Mew Choo warns Zhou Mi she won’t be her ‘play thing’

Monday, 03 August 2009

By RAJES PAUL Hong Kong’s feared women’s singles shuttler Zhou Mi loves to toy with her opponents on court. But Malaysia’s Wong Mew Choo does not plan to become one of Zhou Mi’s ‘play things’ in the World Championships, which will begin in Hyderabad, India, from Aug 10-16. Miss no-nonsense: Wong Mew Choo is focused on the World Championships. Barring any major upsets or injuries, Mew Choo is expected take on the world No. 1 and top seed Zhou Mi in the women’s singles third round of the world meet. Mew Choo will face American Shannon Pohl in the opening round and probably Japan’s Ai Goto in the second round. Having lost twice to Zhou Mi, the 26-year-old Mew Choo admits that it would be a tall order for any player coming up against China’s former top national star. “Her skills are amazing. She likes to toy with her opponents and break their rhythm of play,” said Mew Choo. “In one of the tournaments, she took a 14-0 lead against me. It almost broke my resolve. “Many do not like to play against her. She can retrieve any kinds of shots. She may be much older than most of the players but she certainly can make life difficult for us.” Mew Choo’s only hope is to go all out against Zhou Mi if their paths cross in India. “I will not take my early round matches easy. I may face Ai Goto in the second round. I have not played against her but the Japanese are runners and I will be wary of her,” she said. “It will be great if I can set up a meeting with Zhou Mi. The odds are against me but it does not matter whether I win or lose ... the most important thing is to fight all out.” The others in the same draw with the 30-year-old Zhou Mi and Mew Choo are China’s Xie Xingfang and Wang Yihan. In the lower half of the draw with Wang Lin of China is compatriot Lu Lan, Hong Kong’s Wang Chen and Yip Pui Yin, Denmark’s Tine Rasmussen and India’s Saina Nehwal. The participation of Indonesian Open champion Saina, however, is in doubt after the former contracted chicken pox last week. Mew Choo said she hoped that her injuries would not derail her hopes of achieving another memorable outing in the world meet. At the world meet in Malaysia in 2007, Mew Choo stunned Xingfang to reach the quarter-finals. In the same year, she went on to beat several of China’s top guns to win the China Open. “I was quite confident with my game at one point and now I am re-building myself to become a better player. “I am glad that my injuries (both knees) are under control,” she said. Courtesy of The Star