PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are fired up to continue their fine performances in 2025 after ending the year with a creditable semi-final finish in the World Tour Finals.
Soon Huat-Shevon went down 15-21, 12-21 to world No. 8 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei in Hangzhou on Saturday.
The world No. 10 independent pair created history along with Tang Jie-Ee Wei as they ensured that Malaysia had two mixed doubles pairs in the semi-finals for the first time in the season ender since the tournament’s inception in 2008.
The husband and wife pairing had beaten Indonesia’s world No. 13 Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle and Japan’s world No. 21 Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito to finish second in the group.
Shevon was satisfied to reach their second semi-finals after their breakthrough in 2021.
“It’s a bonus for us because being in the semi-finals in the World Tour Finals is beyond our expectations this year,” said Shevon.
“We are satisfied with our overall performance, as we had some challenges with Soon Huat’s body condition upon arriving here and also mid-way through the tournament.
“We are really grateful that we completed the matches safely without any major injuries (only Soon Huat had bruised his rib following a dive) and finished them well.“There are many good aspects to take away for us that will help us grow even stronger for the new season.”
Soon Huat-Shevon missed out on a spot in the Paris Olympics in August but did not let the disappointment keep them down.
Instead the pair enjoyed their best year as a pair when they captured the Swiss Open and Malaysian Masters titles and finished runners-up in the China Open.
It was also a joyful year on a personal level when Soon Huat and Shevon tied the knot in May.
“We have finally finished all our tournaments this year and the pressure is off our shoulders. Now, we will enjoy a short holiday first before we compete in the Malaysian Open (Jan 7-12),” said Shevon.
