PETALING JAYA: Come back stronger.
That is the spirit mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are carrying despite seeing their All-England campaign end in the second round after falling to world No. 2 pair Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Ya Xin yesterday.
Soon Huat-Shevon believe they could perform better at next year’s All-England if the Badminton World Federation (BWF) changes the current scoring system from 21-3 to 15x3 points.
If the proposal is finalised at the BWF annual general meeting in Horsens on April 25, this year’s All-England could be the last edition played under the 3x21 scoring format.
For Soon Huat-Shevon, the new scoring system could offer an advantage to senior players like them as the current format demands high levels of stamina and fitness, especially with many younger players emerging on the scene.
"Definitely it will be a shorter game and advantage wise it gives us more time to rest because we do not need to play long games of 21 points," said Shevon.
Commenting on their defeat yesterday, Soon Huat-Shevon admitted the Chinese pair were in a class of their own despite their efforts to challenge them throughout the match.
After battling for 42 minutes, Soon Huat-Shevon went down 16-21, 18-21 and it marked their 10th defeat to Zhenbang-Ya Xin since they first met in 2023. During that period, Soon Huat-Shevon managed to beat the pair only once, which came at the China Open in 2024.
"Definitely every time we play them we do our homework and try to find new ways to overcome them.
"But the most crucial factor is the speed of the game. We cannot maintain the same pace as long as they can.
"We tend to make mistakes after eight or nine rallies and that leads to a lot of unforced errors and quick points for them. They usually capitalise on that every time we play them," she added.
During that period, Soon Huat-Shevon managed to beat the pair only once, which came at the China Open in 2024.
