Looking forward: Low Hang Yee (back) and Ng Eng Cheong are seeded third in the KL Masters and will play compatriots Dickson Koo-Li Bin Tan in the first round.
PETALING JAYA: Low Hang Yee made a bold decision to quit Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in December last year and the move is paying off.
The professional player has been reaping the benefits of his sacrifice with his partner Ng Eng Cheong over the last 10 months.
There have not been much fanfare for the duo like the more established combinations from BAM such as world No. 3 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 19), Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (No. 23) or fellow independent pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 9), but Hang Yee-Eng Cheong have done reasonably well on the international stage.
Hang Yee-Eng Cheong had reached five finals out of the 12 events they had played this year and had won three titles where they have already stepped into the top 50 ranking position in the world.
They have won the Slovenia and the Austrian Opens as well as the Mongolian International Challenge and finished runners-up in the International Challenge in China and Maldives.
Currently ranked 48th in the world, Hang Yee-Eng Cheong are aiming to win their fourth title at the KL Masters starting today at the Titiwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are hoping to win our fourth title in the KL Masters as this is our home tournament,” said the 26-year-old Hang Yee.
“The victory is important for us to keep improving on our world ranking so that we can play in bigger tournaments next year.
“There are so many good pairs playing at the KL Masters and we don’t want to take anyone lightly. We want to take every match seriously.
“We will play in the Korean Masters next week but it will be good if we can win another title here before playing in Gwangju.”
It will be their second time pairing up as Hang Yee-Eng Cheong played together from 2019-2021 but without much success. However, Eng Cheong said they have forged a better combination now and were looking forward to more success as professionals.
“Communication is one of the key reasons for us to do well this year and we have also been preparing well in training before every tournament,” said Eng Cheong.
They are seeded third in the KL Masters and will meet local pair Dickson Koo-Li Bin Tan in the first round.
They will have to overcome a host of strong combinations including top two seeds Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza Pahlevi of Indonesia and Thailand’s Pharanyu Kaosamang-Worrapol Thongsa-Nga.
Strong BAM combinations Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri, who finished runners-up at the Indonesian Masters in Surabaya on Sunday, and Chia Weijie-Liu Xun are also expected to add spice in the competition.
