Mew Choo Marches On

After being defeated twice, once during the Malaysian Open, and once during the World Championships, Malaysia's top Women's Singles player Wong Mew Choo finally got the better of reigning World Champion Zhu Lin. Although the score reflects a close match, Wong totally outclassed and dominated the younger Zhu, especially in the second and third sets. Ironically, Wong defeated Zhu in front of the Chinese home crowd, while it was in Kuala Lumpur, Wong's own home ground that Zhu got the better of Wong.

The match started out equally, with both players cautiously testing each other. However, an unfortunate lapse of concentration on Wong's part allowed Zhu to surge forward and claim the first set 21-18 from a neutral 18-18 position. However, in the second set, Zhu failed to control the big drift present in the stadium, allowing Wong to exploit this weakness and surge to a 10-2 lead. Wong never looked back, and despite a late charge from Zhu, managed to secure the second set by an enormous 21-9 margin.

In the third set however, it a completely different scenario. Zhu appeared lethargic and slow, while Wong appeared quick and alert. It was the third set, but Wong appeared to be fresh and focused. Another late charge by Zhu avoided a humiliating defeat, and allowed Wong to claim her first win over her archnemsis in a 18-12 21-9 21-13 win.

It cannot be denied that Zhu suffered from her arduous and energy sapping match yesterday against former world number 1 Zhou Mi. However, Wong's improvement, her increased speed and additional strokes to an already impressive arsenal certainly augurs well for her semifinal match against Zhang Ning, who defeated Chinese youngster Wang Lin in 2 tight sets. Wong will try to emulate her success in the 2007 Malaysian Open earlier this year, where she reached the finals. This also improves her chances of participating in the year end Super Series Finals, and would certainly improve her world ranking, currently hinging at 8th.

All the best to her.