Punch Gunalan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Punch Gunalan
Personal information
Date of birth April 2, 1944 (1944-04-02) (age 64)
Place of birth Sepang
Men's singles
Country Flag of Malaysia Malaysia
Handedness Right

Punch Gunalan (born April 2, 1944 in Sepang) is a former male badminton player of Malaysia.

He was a talented and naturally gifted right-hander. He played in the 1969-1970 Thomas Cup which took place in Kuala Lumpur. In the finals, Malaysia met Indonesia. He played in the first singles match as well s the second singles match. He also paired up with Ng Boon Bee in the second doubles and provided one point for Malaysia. Even though Malaysia lost 7-2 in that tie, to get to the final in the Thomas Cup is already a great achievement. This can be said because Punch Gunalan and his team mates played against Indonesian greats like Rudy Hartono and Muljadi. In 1971 Gunalan and Boon Bee won the All-England men's doubles title as well as the Danish Open, Canadian Open, and U.S. Open men's doubles titles.

Punch Gunalan also played in the 1974 All England singles final, losing in three close games to Hartono. He also won men's singles at the British Commonwealth Games in 1974. He was known for his exciting attacking style.

[edit] Sources