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 Yaxin yesterday.
Soon Huat-Shevon believe they could perform better at next year’s All-England if the Badminton World Federation (BWF) change 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 21x3 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.
“But the disadvantage is that the game will be faster and it could allow anyone to play well.
“It also does not mean a top seeded player will definitely win because the matches are shorter and any player can take a game,” 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-Yaxin 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.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Men’s singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Lu Guangzu (Chn) 21-15, 21-10; Loh Kean Yew (Sin) bt Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) 14-21, 21-19, 24-22; Christo Popov (Fra) bt Rasmus Gemke (Den) 21-4, 21-16; Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Jason Teh (Sin) 21-11, 10-21, 21-15; Alwi Farhan (Ina) bt Ayush Shetty (Ind) 19-21, 21-9, 21-17; Toma Junior Popov (Fra) bt Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) 21-19, 21-15; Lin Chun-yi (Tpe) bt Wang Tzu-wei (Tpe) 21-16, 21-17; Chou Tien-chen (Tpe) bt Chi Yu-jen (Tpe) 17-21, 21-14, 11-3 (rtd).
Men’s doubles: Christo Popov-Toma Junior Popov (Fra) bt Sabar Karyaman-Reza Isfahani (Ina) 21-12, 21-12; Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Wang Chi-lin (Tpe) bt Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) 21-18, 21-14; Wang Zhiyi (Chn) bt Hina Akechi (Jpn) 21-15, 21-15; Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (Mas) bt Fang Chih-lee-Fang Chih-jen (Tpe) 21-17, 21-16; Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Chen Zhi Yi-Presley Smith (US) 21-17, 21-17; Aaron Tai-Khang Khai Xing (Mas) bt Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) 23-21, 21-12; Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) bt He Zhi-wei-Huang Jui-hsuan (Tpe) 21-12, 21-12; Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Mas) bt Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi 21-10, 21-15.
Women’s singles: Chiu Pin-chian (Tpe) bt Zhang Beiwen (US) 18-21, 21-8, 21-12; Yeo Jia Min (Sin) bt Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 12-21, 11-6 (rtd); Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) 21-13, 21-11; Line Christophersen (Den) bt Nguyen Thuy Linh (Vie) 21-15, 21-11; Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King (Mas) bt Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) 21-19, 18-21, 21-18; Rian Ardianto-Rahmat Hidayat (Ina) bt Liu Kuang-heng-Yang Po-han (Tpe) 21-10, 21-16; Riko Gunji (Jpn) bt Han Yue (Chn) 20-22, 21-17, 21-18; Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) bt Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 15-21, 21-15, 21-14; Supanida Katethong (Tha) bt Hsu Wen-chi (Tpe) 21-12, 21-14.
Women’s doubles: Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva (Bul) bt Li Yijing-Luo Xumin (Chn) 21-15, 21-17; Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah (Mas) bt Arisa Igarashi-Chiharu Shida (Jpn) 21-19, 21-13; Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi (Jpn) bt Lin Xiao-min-Wang Yu-qiao (Tpe) 21-23, 21-7, 21-13; Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) bt Ririna Hiramoto-Kokona Ishikawa (Jpn) 21-10, 21-10; Febriana Kusuma-Meilysa Puspitasari (Ina) bt Polina Buhrova-Yevheniia Kantemyr (Ukr) 19-21, 21-15, 21-19; Amallia Pratiwi-Siti Ramadhanti (Ina) bt Hsu Ya-ching-Sung Yu-hsuan (Tpe) 21-16, 22-20; Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) bt Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting (Mas) 21-17, 21-8; Lee Seo-jin-Lee Yeon-woo (Kor) bt Lauren Lam-Allison Lee (US) 21-19,15-21, 21-17.
Mixed doubles: Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (Mas) bt Callum Hemming-Estelle Van Leeuwen (Eng) 21-14, 21-12; Mads Vestergaaard-Christine Busch (Den) bt Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi (Chn) 21-16, 15-21, 21-17; Margot Lambert-Camille Pognante (Fra) bt Yeung Nga Ting-Yeung Pui Lam (Hkg) 21-17, 21-16; Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu (Ina) bt Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying (Chn) 24-22, 21-13; Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Presley Smith-Jennie Gai (US) 21-10, 16-21, 21-12; Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue (Fra) bt Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde (Ind) 21-12, 21-15; Alexander Dunn-Julie Macpherson (Sco) bt Jesper Toft-Amalie Magelund (Den) 21-19, 14-21, 21-9; Amir Syahnawi-Nita Marwah (Ina) bt Marwin Seidel-Thuc Phuong Nguyen (Ger) 21-17, 21-14; Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui (Chn) bt Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien (Mas) 17-21, 21-12, 21-9; Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara (Jpn) bt Chen Cheng-kuan-Hsu Yin-hui (Tpe) 21-14, 19-21, 21-18.
