Pasangan badminton beregu campuran profesional negara, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying, mengidamkan untuk bergelar juara kebangsaan buat kali kedua selepas kali terakhir melakukannya lapan tahun lalu.
Kali terakhir pasangan itu dinobatkan juara kebangsaan adalah dalam edisi 2011 sebelum Peng Soon terpaksa bergandingan dengan pemain-pemain berbeza ekoran kecederaan yang melanda Liu Ying.
Kemenangan 18-21, 21-14, 21-7 ke atas Tan Kian Meng-Peck Yen Wei dalam saingan separuh akhir, hari ini jelas meningkatkan semangat mereka untuk kembali menjadi juara kebangsaan.
Wang kemenangan RM10,000 selaku juara itu dilihat cukup lumayan untuk membantu kantung kewangan mereka yang kini bergerak secara profesional tanpa bantuan Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM).
"Ia dapat digunakan untuk menambah kewangan kami bagi program ke Sukan Olimpik Tokyo 2020," kata Peng Soon.
"Kami amat gembira selepas layak ke final.
"Ia mungkin dapat dijadikan contoh terbaik buat pemain-pemain muda," tambah Liu Ying.
Menanti mereka dalam perlawanan akhir adalah Hoo Pang Ron-Shevon Lai yang dikerah beraksi tiga set dalam satu lagi perlawanan separuh akhir sebelum melakar kemenangan 21-19, 12-21, 21-11 ke atas Chen Tang Jie-Lai Pei Jing.
Sementara itu, dalam acara perseorangan wanita, pilihan utama kejohanan, Goh Jin Wei, menepati ramalan ke final.
Jin Wei unggul melakar kemenangan 21-6, 21-7 ke atas Lee Ying Ying.
"Setiap pemain mahu menjadi juara kebangsaan.
"Walaupun ia tidak setanding kejohanan antarabangsa yang lain, namun ia tetap satu gelaran yang membanggakan.
"Saya berharap dapat meraih kejuaraan dalam edisi kali ini," katanya.
Penulis Jemputan
Fri Feb 22 2019
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