China Unstoppable for Uber Cup Victory, Thomas Cup Widely OpenOne thing of the most truth before the launch of the Thomas/Uber Cup Finals here is China's reigning of the Uber Cup, but the men's Thomas Cup could be widely open with at least four nations capable of taking the top honor.Led by world number one women's singles player Gong Zhichao, China had foreseen nothing but the pressure to be perfect to slow down their footsteps on the way to the final victory. "We're the one to beat," coach Tang Xuehua said on Wednesday. "And we're confident to win the Uber Cup again." The tiny Gong, who won the All-England and the Japanese Open titles earlier this year, will be the first seed to stamp Chinese domination in the singles. And world's top-ranked pair Ge Fei and Gu Jun will put things beyond doubt in the doubles games, accompanied by Yang Wei and Huang Nanyan, who won in Japan by beating the Chinese top-seeded duo. China are of the class of their own, leaving Indonesia, who lost to China 4-1 in the previous Cup finals, and Denmark and South Korea competing for the second place. The Thomas Cup could be more unpredictable with Indonesia, China, Malaysia and Denmark all being required to perform their best to pocket the trophy at the end of the 11-day tournament which start here on Thursday. Defending champions Indonesia are the hottest favorites in the men's zone, but their slim advantage from the doubles only makes the bids more interesting. The Chinese team is headed by All-England champion Xian Xuanze and the Japanese Open winner Ji Xinpeng. But the doubles pairs, Yu Jinhao and Chen Qiqiu and Zhang Wei and Zhang Jun might carry less load for their glory. Denmark, who lost to Indonesia in the Finals two years ago, have singles world number one Peter Gade-Christernsen and Poul- Erik Hoyer-Larsen in the squad to boost their chance to win the first Thomas Cup Final from the Asian contenders. While hosts Malaysia, which had called back veteran Rashid Sidek, might be the real challengers to Indonesia had they turned the home advantage into a winning standpoint. South Korea and Sweden are also out in both lines as the four top contenders, but they are short of top players to create surprises. |
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