Keep going: Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie have won two titles on the World Tour this year.
PETALING JAYA: The challenge of the Malaysian professional shuttlers have ended in the Denmark Open with the exits of Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing but the group under coach Rosman Razak can walk tall.
The pros have produced the bulk of honours for Malaysian badminton so far this year before the freefall in Odense.
Yesterday, Kian Meng-Pei Jing started well when they sent the third seeds Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun of South Korea packing in the opening round before losing their footing to go down 21-16, 18-21, 16-21.
In fact, they were on the brink of victory in the second game, but few unforced errors saw the Koreans forcing deuce, and eventually winning their spot to the quarter-finals.
On Wednesday, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani went down tamely to their respective opponents in the first round.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi lost 18-21, 8-21 to England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy while Sze Fei-Izzuddin crashed out 13-21, 13-21 to Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh of Thailand.
On Tuesday, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie bowed out in the first round.
But among them, they have won five titles for Malaysia so far this year. Sze Fei-Izzuddin lifted the Japan Open (while with the national body), China Open, and Arctic Open while Soon Huat-Shevon have won the Swiss Open, Malaysian Masters and reached the China Open final.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi are trying to stabilise their game after injury to Ee Yi while Kian Meng-Pei Jing believe they have been playing better this year.
The other pro from a different set-up who had done well is Lee Zii Jia, who won the titles in the Thailand Open, Australian Open and won a bronze at the Paris Olympics Games.
Pei Jing said the pros had done well although they do not have the best training set-up.
“Malaysia probably have the biggest pro team in the circuit. We currently have 20 players in training, including juniors,” said Pei Jing.
“It will be nice if we have a fully equipped centre and travel team but despite all this, the players have done well.”
The pros are trained by Rosman and Teo Kok Siang.
“Kian Meng and I did not get good result in the Denmark Open but we are playing better. We are more calm and mature now.”
Pei Jing-Kian Meng will slow down after this as they will only compete in the China Masters from Nov 19-24 but the others have several tournaments lined-up for them.
“We did not qualify for the World Tour Finals, so we will take it easy and return home to have a good rest,” added Kian Meng.
Soon Huat-Shevon and Sze Fei-Izzuddin will take part in the Kumamoto Masters in Japan from Nov 12-17 to confirm their places for the Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from Dec 11-15.
Open titles won by Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) this year is the Hong Kong Open through women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and mixed pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei in the Korean Open. The other good achievement is through top men’s pair Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik, who won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
RESULTS
Malaysians only
Second round
Mixed doubles: Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun (Kor) bt Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing 16-21, 21-18, 21-16.
First round
Men’s doubles: Ben Lane-Sean Vendy (Eng) bt Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi 21-18, 21-8; Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King bt Kevin Lee Ty Alexander Lindeman (Can) 21-16, 21-11.
Mixed doubles: Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin bt Yuta Watanabe-Maya Taguchi (Jpn) 21-14, 21-17.
