Peng Soon and Liu Ying get tips from fellow pros V Shem and Wee Kiong in match
PETALING Independent shuttlers Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong have taken up new roles – as coaches for each other on the sidelines.
It was V Shem and Wee Kiong’s coaching that saw Peng Soon-Liu Ying overcome a seven-point deficit in the first game to dominate the match for a convincing 21-18, 21-10 win over Russians Rodion AlimovAlina Davletova in the second round of the mixed doubles event in the Thailand Masters in Bangkok yesterday.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying were trailing 12-5 in the first game but bounced back after some words with the men’s doubles pair V Shem-Wee Kiong.
They play Indonesian pair Alfian Eko Prasetya-Marsheilla Gischa Islami in the quarter-final today.
The Indonesians defeated Chen Tang Jie-Peck Yen Wei 23-21, 20-22, 21-12 in another closely fought second-round battle
Said Peng Soon: “It was our first time playing the Russians so our tactics were not very clear and we struggled to find our game.”
“But at the 11-point break, Wee Kiong and V Shem gave us some comments and after that, we were more confident and bounced back to control the match.
“They coached us and gave us
JAYA:
some advice, it was helpful. We’ll do the same for them when they play. It feels really nice that we can help each other as independent players.”
On the quarter-final clash, Peng Soon said: “We haven’t played them before. As independent shuttlers, we don’t have the benefit of personal analysis of our opponents from the NSI (National Sports Institute), but we’ve studied them a bit so we’ll be ready.”
In the men’s singles, Cheam June Wei has set himself up for a dream last-eight clash against two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China.
June Wei showed great determination to come back from a game down to beat Thailand’s Pannawit Thongunam 14-21, 21-17, 21-16 while Lin Dan narrowly edged Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-19, 15-21, 22-20 for a quarter-final place.