PETALING JAYA: It was a bittersweet outing for independent men’s singles shuttler Soong Joo Ven (pic) at the recently concluded Maldives International Challenge.
The world No. 72 Joo Ven had to settle for silver after going down 19-21, 18-21 to India’s world No. 240 R. Ravi in the final at the Male Sports Complex in Male on Sunday.
Joo Ven’s route to his first title in many years had looked bright when he stunned one of his toughest opponents, another Indian player Kiran George (No. 46) 13-21, 21-17, 21-16 in the semi-finals but he could not reproduce the same form in the title match.
If there was any consolation for Joo Ven, it was the fact that he is now on the right track of regaining his form after being hampered by injuries since last September.
Joo Ven sustained a knee injury nine months ago and just as he was recovering, he injured his heel during the Europe tour about two months ago.
“I have mixed feelings after finishing as the runner-up in Maldives,” said the 28-year-old Joo Ven.
“Everything was fine and I did well enough to reach the final, but I didn’t bring out my best game in the last match.
“But I’m glad to be back on the court without pain this time after a few rough months dealing with injuries.
“To be honest, I was so afraid that I couldn’t play anymore after sustaining those injuries, but I’m happy that I’m back on track.
“I think this is a good progress for me to regain my form and momentum.”
Joo Ven will next compete in the Taiwan Open starting next week at the Tian-mu Arena.
He is bracing himself for a tough challenge after being handed a tricky draw, where he will face Hong Kong’s world No. 121 Chan Yin Chak in the first round.
Joo Ven had lost to him at the Thailand Masters in February and Thailand International Challenge in March.
“I hope that I can reach the quarter-finals but it’s going to be tough. Yin Chak has a really good attacking game,” he said.
“Even if I could clear the first-round hurdle, I will probably meet Kenta Nishimoto of Japan but I need to give my best, so I hope I can be well-prepared for the tournament.”
The other Malaysians in the fray are Yeoh Seng Zoe, Cheam June Wei, Leong Jun Hao and Sholeh Aidil Sadikin Ali.
