PETALING JAYA: Singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei (pic) appears to be making a second attempt at switching to mixed doubles.
Jin Wei sprung a surprise when she registered to compete in the mixed doubles with fellow independent player Ng Eng Cheong in the Korean Masters from Nov 4-9 in Iksan.
The duo are currently first in the reserves list and have a high chance to compete in the tournament as withdrawals are common.
While the 25-year-old’s move has raised eyebrows and surprised even her coach Nova Armada, this is not her first attempt at playing mixed doubles.
Jin Wei also competed in the event in the 2022 Korean Masters with former men’s singles player Soong Joo Ven.
The duo went down in straight games to fellow Malaysians Chan Peng Soon-Toh Ee Wei in the first round.
Joo Ven has since retired from the sport while Jin Wei decided to abandon the experiment and focus solely on women’s singles.
But she has been struggling in the singles due to fitness issues as the 2017 SEA Games champion has suffered early exits in all her tournaments this year and lost her position as the national No. 1 to K. Letshanaa.
The former is currently ranked No. 56 in the world while the latter is at No. 38.
Switching to mixed doubles could be a good move to revive her career as it is less physically demanding compared to the singles.
Said independent coach Nova Armada: “I was unaware that Jin Wei registered to also play in the mixed doubles besides singles. I will talk to her about her decision,” said Nova.
Meanwhile, Eng Cheong has also not gone beyond the men’s doubles quarter-finals in any tournament this year with Low Hang Yee, and a switch to mixed could be a fresh start for him to revive his career.
