THOMAS CUP 2012 – Korea to leave Jung Jae Sung at home

All England champion Jung Jae Sung is not on the list of players that the Badminton Korea Association announced today for its Thomas Cup contingent.  Both the Thomas and Uber Cup teams are one name short of the ten given to the Badminton World Federation, which published team rosters earlier this week.

The Uber Cup team is without a fourth singles player, leaving 27-year-old Hwang Hye Youn the responsibility of batting cleanup in every tie that stretches to a third singles match.  However, the Thomas Cup team will be without the star doubles combination of Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung for a second straight edition.   In the spring of 2010, Lee Yong Dae was undergoing treatment on his elbow, leaving Jung Jae Sung floundering twice against the world #1 Cai/Fu in a scratch partnership with Shin Baek Cheol.

According to Korean National Team Head Coach Sung Han Kook, Jung had earlier been suffering from a lower back injury.  The plan is to have Jung continue training but to play it safe by allowing him to sit out the Thomas Cup Finals.  The Korean coaching staff now have a variety of options for how to make use of marquee player Lee Yong Dae.  Sung says that these decisions will be made as the tournament progresses.

Lee did play three tournaments last year with Ko Sung Hyun.  The two won titles at the U.S. and Canada Opens but fell to Kido/Setiawan in the Japan Open quarter-finals.  He also played a few matches at a domestic tournament this spring, partnering Samsung team-mate Kim Sa Rang, who was since crowned Asian Champion with Kim Ki Jung, both of whom are also on the Korean Thomas Cup squad.