KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s two mixed doubles pairs Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei continued their stellar performances by securing spots in the Indian Open semi-finals on Friday (Jan 17).
In the quarter finals played at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi, Soon Huat-Shevon defeated Taiwan’s Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang 21-11, 21-15 to win in just 29 minutes.
"From this, we learned a lot about maintaining consistency in our game, staying calm on the court, and making a comeback when the opponent is leading.
"I think we did a good job overall," said Soon Huat in a post match interview with Badminton World Federation (BWF).
It was a different scenario for their compatriots Tang Jie-Ee Wei.
Although the duo managed to secure a straight-game victory, an incident early in the second game briefly affected Ee Wei’s emotions.
Ee Wei was faulted for a service error, prompting her to protest and causing a brief halt to the match. The umpire stood firm on the decision, disrupting the pair’s rhythm as they fell behind 6-12.
However, coach Mohd Lutfi Zaim Khalid stepped in to calm Ee Wei, offering advice to help her and Tang Jie to regain their focus.
The guidance proved effective, as the pair staged a comeback to close the match with a 21-16, 21-17 win after 43 minutes.
"We still made a lot of simple mistakes on the court, but the result was good, so we’re staying positive and preparing for the next match.
"I think we’re not satisfied with how we started both games, and we believe we can do better," said Tang Jie.