All athletes participating in the tourney were also practicing on three courts. They said they were well-prepared for the tournament worth US$700,000, including the first
seed mixed double’s Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir. On an interview
amid a practice session, Liliyana admitted the preparation was in a
tight schedule, however she would do the best in the touney. “I had a
little time to prepare, it was only two until three weeks after Piala
Sudirman, but so far we are ready,” Liliyana said.
Liliyana herself will be paired with Tontowi Ahmad who just won the
oldest badminton tournament, All England, for the second time. The
victory is said to boost confidence in achieving good results at home,
as two years earlier, the pair had to be satisfied with becoming the
runner-up.
