PETALING JAYA: Several top mixed pairs have ended their partnerships this year and national No. 1 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei should use this to their advantage to move up the ranks.
Japan’s world No. 5 Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino, Thailand’s world No. 8 Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai and South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yu-jung (No. 4) are no longer combos, while Hong Kong’s world No. 7 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet have also hinted that they will not play together beyond this year.
National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto believes this could open the door for world No. 9 Tang Jie-Ee Wei to rise in the rankings.
“Many top 10 pairs have ended their partnerships this year, so this is an opportunity for Tang Jie-Ee Wei to move up the rankings,” said Nova.
“They should take advantage of this situation and do better.
“If they are higher ranked, they will be seeded in tournaments and this will give them an easier path to the latter rounds.”
Nova said that while Tang Jie-Ee Wei have the ability to do well, they must also handle the pressure better and control their emotions during matches in order to reach a higher level.
“Tang Jie-Ee Wei tend to get too excited sometimes in matches and let the pressure and their emotions get the better of them,” said Nova.
“As coaches, we always tell them to enjoy the game but at the same time fight hard.
“They cannot afford to think too much about becoming champions because they then may end up becoming overwhelmed by the pressure.”
Tang Jie and Ee Wei missed the Arctic and Denmark Opens after the latter suffered hand and back injuries but will return in the back-to-back Japan Masters (Nov 12-17) and China Masters (Nov 19-27).
The pair though will not compete in the Korean Masters (Nov 5-10) as they have already booked their spot early in the season ending World Tour Finals from Dec 11-15 in Hangzhou for the second consecutive year.
Nova wants his charges to end the year on a high by reaching at least the semi-finals of the Tour Finals.
“Last year, Tang Jie-Ee Wei narrowly missed out on the last four when they made their debuts in the Tour Finals after losing their last group match,” said Nova.
“This year, I hope they can at least make it to the semi-finals. I think they have a better chance this year.”
