PETALING JAYA: Current and former national men’s singles shuttlers Soong Joo Ven and Iskandar Zulkarnain used to be teammates.
But as the coach of Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen, Iskandar will be plotting to overcome Joo Ven in the first qualifying round of the Indonesian Masters from June 7-12 in Jakarta.
Joo Ven, who is ranked 59th in the world, is well aware of the tricky challenge against the higher ranked Nguyen (No. 39).
“It will definitely be a tough match against Nguyen but I’m looking forward to it. Iskandar and I were teammates in the national team and also after we both left to become independents. We trained together for around five years. He will be aware of my style of play and I need to be prepared for it,” explained Joo Ven.
Joo Ven should reach the main draw if he overcomes Nguyen but then faces an uphill battle against Taiwan’s world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen.
The 27-year-old will also be playing in the mixed doubles for the first time with veteran Goh Liu Ying.
Despite being a singles shuttler, this will not be his first attempt at playing in the mixed doubles.
Joo Ven had been paired with women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei in the Korean Masters where the duo lost in the first round to compatriots Chan Peng Soon-Toh Ee Wei.
He faces a rematch with Peng Soon but with different partners this time as the veteran has just been reunited with Cheah Yee See.
“In the Korean Masters, Jin Wei and I decided to play together in mixed doubles to get more competitive action. Now, Liu Ying and I are trying out this new partnership. We will see how it goes,” said Joo Ven.
In the men’s singles, the 27-year-old is aiming to break into the world’s top 30 to qualify for higher-level tournaments.
“With my current ranking, it’s difficult for me to play in Super 750 or 1000 level tournaments. I am now in the reserve list for the Indonesian and Malaysian Opens. I am not sure if I can qualify for these two tournaments.
“I hope to improve my ranking to be able to qualify outright soon,” explained Joo Ven.
The Indonesian Open will take place from June 14-19 also in Jakarta while the Malaysian Open will be from June 28-July 3 in Kuala Lumpur.
