PETALING JAYA: Sometimes rivals can turn into allies.
It is not often that a Singapore-Indonesia mixed doubles pair receive guidance from a Malaysian coach, but that was the scene during the first round clash between Terry Hee-Gloria Widjaja and world No. 1 pair Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping at the All England.
Professional doubles coach Teo Kok Siang and Malaysia’s mixed doubles player Goh Soon Huat sat behind them, offering advice as they took on the Chinese duo.
Terry explained that they sought help from Kok Siang and Soon Huat after their coach Paulus Firman was unable to travel to Birmingham due to unavoidable reasons.
Throughout the match, Terry-Gloria gained fresh insights from the duo and came close to pulling off a major upset. However, they ultimately fell 21-18, 18-21, 19-21.
“We are good friends off court and we are happy that Kok Siang and Soon Huat could help us today because our coach could not be here due to unavoidable matters,” Terry told Badminton Indonesia.
“I think they gave us new insights and this was a new experience for us. We are grateful for the opportunity as this partnership is still new.
Speaking on their preparation for the All-England, Terry-Gloria had trained separately before regrouping in Birmingham.
“We trained mostly on our own because I had to sort out my visa, while Terry was preparing for the Asian Team Championships earlier, so it was quite hectic,” added Gloria.
