and six time All-England doubles champions, Finn Kobbero and Jorgen Hammergaard Hansen. With the final ties scheduled for temperate Tokyo rather than equatorial and partisan Jakarta, many observers thought that this would be Denmark's "year." Inter-zone playoffs 5 teams from 4 regions took part in this edition. As defending champion, Indonesia was exempt until the Challenge Round. Australasia Malaya Indonesia (exempt until Challenge Round) Asia Thailand Europe Denmark Americas Japan Collectively, the players contesting in Tokyo in mid May were probably the strongest group that had yet appeared at the final venue of the Thomas Cup competition. Even "third string" singles matches often pitted true world class opponents against each other. With more difficulty than might have been expected, Thailand eliminated the host country's team 6–3. Ratanaseangsuang and Wattanasin won hard-fought singles matches, but the vaunted Thai doubles teams could earn only a split with their equally quick and aggressive Japanese counterparts. Yoshinori Itagaki had a hand in two winning matches for Japan. In the other semifinal Denmark's powerful singles lineup shutout Malaya's, though individual matches were competitive. Eighteen-year-old Tan Aik Huang served notice of future achievement by earning twenty-six points from Erland Kops. Denmark advanced 7–2 with Malaya's wins coming against the Danish "second string" doubles. The inter-zone final between Denmark and Thailand was a fierce struggle featuring five three game matches. Denmark won four of the five to avenge its 1961 defeat and squeeze past Thailand 6–3. Kobbero and Hammergaard Hansen "got even" with the same pairs (Bhornchima and Kanchanaraphi; Chumkum and Vatanatham) that had defeated them in '61. Kops won three game singles matches against both Ratanaseangsuang and Wattanasin. As had happened against Malaya, however, he lost both of his doubles matches paired with P. E. Nielsen. The result of the Danish strategy of using Erland Kops in the maximum number of matches in all ties was that he had now played 20 pressure filled games (twice as many as any of his teammates) without losing a singles match but without winning a doubles. This strategy was not altered, however, for the decisive Challenge Round against Indonesia. Semifinal round Final round Challenge round Though Indonesia's doubles teams had contributed to its Thomas Cup successes in 1958 and in 1961, its singles players had led the way by losing only two matches in thirty and none in either Challenge Round. By 1964, however, "big guns" Tan Joe Hok