GAME OVER IN MACAU
Peng Soon-Yee See fall as injury floors Zulfadli in semi-finals
MALAYSIA’S badminton challenge at the Macau Open came to an end when mixed doubles Chan Peng SoonCheah Yee See and men’s singles Zulfadli Zulkiffli crashed out in the semifinals yesterday.
Peng Soon-Yee See went down tamely to China’s Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong 2112, 21-12 in a match which lasted 32 minutes.
The duo admitted that they were outclassed but are maintaining a positive outlook.
“Our opponents played really fast today and had their tactics well sorted. It put us under pressure and we lost focus,” said Peng Soon.
“Although we lost, I felt that we did well to at least reach the semi-finals. We will look to improve on our weaknesses before the China Open (starts Tuesday).”
Zulfadli was forced to withdraw from his semi-final match against Indonesian Ihsan Maulana Mustofa by an ankle injury.
The former world junior champion picked up the injury during his quarterfinal match against Taiwan’s Shih Kuei Chun, which he won 15-21, 21-18, 21-6.
Zulfadli’s father Zulkifli Sidek, who is also his coach, said he will also have to pull out from the China Open.
“Zulfadli slipped in his quarterfinal match. We thought it was just a minor injury and expected the swelling to subside today but instead it got worse,” said Zulkifli.