Sunday January 6, 2013
Liu Ying to play on despite right knee injury
By KNG ZHENG GUAN
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles specialist Goh Liu Ying is still suffering from a knee condition which hampered her performances towards the end of last year.
Liu Ying, who suffers from a case of an overworked right knee, could not bring out her A game and, as a result, she and partner Chan Peng Soon were easily beaten in all three group matches in the World Super Series Finals in Shenzhen last month.
But the soft-spoken Liu Ying is ready to play through the pain barrier at the Korean Open Super Series Premier (Jan 8-13) and the Malaysian Open (Jan 15-20).
Liu Ying will have to do double duty as she is also down to compete in the women’s doubles with Lim Yin Loo.
“My condition now is definitely not good ... the knee hurts after every match,” Liu Ying, who receives Hyalgan injections twice a week to ease the pain.
(Hyalgan is a prescription medication used to treat symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knee joint.)
“Sometimes after a tough match I even find it hard to walk without limping. There’s no way I can perform at my best in this condition.
“But I don’t want to disappoint the Malaysian badminton fans. That’s why I’ve decided to compete in the Korean Open and Malaysian Open ... but I’m going to take it one match at time.
“Hopefully after the Malaysian Open, I’ll get some time off and decide on what to do about my knee condition with my coach and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
“It’s also not fair to Peng Soon because I can’t give my best and he has to cover for me all the time.
“I would like to give up women’s doubles because the double duty really takes a toll on me. But I understand that it’s not up to me to decide ... any further discussion will have to wait until after the Malaysian Open.”
Liu Ying-Peng Soon are ranked third in the mixed doubles. Liu Ying-Yin Loo are world No. 26 in women’s doubles.
With top women’s pair Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei also inactive due to an injury to Khe Wei, BAM may be reluctant to allow Liu Ying to quit her partnership with Yin Loo.
In the Korean Open, third seeded Peng Soon-Liu Ying are tipped to meet world No. 1 Xu Chen-Ma Jin of China in the semi-finals.
Their first-round opponents are Germany’s Oliver Roth-Johanna Goliszewski. A win will pit them against Indonesians Markis Kido-Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth.
Fifth seeds Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam of Thailand should await them in the last eight.
Ong Jian Guo-Yin Loo, the other Malaysian mixed pair in the fray, take on England’s Chris Adcock-Gabrielle White in the opening round.
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