KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — National shuttler Teo Ee Yi is keeping his feet on the ground despite giving an uplifting performance at the recent Sudirman Cup in Nanning, China.
In fact, the 26-year-old men’s doubles player remains modest about his game and fighting spirit, saying he still respects his seniors Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong, who have turned professional.
The Muar-born player noted that he and his partner Ong Yew Sin have not reached the world’s top five despite giving top Japanese pair Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda a run for their money in the quarterfinals of the Sudirman Cup.
“V Shem-Wee Kiong are more experienced and we can feel it when playing them. Everyone wants to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. For the draw seedings, if we play well, our ranking will also be better,” he told reporters at the Malaysian Badminton Academy (ABM) today.
In the match against Japan, Ee Yi-Yew Sin were the first Malaysian players to go on court but failed to give Malaysia a winning start when they lost to Kamura-Sonoda 21-13, 24-26, 21-23.
Ee Yi also gained applause for choosing to continue playing despite suffering a chin injury after clashing with his partner while both were trying to retrieve a shot.
Recalling the “bloody” incident, Ee Yi said he was initially unaware that the injury was serious and did not feel the pain.
“I asked the medical team to just wipe the blood and apply a little bit of medicine because I wanted to finish the game. The injury did not affect my momentum although after picking myself up I was quite confused and my movement was a bit slow,” he said.
The score was then tied at 19-19 in the deciding game and the Malaysians finally succumbed to the world’s second ranked pair from Japan.
Ee Yi said he is preparing for the Australian Open on June 4-9 and the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland on August 19-25.
“We already have fans and supporters. What is important is that we have to keep in high spirits and improve our performances. We should not easily give up but continue to strive for the best,” he said. — Bernama
