PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Hoo Pang Ron was just happy to get his adrenaline pumping again after going six weeks without competition.
Yesterday, Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin had to dig deep to overcome Taiwan’s Wu Hsuan-yi and Yang Chu-yun 21-18, 18-21, 21-19 in a gruelling 54-minute battle but Pang Ron enjoyed every bit of the action.
The duo had not played since the Korean Masters in September, where Su Yin suffered a fracture on her left ankle during their first round match.
It was a double blow for Su Yin, who had earlier sprained her right ankle after tripping on a staircase during the Orleans Masters in March.
Pang Ron gave the thumbs up to their on-court chemistry.
“It was good to play our first match after the Korean stint, and our movement on court was okay,” said Pang Ron.
“Our performance can still be better, and we hope to show improvement in every game moving forward.
“We just need to be more confident as we rebuild our partnership.”
Pang Ron and Su Yin will next face top seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paesampran of Thailand in the second round, with their main goal being to stay injury-free.
“Su Yin is doing alright, but she just needs to believe in herself more,” he said.
“We’re not going to rush things, but that doesn’t mean we’ll slow down either. We’ll work hard to push ourselves.
“We have nothing to lose against the top Thai pair. They’re the strongest at the moment, but we’ll go in and fight to try and upset them.”
Pang Ron and Su Yin will be joined by Jimmy Wong and Lai Pei Jing in the second round. The professional pair will take on Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan for a place in the quarter-finals.
The challenge, however, ended early for two other professional Malaysian pairs - Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, who were knocked out in the first round.
