Copenhagen: The Malaysian mixed doubles pair, Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai, who are ranked World No. 10, made a dominant start at the 2023 World Championships by defeating Bulgaria’s Iliyan Stoynov and Hristomira Popovska, ranked World No. 77, with a score of 21-11, 21-8 on Tuesday. Their next challenge awaits them in the third round as they are set to face China’s Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, who are ranked World No. 7.
Another Malaysian mixed pair, Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing, ranked World No. 21, also progressed to the next round. They swiftly overcame Hussein Zayan Shaheed and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq of Maldives, securing a victory of 21-4, 21-6 in just 21 minutes at the Royal Arena.
This was the first encounter between Tan and Lai against the Maldivian duo, ranked World No. 84. They are now slated to compete against Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran, the 12th seed in the tournament, who received a bye in the first round.
Notably, Tan and Lai will be facing Supak and Supissara for the sixth time, with the Thai pair holding a 3-2 advantage in their previous clashes. The last victory for Supak and Supissara over Tan and Lai was during the first round of the Malaysian Masters 2023, where they emerged triumphant with a score of 22-20, 22-20 in a 44-minute encounter.
In the women’s singles category, Japan’s 2017 women’s singles world champion secured a comfortable win against India’s 2019 World Champion PV Sindhu with a score of 21-14, 21-14. The next challenge for the Japanese player will be Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, another former world champion.
On the other hand, Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei faced a defeat in the women’s singles second round, losing to South Korea’s World No. 1, An Se Young, with a score of 12-21, 14-21. An Se Young is set to play against the United States’ Beiwen Zhang, the No. 12 seed, in the third round.
As the tournament progresses, Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai advance to the third round of the 2023 World Championships, showcasing their determination and skills on the badminton court.
