[BWF]Taipei up ‘four’ the challenge

　Taipei are confident of reaching the 2011 Double Star BWF Sudirman Cup World Mixed Team Championships semi-finals, but conceded their women will have to step up to the plate to deliver the winning points.

　The fourth seeds will face Denmark in the last eight at the Qingdao Sports Centre Conson Stadium on Friday and team manager Kuo Mao Liao said the team will only have four chances of winning the three points they need to win the tie and reach the final four.

　“Denmark’s first singles (Peter Gade) is too good for any of our men. That puts us at a disadvantage but I reckon we can win three points from the four remaining matches,” he said after a training session on Thursday.

　"Our women will play an important role and we need them to be in top form to help us. I believe we have a fair chance of getting the points we need from the women’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles while our women’s doubles are our strongest bet for a point.”

　World No. 2s Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin have won both their women’s doubles matches in the tournament but will face their first real test when they come up against either Kamilla Rytter Juhl-Christinna Pedersen or Marie Ropke-Line Kruse.

　“I’m confident the women’s doubles can deliver a point,” said Liao Kuo. “Our target prior to the tournament was to reach the semi-finals and I think that is possible.”

　He added Cheng Shao Chieh or Tai Tzu Ying will be able to give Tine Baun a good fight in the women’s singles, particularly as Baun still isn’t at her best since returning from injury.

　Lee Sheng Mu-Fang Chieh Min have contributed two victories in the men’s doubles but they will be up against world No. 1 and All England champions Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen, who will be out to redeem themselves after falling to South Korea’s Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae in a group match on Wednesday.

　The mixed doubles pairing of Chen Hung Ling-Cheng Wen Hsing will have to raise their level against world No.3 Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (picture), to secure the victory for Taipei.

(只摘譯重點: 中華隊總教練廖國茂週四在接受訪問時表示, 我們的男單選手無法挑戰蓋德, 其他四點有機會獲勝, 尤其是女雙更是中華隊的王牌, 女單選手需要發揮自己的實力, 才能擊敗實力還未完全恢復的蒂娜.鮑恩, 男雙應該是由方介民/李勝木來挑戰目前排名世界第一的鮑依/摩根森, 混雙的陳宏麟/程文欣必須提升自己的水準來對抗丹麥的費雪.尼爾森/佩卓森.)