PETALING JAYA, Aug 4 — Last year was a nightmare for mixed doubles shuttler Goh Liu Ying.
The 26-year-old spent more time on the treatment table than the courts after undergoing surgery on both her knees and was out for almost nine months. But fortunes smiled on her this year.
Since returning from injury, she rekindled her partnership with Chan Peng Soon in February and the duo bagged three titles since — the KL Open, the Polish International Challenge and Russian Open title last month.
Things got better for the world No. 29 pair, who were included for the upcoming World Championships (Aug 10-16) in Jakarta following a string of last minute withdrawals.
“We are fired up for a good outing in Jakarta, especially getting the good news right after winning the Russian open. I still need to lookout for my knees which have not completely recovered, but we are high on confidence and will give it our best shot,” said Goh.
Chan-Goh have a winnable first-round fixture against United States’ Howard Shu-Eva Lee, but Chan is wary of their opponents should they make it to the next round.
“The Hong Kong pair (Reginald Lee-Chau Hoi Wah) are seeded ninth, so we need to be cautious. But the draw is still good for us and we will approach each game as it comes. A good outing will also help our Olympics cause,” said Chan.
Morten Frost also tipped the pair to do well.
“They certainly have the chance to win the first game. It will be a tall order for them in the third round as they will most possibly face my favourite pair to win the title (Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir), but if they win, anything can happen,” said the BA of Malaysia technical director. — Nicolas Anil
