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It wasn’t the ideal preparation for a home tournament, but Malaysian mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie showed remarkable grit to battle into the second round of the Malaysia Open today (7 January).
The world No. 9 husband-and-wife duo overcame both their Taiwanese opponents and a serious health scare, grinding out a 15-21, 21-19, 21-14 victory over Wu Guan Xun-Lee Chia Hsin in 56 minutes.
What looked like a sluggish start had a dramatic reason: Lai had suffered food poisoning the night before, vomiting at midnight, and barely sleeping.
Goh told the media that his partner wasn’t feeling well, so they were still trying to find a rhythm in the first game.
I had to cover more areas and protect her instead of always going full attack.
Fighting Back With Grit And Tactics
The Malaysians dropped the opening game and trailed in the second, but smart tactics and home crowd support helped them turn things around.
We slowed things down, recovered between rallies and adjusted our rhythm. Even when we were behind, we kept fighting because the crowd gave us energy and confidence.
The couple next face American pair Presley Smith-Jennie Gai, who upset India’s world No. 17 Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto.
We have a good chance to push for the quarter-finals, but we have to stay focused and take it step by step.
Last year, the pair won the mixed doubles title at the Malaysia Masters 2024, not long after they tied the knot.
If today’s performance is anything to go by, it’ll take more than food poisoning to stop them from matching that feat.
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