So far so good: Liew Xun-Chia Weijie beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Xuan Hung-Pham Van Hai 21-14, 21-18. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
SHUTTLER Liew Xun hopes his partnership with Chia Weijie will last long after delivering the winning point to take Malaysia into the semi-finals of the men’s competition in the SEA Games.
Yesterday, Liew Xun combined well with Weijie to beat Nguyen Xuan Hung-Pham Van Hai 21-14, 21-18 in the second doubles to lead the team to a 3-1 victory against Vietnam in the quarter-finals at the Morodok Techo badminton hall in Phnom Penh yesterday.
In the first singles, Leong Jun Hao had given the team a good start by brushing aside Nguyen Hai Dang 21-14, 21-16.
Beh Chun Meng-Goh Boon Zhe then doubled the team’s advantage by overcoming Nguyen Dinh Hoang-Tran Dinh Manh 21-19, 21-14 in the first doubles.
World No. 95 Lee Shun Yang had an opportunity to wrap up the tie against world No. 163 Le Duc Phat but instead fell to a shock 13-21, 21-16, 7-21 defeat.
Liew Xun-Weijie though saved Malaysia’s blushes with a steady win.
The 20-year-old Liew Xun is hoping to finally form a stable combination with Chia Weijie after failing to nail down a regular partner before this.
He was paired up with Weijie in December after his former partner, Lwi Sheng Hao was dropped from the national team.Before that, he had changed partners regularly in his junior days.
“I had to change many partners before this and I really hope I can form a stable partnership with Weijie,” said Liew Xun, who hails from Pontian, Johor.
“I’ve been playing with Weijie for about five months and I feel our understanding on court is getting better.”
Liew Xun-Weijie’s best performance so far came in the Estonian International Challenge in January where they reached the semi-finals.
The pair also reached the last eight in the Malaysian (December) and Iran International Challenges (February).
Liew Xun-Weijie, who are currently ranked No. 106 in the world, agreed that they still had room for improvement.
“I’m more comfortable playing in the back court but I need to improve my skills at the front to become more complete,” he said.
“I’m also aiming to climb up the rankings with Weijie to be able to play in World Tour competitions.”
Malaysia face a tough task next against defending champions Thailand in the last four today.
At the last edition in Hanoi, the Malaysians were humbled 0-3 by the Thais.
“We’re happy to get the winning point for the team in our first Games but Thailand are a strong team and we need to be ready to play if we are called upon.”
