Getting out of the rut
V Shem-Wee Kiong need to produce something special in KL
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian doubles pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong are in for a rough ride in the Malaysian Masters from Jan 14-20.
The world No. 14 are aiming to go one better after finishing as runners-up to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil in January this year.
But V Shem-Wee Kiong, who have yet to taste success since winning the World Superseries Finals in December 2016, will need to produce something special to even make it to the quarter-finals.
They are expected to kick off their campaign against China’s Huang Kaixiang-Wang Zekang in the first round, whom they had lost to in the last 16 of the Korean Masters earlier this month.
If they win, awaiting them in the second round are either the rejuvenated seasoned campaigners Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia or Lee Yong-dae-Kim Gi-jung of South Korea.
Former world No. 1 Ahsan-Hendra, who were reunited this year, have recaptured the form that won them two world titles in 2013 and 2015 and returned to the world top 10 recently.
Yong-dae-Gi-jung have been going great guns since coming out from retirement that saw them winning the Spanish Masters and Macau Open in just four months.
Before the Malaysian Masters, V Shem-Wee Kiong will compete in their first tournament of the season at the Thailand Masters in Bangkok from Jan 8-13.
It will be interesting to see now if the Rio Olympics silver medallists would begin the new year as independent shuttlers.
Last week, Wee Kiong had admitted that the pair are currently considering their options and could quit the national team just like their mixed doubles teammates Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will have a chance to prove themselves as worthy successors to V Shem-Wee Kiong in front of the home crowd.
The world No. 22 will face Marcus EllisChris Langridge in the first round hoping to settle the score with the English opponents after they were pipped to the Saarlorlux Open in Germany last month.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying, the 2012 winners, will meet qualifiers in the first hurdle while Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing face a stern test against Chris Adcock-Gabrielle Adcock in their bid to reclaim the title they won in 2017.
Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie should have no problem overcoming Hong Kong’s Chang Tak Ching-Ng Wing Yung of Hong Kong in the other first-round match.
Macau Open champion Lee Zii Jia and professionals Liew Daren and Chong Wei Feng are the three local flag bearers in the men’s singles competition.
Daren, who made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual winner Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen this year, is the only representative in the main draw. He meets Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto.
Zii Jia and Wei Feng have been drawn against China’s Zhou Zeqi and Indonesia’s Ihsan Maulana Mustofa in the first qualifying rounds.
In the women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei could not have asked for a tougher start as she got world No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan as her first-round opponent.