KUALA LUMPUR: It was a year ago when Liew Daren stole the headlines after his amazing journey to the quarterfinals in the 2009 Malaysia Open.

The shuttler from Kuala Lumpur was both stunned and pleased with his performance, having defeated the likes of Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana (22-24, 21-19, 17-21) and Taiwanese Hsuan Yi Hsueh (21-14, 21-12) before losing to Danish ace Peter Gade 21-12, 21-14 at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Yet, the blitz and the attention did not last long as Daren failed to shine in subsequent tournaments. Ranked No 71 in the world standings, Daren is hoping for another stroke of brilliance in the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 19-24.

Nevertheless, Daren, admits it will be an uphill task for a repeat performance this time around. The top 28 players, including China’s hotshot Lin Dan, are expected to sizzle in the Malaysia Open.

“It’s difficult to say. The best players will be here and it will be a tough tournament,” Daren said. “The highlight of my performance was advancing to the quarterfinals in the Malaysia Open. That was my best to date. The tournament is just a good memory and now I have to start 2010 on a better note.”

Sadly, Daren ended the year on a disappointing note as he could only watch the national contingent lose 3-1 to Indonesia in the men’s team final at the recent Laos Sea Games.

In fact national singles coach Misbun Sidek has warned the players to buck up as he continues his search for a potential candidate to match the likes of world No 1 Lee Chong Wei.

Daren, who was in the team as a reserve in singles, was fielded for the third singles behind Hafiz Hashim and Kuan Beng Hong after Chong Wei withdrew from the Games.

He hopes to kick start the Year of the Tiger by going for a respectable finish in the Korea Open from Jan 12-17. This will be Daren’s second go in Korea after failing to get past the qualifiers last year.

“I think I have an even chance of doing better than I did in Korea last year. If I get past the qualifiers, I may face compatriot Beng Hong in the opening round of the main draw. This match could go either way.

“So if I play it right, I could see a better finish in Korea but for the Malaysia Open, I’ll give it my best shot.”