PETALING JAYA: It was a case of third time lucky for upcoming women doubles pair Woon Khe Wei and Vivian Hoo at the Indonesian Open GP Gold badminton tournament at East Kalimantan yesterday.
The duo clinched the title in their first ever final appearance after failing to get past the semi-finals of the Thailand and Taiwan Open earlier this year.
The young pair defeated China’s Bao Yixin-Zhong Qianxin 19-21, 21-19, 21-18.
It was an amazing feat considering the fact that the more experienced Chinese pair came into the tournament fresh from winning the Japan Open last month.
The first game was a close affair as both pairs failed to gain any headway but it was the Chinese, with their vast experience, who wrapped up the first game at 21-19.
However, Khe Wei-Vivian showed that they were no pushovers when they fought back to win with an identical 21-19 scoreline.
In the deciding game, Khe Wei-Vivian tightened up their game to coolly romp home 21-18 and celebrate their breakthrough in women’s doubles.
“I’m really happy to win our first title as it is also the first time that we have beaten players from China,” said Khe Wei.
“We have been training hard lately and part of our improvement as a pair is due to the fact that our defence is getting better.
“Opponents are finding it harder to finish us off and mentally we have also toughened up and we no longer panic while trailing.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to maintain our performance and make a push for the London Olympics next year,” said Khe Wei.
The pair are currently ranked 60th in the world. Their good performance is also a boost for Malaysia’s gold medal hopes at the Jakarta SEA Games next month.
