We can do it: Malaysia’s mixed doubles shuttlers Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are the third ranked pair to qualify for the World Tour Finals. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The only blemish for an exceptional year for mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie this year is missing the cut for the Paris Olympic Games.
The duo, however, have one final chance to salvage the Olympics disappointment when they play in another biggie – the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from Dec 12-15.
For their age, Soon Huat-Shevon have done well this year to win two titles – Swiss Open and Malaysian Masters; reached the China Open final; and made it to the semis of the Arctic Open and Japan Masters.
The 34-year-old Soon Huat and his wife Shevon, 31, have qualified for the Finals as the third-ranked pair in the top-eight qualifiers list to underline their credentials this season.
“This year has been bittersweet really,” said Shevon.
“We have fought really hard throughout hoping to qualify for the Olympics, but things just didn’t go our way no matter how much effort we put in.
“But then clinching two titles, making it to our first Super 1000 final (China), and also reaching a few semi finals makes it the best year in our career history,” she added.
Shevon knows it will be a perfect end if they can nick their Finals title in their fourth attempt but acknowledges it will not be easy task.
“It’s quite amusing actually as we have qualified for the Finals every two years once – 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024,” said Shevon.
“We have not reached the final in any of the previous editions but of course, we hope to do it this time... but we don’t want to put too much expectations on ourselves though.”
The duo, who are currently coached by Teo Kok Siang, will be joined by another Malaysian pair in the Finals and they are the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
The other qualifiers are China’s top pair and reigning Olympic Games champions Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong, Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin; Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong; Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle of Indonesia; Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Ling-fang of Taiwan; and Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun of South Korea.
‘‘I think the two China pairs are the favourites for sure, but every pair has a fair chance, it will be a good fight in the Finals,” said Shevon.
Malaysia will also be represented in the men’s singles through Lee Zii Jia and men’s doubles via Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Their sole representatives in the women’s doubles are Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
