LIU YING IS GOH-ING OFF
Malaysia’s most decorated women’s shuttler retires after first round exit at Malaysian Open
IT was a day where the match outcome did not matter as Goh Liu Ying, arguably the most successful Malaysian women’s shuttler in history, made her last competitive appearance before retiring at the Petronas Malaysia Open.
Liu Ying’s eagerly anticipated reunion with long-time partner Chan Peng Soon for one last dance ended up in a first round defeat at Axiata Arena yesterday.
The former world No 3 pair, teaming up again for the first time since the BWF World Tour Finals in December 2021, went down to Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal Kusharianto-Lisa Ayu Kusumawati 18-21, 21-15, 21-7.
“It was as if we never parted ways (they ended their 13-year partnership in late 2021),” said Liu Ying, who reached the Malaysia Open final twice with Peng Soon in 2013 and 2016.
“It’s really nice to be able to play together for one last time in exactly the same tournament where we started. It is always a big privilege to play in front of your home fans.
“Although we lost, it will surely leave a long-lasting memory for both of us.
“We knew it was going to be tough for us. Winning a game was already a bonus. We tried to give our best performance for the fans one last time, hopefully they will miss us.”
It marked Liu Ying-Peng Soon’s 12th appearance at the Malaysia Open, 15 years after they first paired up in the 2008 edition.
Liu Ying, 33 and Peng Soon, 34, went on to become one of the best mixed doubles pairs in the world.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics which was a career-best achievement. The feat also made Liu Ying the only Malaysian women’s shuttler to have won a medal at the Olympics.
The duo bagged a total of 12 titles together, including the 2010 Asian Championships, and were ranked a career-high No 3 in 2013.
As one of Malaysia’s most successful pairs, they also played an instrumental role in turning the Malaysian mixed doubles department into a force to be reckoned with.
While Liu Ying has called it quits, Peng Soon has decided to continue his career with Cheah Yee See in a bid to qualify for his third Olympics at Paris 2024.
Peng Soon and Yee See had left the national team last November and signed with Protech.
“I would like to wish Peng Soon the best of luck for the remainder of his career. He’s still such a formidable player at his age, even in today’s (yesterday) match he still covered for me tirelessly as he usually did before,” said Liu Ying.
Peng Soon quipped: “Seeing Liu Ying retire after her last match today, I felt ‘old’ too. So it won’t be too long before it’s my turn to call it a day!”