MENTAL strength, or rather the lack of it, has been described as the reason top national mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei failed to get past the semi-finals of the 2025 Malaysia Open badminton championships at the Axiata Arena yesterday.
This was the opinion of national mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto after Tang Jie-Ee Wei’s hopes of making the final were dashed when they went down 19-21, 14-21 to China’s Feng Yang Zhe-Huang Dong Ping in the last four.
Nova said if the world number five Malaysian pair wish to go far, they must overcome this hurdle fast, especially when they are up against some of the world’s top mixed doubles pairs, especially those from China.
“This is a perennial issue... where the moment their opponents catch up with them, their mental state goes haywire. It was the same last year.
“But I can see that they have started to address the issue, it’s just that they are not so consistent yet. To take on the world’s top mixed doubles pairs, such as those from China, you have to be mentally stronger than them and be more resilient,” he said.
As for the early exit of another Malaysian mixed doubles pair, Hoo Pang Ron-Chen Su Yin, the coach felt that they failed to show their true colours in the Super 1000 tournament.
However, Nova hopes that Pang Ron-Su Yin will not give up easily and bounce back at next week’s India Open in New Delhi.
“I can see that their performance level is on the rise. So, I hope that they won’t let this one defeat drag them down,” he said.
Pang Ron-Su Yin are expected to meet compatriots Tang Jie-Ee Wei in the opening round of the India Open from Jan 14-19.
