KUALA LUMPUR: It was not a dream start for Goh V Shem but it was a good try.
The first test for the former Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist Goh V Shem with South Korean partner Choi Sol-gyu failed to deliver the desired outcome as they were eliminated in the second round of the Thailand Masters yesterday.
Their appearance in Bangkok marked their debut but their campaign came to an end after a 21-11, 21-18 defeat to Indonesia’s Leo Rolly-Bagas Maulana.
Earlier, in the first round, V Shem-Sol-gyu had no trouble securing a 21-8, 21-16 victory over another Malaysian pair Wong Vin Sean-Goh Boon Zhe.
With the BWF World Tour taking a brief break to accommodate the continental team championships, the duo now has a few weeks to refine their partnership on court.
V Shem-Sol-gyu have registered for the German Open from Feb 25-March 2, but they are currently listed as the 10th pair on the reserve list.
Meanwhile, it was also a poor day for the bulk of the Malaysian players as they were eliminated in the second round.
Men’s singles player Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin fell 9-21, 15-21 to China’s sixth seed Wang Zhengxing while his former national teammate Jacky Kok lost 13-21, 18-21 to South Korea’s fifth seed Jeon Hyeok-jin.
Justin Hoh suffered an early exit after losing to Indonesia’s Mohd Zaki Ubaidullah 21-17, 12-21, 13-21 in the first round on Wednesday.
In women’s singles event, S. Kisona’s valiant effort was not enough as she succumbed to third seed Putri Kusuma Wardani after a gruelling 57-minute match. Kisona lost 13-21, 21-14, 17-21.
In the mixed doubles, Loo Bing Jun-Ho Lo Ee displayed tremendous resilience against Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana and Indah Cahya Jamil.
Despite pushing the match to a rubber game, the Malaysians were ultimately defeated 7-21, 21-18, 14-21.
The women’s doubles pair of Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting also bowed out after a hard-fought 45-minute match against Taiwan’s eighth-seeded duo, Lin Xiao-min and Wang Yu-qiao, losing 17-21, 21-23.
