Another stern test awaits Soon Huat-Shevon at Asian Championships after hiccup in Spain

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, fresh off their Swiss Open victory last week, will have to brace for a fiery reception at the Asian Championships from April 9-14 in Ningbo, China, as they will take on world No. 5 pair Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China.

World No. 13 Soon Huat-Shevon have lost all four previous meetings with the Chinese pair, with the most recent coming at the Indian Open quarter-finals in January.

The pair had a less than ideal return to competition mode at the Spain Masters after losing to China’s Chen Xing-Zhang Chi 21-18, 21-18 in the opening round on Wednesday.

The pair need to get back in form and Shevon is well aware of the challenge that awaits them in Ningbo next month.

“We’re heading back and getting to work as soon as possible to prepare for the Asian Championships.

“Facing the Chinese pair will be tough and tricky but we will give it our very best,” she said.

Meanwhile, mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei also have a tough start in Ningbo as they are set to face top-ranked Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China in the first round.

Yap Roy King and mixed doubles partner Valeree Siow, who are world No. 62, will have the tall order of taking on sixth-ranked Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing will play Indonesia’s mixed doubles pair Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle, the third time they meet in the opening round of a tournament, with both previous meetings won by the world No. 16 Indonesians.

In the women’s doubles category, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s experience should help them clear their first-round fight against world No. 8 Japanese pair Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahari.

Although ranked lower than their opponents, world No. 13 Pearly-Thinaah have won three of the four previous meetings with the Japanese duo, with their latest win coming in the second round of the World Championships last year.

The pair should be able to give it their all during the tournament as they will have time to rest afterwards with national coaching director Rexy Mainaky considering not sending them to compete at the Uber Cup Finals from April 27-May 5 in Chengdu, China, to give them more time to focus on their Paris Olympics preparations.

The other women’s doubles pair of Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien will have to overcome 12th-ranked Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong in the first round to advance further in the tournament.

Goh Jin Wei, the sole representative in the women’s singles department, has her first round challenge in the form of India’s P.V. Sindhu.