KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 — Professional mixed doubles duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie became the first Malaysian pair to reach the Malaysia Open semi-finals since Tan Kian Meng-Lai Peijing in 2019.
In the quarter-finals edition today at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Goh-Lai started strong, cruising to a 21-15 win in the first set.
However, the second set proved to be a tougher challenge for the fourth seeds who had to fend off a late comeback from their seventh-seed opponents.
With the score tied at 20-20, they regrouped and held their nerve to secure a 22-20 victory, sealing their semi-final spot in 47 minutes and third win after five encounters against the world number 11 pair.
Commenting on the match, Lai said she was pleased with their performance and glad to reach their first-ever Malaysia Open semi-final.
“Very happy and honoured to enter the semi-final on home ground. Here we have our families and fans and we will fight for Malaysia,” she told the press at the mixed zone.
In the semi-final tomorrow, Goh-Lai will face Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran from Thailand who beat France's Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue 21-13, 14-21, 21-7.
Lai acknowledged the rise of Thailand’s new combination which enjoyed swift success since being paired in October last year, clinching two titles in 2024 — the Kumamoto Masters Japan in November and the Syed Modi India International in December.
“We have met them twice and the score is 1-1. But their performance appeared very solid and more scary. So we have to really prepare mentally and physically,” she said.
Malaysia will have a chance to have a second pair in the last four when the national top duo and third seeds Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei play Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito later today.
— Bernama
