V Shem and Wee Kiong want their world No. 1 ranking back

KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s doubles ace Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong are targeting an immediate return to the world No. 1 ranking.

The Olympic silver medallists hope to reclaim the top spot within the next three Superseries tournaments, starting with next week’s Indian Open in New Delhi from March 28-April 2.

The other two events are the Malaysian Open (April 4-9) and Singapore Open (April 11-16).

V Shem-Wee Kiong have been dethroned by AllEngland winners Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya of Indonesia last week, slipping to No. 2 after scaling the summit for the first time in their career on Nov 10.

But V Shem said he and Wee Kiong are ready to reclaim the No. 1 spot.

“That’s one of our goals in the next three tournaments. We’ll make our first attempt in India, if not we’ll continue to fight for it in our own backyard and Singapore,” said V Shem.

“We want to bounce back from our All-England disappointment (losing in quarter-finals) so badly, so it’s important that we start producing some good results and regain our world No. 1 spot.”

The Indian Open will pose a big challenge for V Shem-Wee Kiong. They must equal the semi-final run of last year or risk losing some ranking points.

V Shem, however, said that not being the world No. 1 for now has taken some pressure off them.

“It’s not all bad after all (losing the No. 1 spot). As we now enter the coming competitions not as the world No. 1, we will feel more relaxed and that could help us focus better.

“The pressure of being the world No. 1 is immense,” said V Shem.

V Shem was present at the Chong Hwa Charity Badminton Challenge at the Sports Arena Sentosa in Jalan Klang Lama yesterday.

Jointly organised by Chong Hwa Independent High School and the Malaysia Purple League, the tournament aims to raise RM1mil for the Chong Hwa Complex building fund.

Meanwhile, Tee Jing Yi and Joyce Choong continued to impress at the Vietnam International Challenge after booking their berths in the women’s doubles semi-finals.

The Malaysian pair won 21-15, 21-18 against Indonesia’s Pitha Hanigtyas Mentari-Virni Putri in 40 minutes.

Men’s doubles pair Jagdish Singh-Muhd Nur Azriyn Ayub are also through following their 21-12, 21-15 victory over homesters Do Tuan Duc-Pham Hong Nam.