PETALING JAYA: Despite a disappointing exit at the Asian Championships, shuttlers Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are still regarded as Malaysia’s strongest mixed doubles pair.
National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto believes the world No. 3 pair Soon Huat-Shevon remain the country’s best hope for the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China, from April 27-May 5.
Soon Huat-Shevon came under the spotlight after suffering a surprise 15-21, 11-21 defeat to Indonesia’s world No. 25 pair, Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu, in the quarter-finals yesterday. T
he loss ended their bid to repeat their 2023 achievement of bringing home a bronze medal.
Although Nova does not oversee their training, as the pair are under coach Teo Kok Siang in the professional camp, the Indonesian has continued to back the husband-and-wife partnership.
He pointed to their consistency, which he feels puts them ahead of the other combinations in the country.
Their compatriots, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, have also been included in the squad for Xiamen but are currently going through internal issues and have been temporarily separated.
“At the moment, Soon Huat-Shevon are the most stable pair. But we are also preparing other combinations to strengthen the team,” said Nova.
“We are considering alternative pairings as the other existing combinations have not shown consistent performances.”
This marks the fourth straight quarter-final exit for Soon Huat-Shevon this season, following similar results at the Indonesian Masters in January, as well as the All-England and Swiss Open last month.
According to the current provisional list, Malaysia are set to field three mixed doubles pairs – Soon Huat-Shevon, Tang Jie-Ee Wei and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin.
