‘OVERDOSE’ OF TOURNAMENTS
Players are left with little time for practice
PLAYING in too many tournaments is taking a toll on several top players and pairs. On Wednesday, mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying failed to clear the first round of the French Open when the World No 6 lost 19-21, 21-18, 21-18 to Dutch pair Robin TebelingCheryl Seinen.
The French Open was Peng Soon-Liu Ying’s 14th tournament this season on the new Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour.
Under the world body’s ruling, the top fifteen singles players and the top 10 pairs must compete in 12 tournaments comprising three Level Two, five Level Three and four Level Four competitions.
“Our game was actually not too bad, though we lacked patience,” said Liu Ying in Paris yesterday.
“However, in the last three months, Peng Soon and I have been playing in too many tournaments.
“We don’t really have a choice because we will be fined by BWF if we do not compete.
“We are doing our best in every tournament but that is not enough to maintain our top performance.
“If we had more time in training, I am sure we will be better.”
Despite the tight competition schedule, Liu Ying remained optimistic of making amends in next month’s China Open and Hong Kong Open.
The duo are also slated to compete in the BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China in December.
“Of course, it’s not easy but we won’t give up. We will continue to fight and give our best,” Liu Ying added.