Gandingan muda beregu campuran negara, Hoo Pang Ron dan Peck Yen Wei, bertekad menjadikan kehadiran mereka dalam Kejohanan Badminton Terbuka Malaysia bukanlah pelengkap kuota di sebalik penyenaraian mereka pada saat-saat akhir oleh Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM).
Namun, Pang Ron dan Yen Wei tidak berasakan ia satu masalah besar memandangkan mereka sudah pun giat menjalani latihan di Akademi Badminton Malaysia.
Dalam Masters Malaysia, Januari lalu, mereka disingkirkan dalam pusingan pertama manakala dalam Terbuka Vietnam bulan lalu, mereka tersingkir dalam pusingan kedua.
Justeru, mereka berharap mampu memperbaiki prestasi dalam Terbuka Malaysia berbanding kejohanan sebelum ini.
"Kami telah cuba membuat persiapan yang lebih rapi untuk ke Terbuka Malaysia, saya berharap untuk mampu mara jauh," kata Yen Mei.
Aksi pertama mereka dalam pusingan kelayakan sebentar tadi ialah berdepan pasangan dari India, Manessha Kukkapalli dan Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Perlawanan yang berlangsung tiga set dan memakan masa selama 49 minit itu akhirnya menjadi milik pasangan beregu campuran negara dengan kemenangan, 21-19, 19-21, 21-14.
Menanti mereka dalam perlawanan kedua pusingan kelayakan adalah pasangan Indonesia, Lukhi Apri Nugroho dan Ririn Amelia.
"Permainan kami belum di tahap terbaik, kami berharap dapat memperbaiki kelemahan dalam perlawanan akan datang," ujar Pang Ron.
Stadium Astro
Tue Apr 04 2017
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