Vivian Hoo (left) and Woon Khe Wei during their match against China's Ma Jin-Tang Yuanting in the first round of the Maybank Malaysian Open 2014 at the Putra stadium in Bukit Jalil on Jan 15, 2014. — MOHD AZHAR ARIF / The Star.
BUKIT JALIL: Just one month after winning the SEA Games gold in Myanmar, Woon Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo were brought down to earth when they lost to China’s Ma Jin-Tang Yuanting in the first round of the Maybank Malaysian Open.
And immediately after the game, Vivian stated the obvious - that there was still a yawning gap between the Malaysians and their Chinese competitors, with the Malaysians only on par with the Chinese state players.
The 24-year-old Vivian and her partner Khe Wei lost 16-21, 12-21 to Ma Jin-Yuanting and hardly showed any substance en route to their defeat on Wedensday.
“They were a new pair but we can never expect it to be easy against China, even though we braced ourselves for a hard battle. All we can do now is train harder and learn from our mistakes,” she said.
“I need to improve my strength to keep up with them. China are way ahead in terms of their physical condition. They are strong and powerful and it will take a huge step for us to narrow that gap.”
With China producing world class players every year, Vivian said Malaysia are lacking the players to keep up with them.
“In China, it’s very competitive and if you make one mistake you may be dropped from the national squad. There are always players ready to step up a level with quality players emerging every year,” said Vivian.
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