It is a tough call but coach Rosman Razak is hoping to have at least one pair in the women’s doubles quarter-finals in the USD500,000 Maybank Malaysian Open Super Series Premier which begins at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
“Reaching the second round itself will be an achievement itself for our pairs but to reach quarter-finals will be tough hurdles to clear. However, on any given day our Malaysian pairs are capable of winning,” said Rosman after a training session in Bukit Jalil.
Malaysia have three pairs in the main draw in the women’s doubles – led byCommonwealth Games champions Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei, ranked No 17 in the world, world No 25 Amelia Alicia Anscelly-Soong Fie Cho, winners of the India Masters GP Gold when they upset Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei 22-20, 21-15 in the final and Lim Yin Loo-Lee Meng Yean.
Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei have been inconsistent in their play and their 21-13, 23-21 defeat to Hong Kong’s Chan Tsz Ku-Tse Ying Suet in the India Open Superseries in the second round came as a surprise as they were expected to reach the quarter-finals at least.
In the Malaysian Open, the top Malaysian pair will face Thailand’s Puttita Supajirakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai.in the first round and should not face difficulty in getting a win over the Thais. However,, Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei face World No 3 and second seeds Christina Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl in the second round for a place in the quarter-finals.
Amelia-Fie Cho, have shown vast improvement in their game and are expected to get past the Dutch pair of Samatha Barning-Iris Tabeling in the first round. Their likely second round opponents are seventh seeds Lee So-hee-Shin Seung-chan of Korea. The Koreans’ first round opponents will come from the qualifiers.
Malaysia’s third pair in the main draw Yin Loo-Meng Yean face Indonesians Pia Zabedah Bernadeth-Rikzi Amelia Pradipta in the opening round.
“Reaching the second round is within our reach. The quarter-finals cannot be ruled out. On their day either Vivian-Khe Wei and Alicia-Fie Cho can reach the quarter-finals. That will be an achievment for the Malaysians. They must be focused in their game,” added Rosman.
