Kota Kinabalu: Former Malaysian men’s singles player Goh Soon Huat who has decided to try his luck in mixed doubles with Shevon Lai Jemie in October, showed encouraging potential at the 2016 Malaysia International Challenge when he and Shevon dismissed Yang Po-Hsuan/Wen Hao Yun of Taiwan to claim the mixed doubles title on their debut, winning 21-13, 21-17 in 25 minutes.
However, Malaysia’s World No. 57th women’s singles player Ho Yen-Mei couldn’t add extra joy to the home supporters when she crashed out in the final to Sayaka Takahashi of Japan, losing 17-21 and 11-21.
Men’s doubles winners of last week’s USM Victor International Challenge, Chooi Kah Ming-Low Juan Shen then kicked off the third finals of the day in red-hot forms, roaring past Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han of Taiwan in straight sets 21-9 and 21-13 to win their second consecutive men’s doubles title in two weeks.
Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean also lived up to their billing as the tournament’s No. 1 seeded women’s doubles player with their explosive, high-energy badminton to defeat China’s Jiang Binbin-Tang Pingyang in a three-set thriller, winning 21-17, 17-21, 21-15.
In the last event of the day, Malaysia’s Satheishtharan R. couldn’t deliver another title for the home team, losing a grueling final match 9-21, 21-16, 12-21 to Panji Ahmad Maulana of Indonesia.
