Pemain perseorangan negara, Datuk Wira Lee Chong Wei, menepati ramalan mara ke pusingan kedua Kejohanan Seluruh England selepas mudah menjinakkan lawan dari Perancis, Brice Leverdez.
Leverdez bukanlah lawan asing buat pemain berusia 34 tahun itu tatkala dia pernah tewas mengejut di peringkat suku akhir Terbuka Denmark, Oktober lalu.
Ibarat membuka buku baru, Chong Wei tampil dengan kelas tersendiri untuk menundukkan lawan 21-15, 21-12.
"Lawan bukan pesaing sukar, saya akan cuba mengembalikan keselesaan di atas gelanggang termasuk keyakinan," kata Chong Wei.
Satu lagi wakil negara, beregu Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong juga tidak berdepan masalah menewaskan wakil Jepun, Takuro Hoki dan Yugo Kobayashi, 21-15, 21-8.
"Kami sudah melakukan persiapan yang panjang untuk menghadapi kejohanan ini. Set pertama kami agak goyah tapi diharapkan dalam perlawanan seterusnya, aksi kami lebih baik," kata V Shem.
Terdahulu, beregu wanita negara, Vivian Hoo dan Woon Khe Wei, menundukkan pasangan Thailand, Puttita Supajirakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai, 18-21, 21-11, 21-17.
"Bagi saya, kemenangan ini sudah dijangka kerana kami sudah pun berdepan mereka beberapa kali," kata Vivian.
Bagaimanapun, momentum kemenangan tidak dapat diteruskan beregu lelaki negara, Teo Eee Yi dan Ong Yew Sin, yang tumpas kepada pasangan Taiwan, Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han , 21-14 13-21 21-18.
Beregu campuran no.1 negara, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying, unggul menjinakkan lawan dari Sweden, Nico Ruponen dan Amanda Hogstorm, 21-12, 21-19.
Impian pemain perseorangan profesional negara, Zulfadli Zulkifli, untuk mara ke pusingan seterusnya tidak kesampaian apabila terpaksa akur dengan kehebatan jaguh China, Lin Dan, 21-11, 21-12.
Melengkapkan hari gemilang kem negara adalah pasangan beregu campuran, Tan Kian Meng dan Lai Pei Jing, yang turut mengesahkan kemaraan ke pusingan kedua apabila menewaskan Lu Ching Yao dan Chiang Kai Hsin, 21-14 21-19.
"Perlawanan tadi bukan mudah tetapi kami sudah melakukan persiapan rapi. Permainan kami juga agak baik hari ini. Selepas Terbuka Jerman, keyakinan kami di tahap terbaik," jelas Kian Meng.
Stadium Astro
Wed Mar 08 2017
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