CHANCE TO COME GOOD
Vivian and Khe Wei hope to turn a poor year around
THE first half of this year has been rather disappointing for national women’s doubles Vivian Hoo Kah Mun-Woon Khe Wei.
But duo are hoping to change all that at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games (KL2017).
Yesterday, the national No 1 pair reached the quarter-finals of the New Zealand Open in Auckland following a comfortable 2112, 21-10 win over locals Danielle Tahuri-Xie Yongshi in the second round.
The top seeded Malaysians will face China’s Qiao Shijun-Zhang Shuxian for a place in the last four stage.
“Today’s match was not really tough. However, we are well aware that all that will change tomorrow in the quarter-finals.
“We play a young Chinese pair, so hopefully our experience will see us through.
“What is more important for Khe Wei and I now is the Sea Games. Pressure is mounting as we are expected to deliver the gold medal.
“This year has not been good for us. We have not played well enough so hopefully we get to use this New Zealand Open as a platform for us to get back our rhythm ahead of the Games later this month.
“All I can say is there is only one way up, and Khe Wei and I have got no choice but to deliver the best we can,” said Vivian.
Also through to the quarterfinals were Joyce Choong-Goh Yea Ching who thumped New Zealand’s Alyssa Tagle-Jacqueline Yu 21-4, 21-5 in the second round. The Malaysians take on fourth seeds Ayako SakuramotoYukiko Takahata of Japan next.
In the women’s singles, Ho Yen Mei checked into the last eight with a 21-13, 21-16 upset win over eighth seed Yulia Yosephin Susanto of Indonesia.
Yen Mei, who has failed to win a title since clinching the Polish International crown in 2015, is up against second seed Fitriani Fitriani, also from Indonesia, today.
“I have been too hard on myself recently, and I think it’s time for me to calm down. I’m grateful to have reached the quarter-finals and my head-to-head record with Fitriani is also not too bad. We have beaten each other once. Let’s see, maybe with this new mindset, I can go a step further,” added Yen Mei.
Men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi are the other Malaysians who will feature in today’s quarter-finals.
The second seeds saw off New Zealand’s Kevin Dennerly Minturn-Samuel Ho 21-13, 21-6 in the second round and will face seventh seeds Liao Min Chun-Su Cheng Heng next.
It was, however, the end of the road for mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See who went down fighting 12-21, 21-15, 21-19 to Indonesia’s Riky Widianto-Richi Puspita Dili.