BUKIT JALIL: England’s men’s doubles pair Ben Lane-Sean Vendy appeared to put into practice lessons once imparted by former world No. 1 Koo Kien Keat as they frustrated his current proteges Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in the second round of the Malaysian Open yesterday.
The clash at the Axiata Arena carried an intriguing plot, with Kien Keat having briefly coached Lane-Vendy last year before taking on a mentoring role with Sze Fei-Izzuddin.
Despite receiving direct guidance from Kien Keat, the Malaysians struggled to impose themselves as Lane-Vendy proved sharper, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 21-13, 21-17 victory.
Lane said the short stint under Kien Keat last year had been meaningful, not only demanding hard work but also introduced tactical approaches different from what they were used to in England.
“I think when Kien Keat came over, he obviously was a left-hander, so he was able to maybe relate a little bit more to our game and made us use our forehands much more, and as Sean said, our weapons.
“And yeah, it obviously helped us because after the summer we had some great results and continuing it through to this year,” said Lane.
Lane-Vendy have now become a thorn in Malaysia’s side, with two local pairs already eliminated by the English duo in this year’s edition, including Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri in the first round.
In fact, last year, Lane-Vendy had already defeated several of Malaysia’s top players, including Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik twice at the Hong Kong and French Opens, as well as Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi at the All-England.
However, Lane-Vendy revealed there was no secret behind their repeated success against Malaysian pairs.
They simply give their all on court every time, and it so happens that they often draw Malaysian opponents in international tournaments.
“I mean, obviously they (Sze Fei-Izzudin) are a top pair,” said Vendy.
“They’re very consistent in their tournaments and make the later rounds, which is why they’re in the top 10.
“We had to implement our tactics into this game, especially with the crowd on their side.
“It’s amazing to play in this arena. The Malaysian fans have been here from day one and they make the atmosphere incredible. It even gives us a little boost, even though they’re cheering against us.
“I don’t think there’s a secret, to be honest. It doesn’t matter who we play against, we just give our best every time.
“It’s not only Malaysian pairs that we beat; we beat many pairs around the world. But because there are so many top Malaysian pairs on the World Tour, we end up facing them quite regularly. We love the challenge because they’re all amazing players,” added Vendy.
