PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie will be on their guard against Chen Zhi Yi-Francesca Corbett after the Americans knocked out a higher-ranked pair in the first round of the World Championships on Tuesday (Aug 18).
Zhi Yi-Corbett came from a game down to beat South Korea’s world No. 26 Kim Jae-hyeon-Jang Ha-jeong 14-21, 21-16, 21-18 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Soon Huat-Shevon have won both their previous meetings against the world No. 48 pair, including at the Japan Open last month, but they know past results will count for little when they meet again.
For Soon Huat, the key will be to stay focused regardless of what happens on court.
“We have to be prepared. The most important thing is our mindset. We cannot allow any situation there to affect us. When we step onto the court, we just have to stay focused,” said Soon Huat.
Soon Huat-Shevon’s campaign in Paris last year ended in the third round when they lost to fellow Malaysians Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin.
They are determined to go further this time, although Shevon admits their path will not be easy.
“Our draw is quite tough this time, but sometimes you need a difficult draw to make a breakthrough,” said Shevon.
“We cannot always hope for an easier draw just to go far.
“After all these years, we feel that if we want to reach a higher level, we have to overcome challenges like these,” said Shevon.
Earlier, fellow Malaysians Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien saw their World Championships campaign end in the first round after losing 16-21, 3-21 to Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal-Gloria Emanuelle.
