Superb: Nova Widianto guided Toh Ee Wei and Chen Tang Jie to the world’s top 10 and helped them qualify for the Paris Olympics less than a year after he joined the BAM. Malaysia’s CHEN Tang Jie and TOH Ee Wei in action against Hiroki MIDORIKAWA and Natsu SAITO of Japan during the second round of Petronas Malaysian open championship at Axiata arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday. The Japanise pair won 24-22,21-14. _11/01/2024/ S.S.KANESAN/THE STAR (file pix)
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Toh Ee Wei is confident that coach Nova Widianto will succeed in his mission to develop more pairs after seeing the rise of teammates Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin.
Pang Ron-Su Yin, who only combined in November last year, reached a career-high No. 18 in the world rankings recently.The pair stole the headlines when they pulled off sensational wins over China’s world No. 2 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin and Hong Kong’s world No. 6 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet en-route to finishing runners-up in the World Tour Super 750 China Masters in Shenzhen last month.
Pang Ron-Su Yin’s progress is another feather in the cap for Nova, who guided Ee Wei and Chen Tang Jie to the world’s top 10 and helped them qualify for the Paris Olympics less than a year after he joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
“When he came here (at the end of 2022), he promised to help at least one pair qualify for the Paris Olympics and he delivered,” said Ee Wei.
“Now, he wants more pairs to rise up the ranks and I believe he will achieve this. I have full confidence in him and I’m happy with what he has done for us so far.
“Pang Ron-Su Yin’s progress is very good for Malaysia’s mixed doubles as we need more pairs to reach a higher level, so that we won’t be alone.
“They have improved a lot and this helps Tang Jie and I as we have good sparring partners as well,” added Ee Wei.
Currently, world No. 8 Tang Jie-Ee Wei and Pang Ron-Su Yin are the only BAM pairs ranked in the top 20 while the only other combination in the world’s top 100 are world No. 47 Yap Roy King-Valeree Siow.
The independent pairs in the top 20 are world No. 10 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, world No. 20 Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing while Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien are ranked No. 35.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei and Soon Huat-Shevon will both compete next in the World Tour Finals from Dec 11-15 in Hangzhou.
In the final list of qualifiers, South Koreans Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun have dropped out as Won-ho has been enlisted for mandatory military service.
Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito, who finished just outside the qualifying spots in the Race to Hangzhou rankings, will take the Koreans’ place.
The other pairs, who have made the cut are China’s Olympic champions Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong, Zhenbang-Yaxin, Chun Man-Ying Suet, Indonesia’s Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle and Taiwan’s Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Ling-fang.
