Pei Jing-Kian Meng out to rediscover winning sensation.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing hope to impress in comeback trail
KUALA LUMPUR: National mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing are out to get back the winning feeling at the Malaysian Open from April 2-7 after going through a rough spell this year.
The world No. 39 are unseeded in the home tournament, which will be held at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Just a year ago, there were ranked ninth in the world!
This year, Kian Meng-Pei Jing have failed to win a single match in their first four tournaments after losing in the first round at the Malaysian and Indonesian Masters and the Opens in Germany and England.
The Malaysians have been on the receiving end of difficult draws, as two of their losses came against China’s world No. 2 Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping and England’s world No. 6 ChrisAdcock-Gabrielle Adcock while the other two were against top 20 pairs.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing fared well but fell short in the deciding games in all four matches that averaged an hour each.
“The draw has been a bit disappointing for us, but there is nothing we can do. We’ve to keep fighting and clear the opening rounds and can get back to our best,” said Pei Jing.
“We played quite well in all the losses but just could not nail it. We are missing the winning feeling, and that’s what we really need right now. Getting back the confidence is really important for every player.”
Besides their struggles on court, the pair have also had their own battles off court as Kian Meng’s brother passed away due to stomach cancer while Pei Jing lost her father to pancreatic cancer last year.
“We really could not focus during that period of time when our family had problems. We tell ourselves that we want to focus and play better but it only added pressure on us.”
“All is settled now. Our families want us to play well and qualify for the Olympic Games and we are all focused on the task now.
Unfortunately, luck is also not on their side ahead of the Malaysian Open as they have been drawn to face Japanese hotshots Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino in the first round.
They Malaysians will also face the world No. 3 pair in the Singapore Open on April 9-14.
The Japanese pair are riding high after winning the Malaysian Masters in January and finishing as the runners-up at the All-England earlier this month.
But despite the mammoth task ahead of them, Pei Jing is keeping a positive outlook.
“I’m actually quite excited for the Malaysian Open, and I really hope that we can play well for the Malaysian fans,” she said.
“We last met them (Watanabe-Higashino) at the Sudirman Cup two years ago. We beat them (2116, 16-21, 21-19) then but now they are at a different level, but I’m excited to face them again and see where our standard is now.”