Back-up shuttlers get golden chance to come to the fore in Asia meet


No go: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will be rested for the Asia Mixed Team Championships.

KUALA LUMPUR: A decision to give back-up players a chance to prove themselves in the squad for the Asia Mixed Team Championships will benefit Malaysia in the long run.

In fact, a standout performance from the second stringers in Qingdao, China from Feb 11-16 could offer the coaching team more options for the Sudirman Cup.

The Asia meet is the qualifiers for the Sudirman Cup from May 14-21 in Xiamen, China.

National coaching director Rexy Mainaky said they did not want to overburden some of the top players and the Asia meet was the best platform to demand good results from the others.

“When else can we give these players an opportunity if not in this tournament?” said Rexy.

In a surprise move, Rexy has decided to rest several key players such as former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, women’s doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.

Several top professionals have also been left out, including men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia, women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei, and the world No. 2 men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who won the Indian Open last week.

The only professional players listed were mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, who last competed in this tournament during the 2017 edition in Hong Kong.

The rest of the squad comprise Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh (men’s singles), Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi (men’s doubles), K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching (women’s singles), Tan Zhing Yi-Cheng Su Hui, Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee (women’s doubles), and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin (mixed doubles).

“Honestly, I wanted to include Ong Zhen Yi and Siti Zulaikha Azmi as well, but they are still recovering from injuries,” said Rexy.

“It is crucial not to overburden the existing main players due to an already packed schedule.

“We are looking ahead. We will field the strongest squad for the Sudirman Cup.

“We’ve learnt from the Paris Olympics last year, where we aimed for a gold medal but ended up overloading our players with a packed schedule.

“We need to stay firm with our priorities and avoid chasing everything, as this year we have the Sudirman Cup, World Championships and the SEA Games,” said Rexy.

Rexy will name the captain of the squad soon, noting that the role will not necessarily be given to the most senior player.

The goal is for the team to go beyond the group stage, especially since Malaysia have been drawn in a tough Group B alongside Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan.

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