Good chance for Keen Hoo to end medal drought
KUALA LUMPUR: The men’s snooker players, led by Asian Under-21 champion Moh Keen Hoo, stand a good chance of ending an eight-year-old medal drought for Malaysia at the Doha Asian Games.
In the draw for the snooker and billiards competition, the unseeded Keen Hoo has a shot at winning two medals – in the singles and team competitions.
He has a good chance to advance to the semi-finals from the bottom half of the draw, which has China’s number two player Liang Wenbo and Hong Kong’s top player Marco Fu.
The 20-year-old Keen Hoo should clear his opening round against Pakistani Asseri Ahmad to set up a match against another Pakistani, Shaukat Ali, who beat Malaysia’s Sam Chong to the singles gold in the 1998 Bangkok Asiad.
KEEN HOO: The youngster stands a bright chance of winning medals in the singles and team competitions.
Team manager Melvin Chua believes that Keen Hoo had a good chance to turn the tables on Shaukat.
“Shaukat is not as strong as before and Keen Hoo should be able to take him on,” said Melvin, who is the secretary of the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation.
If Keen Hoo makes it to the third round, he can expect to play against Neang Tola of Cambodia, a semi-finalist at the last Asiad in Busan in 2002.
“Keen Hoo lost to the Cambodian in the Manila SEA Games last year but with better preparation now, he should win. If he qualifies for the quarter-finals, Keen Hoo should face Thailand’s Mahitthi Athasit,” said Melvin.
“Here, Keen Hoo has a good chance of winning. He is mentally strong when it comes to playing against the Thais, having beaten them on numerous occasions.”
Keen Hoo won the Asian Under-21 title on Thai soil last year besides lifting the Thailand International Invitational. He has also beaten Thai snooker ace James Wattana in a competition in Thailand.
The other Malaysian player, Thor Chuan Leong, is in the top half of the draw with China’s snooker sensation Ding Junhui.
It will be tougher for Keen Hoo and Lai Chee Wei in the doubles competition. They are drawn to play against Singapore, who have the services of 1994 and 2001 world champion Peter Gilchrist, in the first round.
Luck was not on the side of Patrick Ooi Fook Yuen and Amir Ibrahim, the Malaysian representatives in the eight-ball singles pool competition.
Patrick has Taiwanese top seed Huang Kun-chang waiting in the second round while Amir have Wu Chia-ching waiting in the last eight.
It could be a short-lived debut for Esther Kwan and Suhana Dewi in the women’s eight-ball and nine-ball singles competitions, held for the first time in the Asian Games.
KUALA LUMPUR: The men’s snooker players, led by Asian Under-21 champion Moh Keen Hoo, stand a good chance of ending an eight-year-old medal drought for Malaysia at the Doha Asian Games.
In the draw for the snooker and billiards competition, the unseeded Keen Hoo has a shot at winning two medals – in the singles and team competitions.
He has a good chance to advance to the semi-finals from the bottom half of the draw, which has China’s number two player Liang Wenbo and Hong Kong’s top player Marco Fu.
The 20-year-old Keen Hoo should clear his opening round against Pakistani Asseri Ahmad to set up a match against another Pakistani, Shaukat Ali, who beat Malaysia’s Sam Chong to the singles gold in the 1998 Bangkok Asiad.
KEEN HOO: The youngster stands a bright chance of winning medals in the singles and team competitions.
Team manager Melvin Chua believes that Keen Hoo had a good chance to turn the tables on Shaukat.
“Shaukat is not as strong as before and Keen Hoo should be able to take him on,” said Melvin, who is the secretary of the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation.
If Keen Hoo makes it to the third round, he can expect to play against Neang Tola of Cambodia, a semi-finalist at the last Asiad in Busan in 2002.
“Keen Hoo lost to the Cambodian in the Manila SEA Games last year but with better preparation now, he should win. If he qualifies for the quarter-finals, Keen Hoo should face Thailand’s Mahitthi Athasit,” said Melvin.
“Here, Keen Hoo has a good chance of winning. He is mentally strong when it comes to playing against the Thais, having beaten them on numerous occasions.”
Keen Hoo won the Asian Under-21 title on Thai soil last year besides lifting the Thailand International Invitational. He has also beaten Thai snooker ace James Wattana in a competition in Thailand.
The other Malaysian player, Thor Chuan Leong, is in the top half of the draw with China’s snooker sensation Ding Junhui.
It will be tougher for Keen Hoo and Lai Chee Wei in the doubles competition. They are drawn to play against Singapore, who have the services of 1994 and 2001 world champion Peter Gilchrist, in the first round.
Luck was not on the side of Patrick Ooi Fook Yuen and Amir Ibrahim, the Malaysian representatives in the eight-ball singles pool competition.
Patrick has Taiwanese top seed Huang Kun-chang waiting in the second round while Amir have Wu Chia-ching waiting in the last eight.
It could be a short-lived debut for Esther Kwan and Suhana Dewi in the women’s eight-ball and nine-ball singles competitions, held for the first time in the Asian Games.
