PENG SOON-LIU YING UP AGAINST FORMER COACH IN DENMARK
ODENSE: Mixed doubles stars Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying will be going into unchartered waters when they face Japan’s Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino in the second round of the Danisa Denmark Open.
The 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medallists will be up against their favourite coach Jeremy Gan (pic) on the opposite side for the first time at the Odense Sports Centre today.
Jeremy left to coach Japan’s mixed doubles department last year and his presence brought immediate result when Watanabe-Higashino lifted the All-England title in March.
Jeremy was Malaysia’s first mixed doubles coach and it was under him that Peng Soon-Liu Ying blossomed.
Peng Soon said it would be an awkward moment.
“This is the first time that our former coach Jeremy will be against us,” said Peng Soon. “It’ll be weird to see him coaching our opponents.
“He was instrumental in the rise of the mixed doubles department in Malaysia.
“He moved on to the men’s doubles later but Liu Ying and I will never forget all his contributions.
“He was one of the best coaches ... we were able to talk to him about anything. He knows how to motivate us.”
Liu Ying, who was coached even earlier by Jeremy during her junior days, said they will have to be profes- sional about it.
“I knew Jeremy since my junior days and I bet he knows all my strengths and weaknesses as well,” said the 29-year-old.
“His presence is an added advantage for Japan. He knows our style just too well but Peng Soon and I will not make it easy.”
Prior to Jeremy’s presence in Japan, Peng Soon-Liu Ying have beaten Watanabe-Higashino twice at the 2015 Russian Open and the 2017 AllEngland.
Said Liu Ying: “It’ll be a close match. Malaysian badminton is down at the moment and we’ll try to bring some good results.”
Peng Soon-Liu Ying are the topranked Malaysia pair at world No. 7.
The others are Goh Soon HuatShevon Lai Jemie (ninth) and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (19th).
Soon Huat-Shevon face Lu KaiChen Lu of China in the second round today while Kian Meng-Pei Jing withdrew from the tournament as Pei Jing’s father passed away on Monday.