Keep up the spirits: Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin are out to turn their fortune around in the Asia Mixed Team Championships in Qingdao, China.
KUALA LUMPUR: With less than a week to go before the Asia Mixed Team Championships kicks off from Feb 11-16 in Qingdao, China, mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto is racing against the clock to revive the morale of his player, Cheng Su Yin.
Based on his observations, Nova noted that the confidence of Su Yin, who pairs with Hoo Pang Ron, began to wane after their early exit from the Malaysian Open.
At the time, they were defeated by Taiwan’s Lu Ming-che-Hung En-tzu with a scoreline of 26-28, 21-14, 22-24.
A week later, the same fate befell them as they were eliminated in the first round of the Indian Open by Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.
However, a slight improvement was seen when they managed to reach the quarter-finals of the Indonesian Masters.
“Maybe what was noticeable was that her spirit seemed to drop after losing at the Malaysian Open, and her confidence took a hit.
“It wasn’t easy in Indonesia, as there were many supporters. She was probably a bit nervous,” said Nova.
Despite recent setbacks, the Indonesian-born coach remains confident that Su Yin can regain her best form ahead of the Asia Meet next week.
“But overall, she played well. She’s starting to get back to her form, like before they lost in Malaysia.
“We’ve been helping her a lot, especially Su Yin, since she’s still young. I see that Su Yin has great potential.
“Sometimes, after losing twice, she can get a bit overwhelmed and loses focus. But I’m confident they can bounce back. On court, their training has been good. It’s just that after a couple of losses, their confidence might dip a little,” Nova added.
Su Yin and Pang Ron were paired in November 2023, and they quickly made a name for themselves as a promising duo after a breakthrough performance at the China Masters last year.
They stunned several top players before finishing as runners-up, falling to home favourites Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping in the final.
Malaysia will also be bolstered by the experienced professional duo, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie in the mixed doubles event in Qingdao.
The national team have been drawn in Group B alongside Hong Kong and Indonesia.