PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Lai Pei Jing-Jimmy Wong have opted to remain tight-lipped over their withdrawal from the Asian Championships, which will be held in Ningbo, China, from April 7 to 12.
It was set to be Pei Jing’s debut appearance at the tournament alongside Jimmy, as they had qualified by virtue of their world No. 23 ranking.
However, they have chosen to skip this year’s edition, with both players declining to comment further on their decision.
They also did not reveal which tournaments they will be competing in next.
After finishing as runners-up at the Korean Masters last September, Pei Jing-Jimmy have struggled to progress further, often exiting in the early rounds.
This includes the seven tournaments they have competed in so far this year up to March, with their latest outing ending in a second-round defeat to Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu at the Swiss Open.
Despite their absence, Malaysia will still have four mixed doubles pairs in action in Ningbo, namely Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien.
Fourth seeds Tang Jie-Ee Wei will face China’s Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi.
Soon Huat-Shevon will take on India’s Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde, while Tien Ci-Chiew Sien will meet Ashith Surya-Amrutha Pramuthesh.
Pang Ron-Su Yin will await their opponents from the Group D qualifying rounds.
