PETALING JAYA: Former Rio Olympic 2016 silver medallist Chan Peng Soon is hoping that Malaysia will smash their 13-year long wait for a Japan Open title in the mixed doubles this year.
Malaysia have two representatives in the quarter-finals – husband-and-wife duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
Soon Huat-Shevon delivered a commanding performance to beat Singapore’s Terry Hee-Jin Yu Jia 21-14, 21-17, while Tang Jie-Ee Wei lived up to their fourth-seed status by seeing off Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu in the second round yesterday.
However, it was the end of the road for another Malaysian pair, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin, who fell to defending champions Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin 9-21, 6-21 .
Peng Soon captured the Japan Open title in 2012 with Goh Liu Ying after defeating Indonesia’s Muhammad Rijal-Liliyana Natsir in the final.
Peng Soon views the presence of two pairs in the quarter-finals in Tokyo as a positive sign.
“It’s still too early to make any predictions, but Soon Huat-Shevon and Tang Jie-Ee Wei certainly have the quality to go all the way. I hope they can make the most of this opportunity,” said Peng Soon.
“For Soon Huat in particular, even though he’s already 35, I don’t see any drop in his performance.
“Both he and Shevon are experienced players, and this is their first tournament after a few weeks’ break, so I believe they are giving it everything they have.
“I’ve retired, and as a Malaysian, of course I want to see them win this title. My record isn’t important to me, if possible, I want someone to break it.
“What matters most is to have a mixed doubles pair who can continue building a strong legacy.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will take on Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara in the quarter-finals today.
It will be the first meeting between the two pairs on the international stage.
Meanwhile, Soon Huat-Shevon are set for a tough encounter against Zhenbang-Yaxin.
Out of their eight previous meetings, the Malaysians have only managed one win, which came in the quarter-finals of the China Open last September.
