KUALA LUMPUR: Doubles shuttler Lim Chiew Sien may have to temporarily put her women’s doubles aspirations on hold following her partner Vivian Hoo’s retirement last week.
The duo’s campaign ended at the Malaysian Open after a first round defeat to Paris Olympics silver medallists Tan Ning-Liu Shengshu from China.
The match marked the end of Vivian’s illustrious career, which spanned more than 16 years.
For Chiew Sien, Vivian’s retirement means her focus will now shift entirely to mixed doubles with Wong Tien Ci, as no replacement partner for Vivian has been identified yet.
It is no surprise for Chiew Sien to focus on mixed doubles because based on the current Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, Chiew Sien and Tien Ci are ranked 33rd in the world.
They are just one spot away from automatically qualifying for high tier tournaments such as the Super 750 and Super 1000 events in the BWF World Tour.
Chiew Sien had previously paired with Lai Pei Jing in women’s doubles for a short stint, earning a runner-up finish at the Australian Open last year.
However, she hinted that the partnership is unlikely to resume in the near future.
“I will focus solely on mixed doubles moving forward, while plans for women’s doubles might be put on hold for now due to fatigue,” she said.
“Pei Jing and I registered for the Indonesian Masters (next week) but we did not qualify for the main draw due to low world ranking.
“For the time being, we won’t be competing together, although we might reunite in the future,” added Chiew Sien.
The Johor-born shuttler admitted she would miss playing with Vivian, whom she described as the best partner she has ever teamed up with in her career.
Chiew Sien and Vivian began their partnership in 2020. Although they never secured a title together, they made headlines by qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok, Thailand.
“During our time together, I found Vivian to be very professional and does not get emotional easily, unlike some other female players I have partnered with.
“Even if we disagreed on certain things on the court, once we stepped off, we could still sit and hang out together without holding any grudges,” she added.