Chan bids adieu to home Open by serving biggest thanks to local supporters

KUALA LUMPUR: It may not be the best outing for independent mixed doubles shuttler Chan Peng Soon at the Malaysian Open, but he will always have fond memories of the home tourney.

Peng Soon managed to reach the final twice with his former partner, Goh Liu Ying, in the 2013 and 2016 editions.

Despite having to settle for silver in both editions, Peng Soon is content with the memories on home soil.

The overwhelming support and thunderous cheers from the local fans are among the moments that Peng Soon will hold close to his heart.

“I reached the final twice and even though I’ve never won the title before, it felt good and those were good memories,” said the 35-year-old Peng Soon, who plans to retire later this year.

“In my opinion, Malaysian fans are the best.

“They have been following us for so long and I can see the undying support from them.

“Their cheer and support were what kept us going even when we were trailing in a match.

“Instead of just giving up, we would find ways to stage a comeback.”

In his final Malaysian Open appearance, Peng Soon and his partner, Cheah Yee See, got off to a strong start after producing a power-packed performance to beat Taiwan’s Chang Ko-chi-Lee Chih-chen 11-21, 26-24, 21-8 in the opening round on Wednesday.

Peng Soon-Yee See, however, could not maintain their fine form and bowed out in the second round after going down 14-21, 14-21 to world No. 5 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China on Thursday.

But Peng Soon gets a chance to give local fans a grand show in the lower-ranked tournament – the Malaysian Masters – from May 21-26, which will be his last before he hangs up the racquet.

“It’s my last match in the Malaysian Open against opponents (Zhenbang-Yaxin). We were uncomfortable on the court, but I’m happy that we tried our best,” said Peng Soon.

“The fans cheered us on just like they did in the first round, but unfortunately, we lost. Hopefully we can go further in the Malaysian Masters.”

Peng Soon-Yee See have won their first and only title in the KL Masters since reuniting in 2022.