Bangkok: Playing in their first tournament together since April 2017, the Rio Olympic silver medalists Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying made a strong start of the year by defeating Hong Kong pair Chang Tak Ching/Ng Wing Yung 21-19, 21-15 in the first round of Thailand Masters on Tuesday.
The former World No. 3 pair will play Yantoni Edy Saputra/Marsheilla Gischa Islami of Indonesia in the second round.
“It’s a special feeling to be able to go back and play on the court,” said Goh, who missed almost the entire season last year after undergoing a shoulder surgery in Germany.
“Peng Soon and I are not at our best but that’s okay. We want to play as many tournaments as we can this year and hopefully we will be able to peak in April. ”
“This is my first tournament with Peng Soon, so I do not want to set any targets. The main goal of the year is to do well in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games,” added Goh.
Meanwhile, last year’s Asian junior champion Leong Jun Hao has confirmed the spot on the men’s singles main draw after eliminating his teammate Soo Teck Zhi 21-18, 21-18 in the second qualifying round.
Before that, he defeated a Thai player, Kantawat Leelavechabutr 11-21, 21-18, 21-9.
The 19-year-old Leong Jun Hao will face the 2011 world junior champion and No. 8 seed Zulfadli Zulkiffli in the first round of main draw on Wednesday.
