capable of competing against the best in the India Open.
The super series event has attracted all the top five pairs -- World No 1 Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen of Denmark, South Korean pairs Ko Sung Hyun-Lee Yong Dae (No 3) and Kim Ki Jung-Kim Sa Rang (No 5), Japan's Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (No 4) -- besides Kien Keat-Boon Heong while Indonesia's Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan, ranked No 20, will also be competing.
China's newly crowned All England champions Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan will also be there to pile the pressure on Kien Keat-Boon Heong and the India Open, albeit not among the more popular super series events, is expected to provide all the excitement in the men's doubles.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong have not been having a good run against all these pairs except against Hiroyuki-Kenichi and the Malaysians will have to be prepared to avoid an early exit.
Lee Chong Wei should have no problems as World No 7 Chen Jin and World No 10 Kenichi Tago are the only players on the list who could give the Malaysian World No 1 a hard time.
Chong Wei, whose wife Wong Mew Choo is due to give birth anytime soon, has been in two minds whether to play in the event. As for Liew Daren and Chong Wei Feng, a good result in the India Open will be important to improve their world ranking in order to gain a seeding for the World Championships in Guangzhou on Aug 5-11.
The duo have another three months to achieve their goal of breaking into the top 10 as the July 18 world ranking will be used to determine the seeding for the World Championships. By K.M. Boopathy
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