Shevon hopes to shine with Soon Huat at Denmark Open

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Shevon Lai Jemie hopes to make some noise again in sleepy Odense to mark a return to form with partner Goh Soon Huat at the Danisa Denmark Open.

World No. 9 Soon Huat-Shevon will begin their campaign at the US$775,000 (RM3.2mil) Denmark Open by taking on homesters Mikkel Mikkelsen- Mai Surrow today.

The 25-year-old Shevon relishes playing in Denmark.

“Soon Huat and I achieved our first breakthrough at last year’s Denmark Open where we made it to the semi-finals. It was our first semi- final appearance in a Superseries tournament. That gave us quite a boost,” said Shevon.

And they rode on the momentum to maintain a high-level of play in international tournaments.

They went on to win the German Open this year and surprised everyone by winning their first Superseries title at the Singapore Open in July by beating Tontowi Ahmad-Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia in the final.

However, the duo have been struggling to find their footing over the last two months.

“I personally love the quiet and peaceful environment in Denmark. Hopefully, Soon Huat and I can make it special here again,” said Shevon.

Shevon admitted being in the top 10 standings in the world has its challenges.

“Our rise as a pair has put us in the radar. Other top pairs are giving us more attention and beginning to read our game,” she said.

“This is also good for us because, it makes us work harder to improve further.

“The draw is not too bad here for us and hopefully, we’ll be able to give a better account of ourselves as our results in the past two months have not been that good.”

They are drawn in the same quarter with second seeds Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping of China and Hong Kong’s Reginald Lee Chun Wei-Chau Hoi Wah.

Malaysia will also be represented by Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing.

Sixth seeds Peng Soon-Liu Ying face Jacco Arends-Selena Piek of Holland in the opening round while Kian Meng-Pei Jing should clear their opener against Marvin Emil Seidel- Linda Efler of Germany.

The hope is on the mixed doubles to keep the flag flying high in the absence of 2016 Denmark Open champions Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, who withdrew from the tournament following an ankle injury to V Shem.

The others in the fray are Liew Daren (men’s singles), Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles) and Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (women’s doubles).