Peng Soon won’t chew on quarters exit after food poisoning episode

Mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying stopped short of making their eighth semi-final of the year at the Denmark Open – but they are not disheartened.

On Friday, Peng Soon-Liu Ying were beaten 18-21, 18-21 by world No. 5 Seo Seung-jaeChae Yu-jung of South Korea, who had also beaten them at the same stage in last year’s edition.

But Peng Soon believes they have every reason to be pleased with the result as he was not playing anywhere near his optimal condition – no thanks to the food poisoning that

affected him last Friday.

“I was down with food poisoning last Friday, so I wasn’t in my best physical condition,” said Peng Soon.

“I tried the best I could, and with the support I got from Liu Ying and coach (Chew) Choon Eng, we still managed two wins and made the quarter-finals.

“I’m not too distraught, considering the circumstances.”

Peng Soon said he was glad to recover swiftly just in time before their flight to Odense on Saturday.

“For quick recovery, I sought treatment at a

hospital and was put on drips. But of course, my body was weakened by two days of diarrhoea and vomiting, and that affected my fitness level as well,” he explained.

“But we didn’t withdraw. There’s no way we’re going to skip such an important tournament with a lot of ranking points at stake.”

Peng Soon will be hoping to regain his full fitness before the French Open gets under way on Tuesday.

They face former national teammates Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing in the first round.

“I’m feeling much better now. With a couple days of rest, I should be ready for France,”