Leading by example
V Shem looks to Zhang Nan to make his partnership work
PETALING JAYA: Goh V Shem intends to use China’s Zhang Nan as inspiration in his bid to make his new partnership with Teo Ee Yi take off.
V Shem-Ee Yi will compete in the men’s doubles event at the China Open, which begins in Fuzhou tomorrow. The penultimate leg of the Superseries Tour is the Malaysians’ third international tournament together.
V Shem and former partner Tan Wee Kiong lost to Zhang Nan-Fu Haifeng in the men’s doubles final at the Rio Olympic Games in August last year.
Zhang Nan was paired up with Liu Cheng after the Rio Games and they’ve won two titles this year – the Asian Badminton Championships (ABC) in Wuhan, China; and the Indonesian Open in Jakarta – and are No. 4 in the world.
“Zhang Nan has shown that he can lead another player to the top. I’d like to do the same,” said V Shem.
“Zhang Nan is a good example for me. He has been able to make it work with Liu Cheng.
“They’ve gone through their own ups and downs over the last one year but they kept on improving. They are not an easy pair to beat now.
“Ee Yi and I have played in two international tournaments – French Open in Paris (second round) and Bitburger Open in Saarbrucken, Germany (quarter-finals) – in the past month.
We didn’t achieve good results but it’s okay because we’re just coming together. With more time, we’ll get better.
Goh V Shem
“We didn’t achieve good results but it’s okay because we’re just coming together. With more time, we’ll get better.”
V Shem-Ee Yi hope to create an upset in the first round of the China Open, having been drawn to play world No. 5 Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen of China.
The other Malaysian men’s doubles pair competing in the China Open is Wee Kiong-Ong Yew Sin.
The Malaysian-Indonesian partnership of Tan Boon Heong-Hendra Setiawan will face Vladimir IvanovIvan Sozonov of Russia in the first round while Wee Kiong-Yew Sin a tricky opener against Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen-David Daugaard.
The others playing in the China Open are Lee Chong Wei (men’s singles); Woon Khe Wei-Vivian HooLee Meng Yean-Chow Mei Kuan (women’s doubles); and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, Goh Soon HuatShevon Lai Jemie, Chan Peng SoonCheah Yee See (mixed doubles).