NATIONAL mixed doubles players have been reminded to stay vigilant and not underestimate several new pairings set to make their debut at the Malaysia Open from Jan 7-12.
National mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto identified Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Ng Tsz Yau and Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran as some of the new pairs capable of posing a challenge to Malaysia’s representatives.
“These new pairs are strong. Their level of play is not far off, and some are at the same level as our players.
“Most probably, we’ll face pairs like this in the first round since they are unseeded. So I hope our players are well-prepared for these new pairings,” he said when met after a national team training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) here today.
Commenting on the national mixed doubles players’ preparations for the Malaysia Open, Nova said everything is on track and the players are eager to compete in the tournament.
The Indonesian-born coach added that he has not set any specific targets for his players but hopes they will deliver their best performances.
“Playing in Malaysia is definitely not easy because competing in front of home supporters comes with its own pressure.
“I don’t want to set the expectation for them to become champions because it might put unnecessary pressure on them. I just hope they can perform their best,” he said.
Malaysia will have two representatives in the mixed doubles - Hoo Pang Ron-Chen Su Yin and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who created history by becoming the first Malaysians to reach the final of the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, recently.