PETALING JAYA: The defeats of Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee and Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee in the Hylo Open quarter-finals on Friday brought an end to the women’s doubles squad’s European campaign.
Head coach Rosman Razak was generally pleased with the squad’s performance across the four tournaments since early October, especially with Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s title triumph at the Arctic Open on Oct 12.
However, what pleased him most was the steady progress shown by youngsters Carmen and Xin Yee in the three tournaments they competed in.
At the Denmark Open, the duo pushed seasoned South Koreans Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong to three games in the second round, before doing the same against France’s Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante at the French Open.
Their best run came at the Hylo Open, where they reached the quarter-finals before falling 17-21, 16-21 to Taiwan’s second seeds Hsu Yin-hui and Lin Jhih-yun.
“Carmen and Xin Yee have shown good progress, but they still have a long way to go to match the top players,” said Rosman.
“They’re young and have the ability, so we must be patient and keep giving them exposure. I’m thankful to BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) for continuing to invest in them.”
Rosman, however, expressed concern over Pei Kee’s recurring injury, which forced her and Mei Xing to retire during their Hylo Open quarter-final against Bengisu Ercetin and Nazlican Inci of Turkiye while trailing 13-21, 13-14.
It was another setback for Pei Kee, who had also been forced to withdraw from the French Open last week after sustaining an ankle injury during her match against China’s Li Yijing and Luo Xumin.
“Pei Kee suffered an injury last week. She was getting better when we arrived here, but after yesterday’s match, the pain came back. They tried to play just now, but it wasn’t possible.
“It looks almost impossible for her to recover in time for the Kumamoto Masters. She will return home to see the doctor for further treatment,” added Rosman.
