MALAYSIA’S TOP PAIR GROUNDED
V Shem-Wee Kiong dropped from Denmark and French Opens
NATIONAL men’s doubles Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong are paying the price for their poor form.
The duo will not be allowed to play in the Denmark and French Opens later this month.
Head coach, Paulus Firman, has decided to withdraw them from the two tournaments, following a string of poor performances last month.
V Shem-Wee Kiong, silver medallists at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, have come under fire after crashing out early in the Japan and China Opens last month.
The national No 1 have also failed to impress at major tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games, Thomas Cup, World Championships and Asian Games, this year.
“There are actually two reasons why I decided to drop these two from competing in the Denmark and French Opens this month.
“Firstly, V Shem picked up an injury in China.
“He twisted his ankle and has been undergoing rehabilitation since he returned.
“With that in mind, I do not think he has enough time to prepare for the two tournaments.
“The other reason is based on my evaluation of their performance in the last two tournaments (Japan and China Opens).
“Looking at their performance, I think it is only right for them to stay back and prepare themselves more.
“To work on their weakness, if I may say so,” said Paulus.
In their absence, the national camp will rely on two other pairs — Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik — to come good at the Denmark Open on Oct 16-21 and the French Open on Oct 23-28.
V Shem-Wee Kiong, currently ranked No 12 in the world, are expected to return to competitive action in November, where they are slated to take part in the China and Hong Kong Opens, as well as the Korea Masters.
Earlier, BA of Malaysia president, Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria had warned under performing players to buck up, or risk being barred from playing in tournaments.
Men’s singles shuttler, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin was the other notable player, who was withdrawn from the ongoing Taiwan Open this week, due to poor performance.