Badminton: June Wei prepared to face any crucial clash in third singles

PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Cheam June Wei is ready to come to the rescue if needed in the Thomas Cup Finals.

The world No. 61 was one of the five singles players selected for the Finals from April 27-May 5 in Chengdu, China.

The others are Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh.

Tze Yong’s form is unsure as he is coming back from a back injury, but if he is rested in any ties, June Wei will be expected to play as the third singles.

And the 27-year-old June Wei, who will be competing in only his second Finals, is all fired up to prove himself.

“I definitely feel happy and excited to get the chance to represent Malaysia once again,” he said.

“I know Tze Yong’s injury is one of the reasons I was selected, so, I will still prepare myself in the best way I can.

“I’ve always been prepared to be on court, it will not be an issue for me,” he said.

June Wei, who turned professional at the end of 2021, was part of the national team that competed at the 2020 Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark, but did not get the call-up for the 2022 edition in Bangkok.

The 27-year-old believes his performance in recent tournaments has reflected his worthiness to be selected by the BAM coaching staff.

Although June Wei fell in the qualifying rounds of the recent competitions at the Spain Masters and Swiss Open, he had done considerably well in other tournaments in Europe.

“I think my performance in some of the Europe tournaments enhanced my chance to be in the team. I reached the quarter-finals of the Orleans Masters and also made the semis of the Guwahati Masters last year,” he said.

Just to get a headstart, June Wei had been training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) since early this month in case he was called up as a replacement for Tze Yong.

June Wei and Zii Jia are the only two professional men shuttlers selected by the BAM, and June Wei added that it goes to show the trust they have in him despite not being in the national set-up.

“BAM will be bearing the costs of my trip, and it shows that they believe I will be a useful player that can help the team in China,” added June Wei.