To win a medal in the Commonwealth Games badminton mixed team event in April may be a "tough ask", but a top-four finish is possible if Singapore's players bring their "A" game, said former national shuttler Derek Wong.
The Republic, ranked 13th in the world and seeded third for the quadrennial Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, were handed a favourable draw for the mixed team event yesterday when they were placed in Group B with Mauritius (world No. 32), Zambia (55) and Jamaica (67).
In a press statement accompanying the draw, former Australian shuttler Rhonda Cator said: "Singapore has probably got the easiest group of it all, so it'll be interesting come Games time."
Former men's singles specialist Wong, who won an individual silver and a team bronze at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, agreed with the assessment.
"The team definitely have a good chance of making the quarter-finals... but it would be important to top the group to avoid the likes of India, Malaysia and England, who are likely to top their own groups," the 29-year-old told The Straits Times.
"If they can do that and play their 'A' game in the quarter-finals, it is very possible for them to reach the semi-finals. But if Malaysia, India and England field their best players, it would be a tough ask for us to win a medal."
The badminton events will take place from April 5-15 at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals, with the four winners re-seeded for the knock-out rounds according to their world rankings.
Countries from the same group will not be drawn against each other for the last eight.
World No. 8 India are the top seeds, followed by Malaysia (9), Singapore and England (14).
The Republic clinched a bronze in 2014 after Wong and Co beat India 3-2 in the bronze-medal match.
Singapore lost by the same score to eventual champions Malaysia in the semi-finals. However, seven in that team of 10 players, including Wong, have since retired.
Despite Singapore fielding a relatively inexperienced team, Wong believes the younger players have what it takes to reach at least the last eight.
"If the players perform to what they are capable of, (making the last eight) will be no problem," said Wong, who competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
The Singapore Badminton Association could not be reached for comment yesterday, but ST understands that internal selections are still under way, with a squad also competing at the ongoing Badminton Asia Team Championships in Alor Setar, Malaysia.
The men's and women's teams lost 0-5 to Hong Kong and Indonesia respectively in the group stage yesterday.
