PETALING JAYA: Teoh Mei Xing may be permanently switched to the mixed doubles department, but only if she meets a high benchmark set by the coaching panel.
Mixed doubles head coach Nova Armada wants Mei Xing to prove her credentials by reaching at least the final, or even lifting the title, at the Singapore International Challenge, which begins next Tuesday, alongside Tan Zhi Yang.
It will be a tough assignment for Mei Xing, who has not featured in mixed doubles since partnering Hoo Pang Ron at the Hong Kong Open in September 2023.
Nova explained that the initial plan behind pairing Mei Xing with Zhi Yang was to help elevate the younger player. However, if the duo can reach the final or pull off a surprise title run, the Indonesian coach is open to considering Mei Xing as a permanent option in the mixed doubles squad.
“We will see how the results go. This is an International Challenge tournament, so the results must be good for her even though she is partnering a young player. I believe the youngster (Zhi Yang) has strong potential and did well at junior level. He even won an International Challenge title (with Nicole Tan) in Ipoh before.
“For Mei Xing, the benchmark is not just about playing well. We have to see the level of opponents there. For senior players competing in an International Challenge, it is not enough to just perform well. They must at least reach the final, if not win the title,” said Nova.
It will be a tall order for Mei Xing and Zhi Yang as they must first clear the qualifying round against Taiwan’s Tsai Chen-han-Hung Hsin-en.
Should they prevail, they will then need to get past the host pair, Nicholas Katt-Teo Eng Ker to secure a place in the main draw.
Although there are no major names in the field apart from Japan’s Yuta Watanabe-Maya Taguchi, who are seeded second, Mei Xing-Zhi Yang must still tread carefully against other pairs capable of derailing their campaign.
Mei Xing had previously featured in the women’s doubles with Go Pei Kee before being switched to mixed doubles after Pei Kee expressed her desire to split following more than a year together.
The pair even managed to climbed to world No. 18 and lifted the Malaysia Super 100 title during their stint together.
However, the 23-year-old Pei Kee subsequently announced her departure from the national set-up, with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) still working to persuade her to reconsider her decision.
