PETALING JAYA: Professional mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie believe they have a good chance of reaching at least the quarter-finals of the Asian Championships in Ningbo from April 7-12.
Soon Huat said the draw has given them added confidence to match their achievement from the previous edition, where they advanced to the last eight.
The eighth seeds will open their campaign against world No. 39 pair from India, Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde, in the first round.
This will be their first meeting, although Soon Huat-Shevon had beaten Rohan four years ago at the Hangzhou Asian Games when he was partnering Reddy Sikki.
Should they progress, their second-round opponents will be either a pair from the qualifying rounds or Taiwan’s Chen Cheng-kuan-Hsu Yin-hui, whom they have yet to play.
“Our preparations have been quite good and we are aiming to reach the quarter-finals. We will analyse our opponents and prepare better,” said Soon Huat.
Soon Huat-Shevon’s best achievement at this tournament was winning a bronze medal at the 2023 edition in Dubai.
Also joining the husband and wife pair in Ningbo are teammates Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, who will face another Taiwanese duo, Wu Guan-xun-Lee Chia-hsin, in the first round.
Fourth seeds Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will take on China’s Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi, while a tough task awaits Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin.
Although they will face opponents from the qualifying rounds in the first round, Pang Ron-Su Yin must deliver a strong performance to make up for the underwhelming results in recent times.
