Bangkok: Malaysia’s two Rio Olympic silver medal pairs, Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong and Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying turned in strong performance in straight-set wins against their opponents in the Thailand Masters semi-finals on Saturday.
Goh/Tan who left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) last week, defeated Akira Koga/Taichi Saito of Japan 21-12, 21-10 in the semi-finals at the Huamark Indoor Stadium.
“We are excited to be able to reach the final in the first tournament of this year. Hopefully, we are able to win the title tomorrow,” said Goh.
“We are still trying to finalize deals with some potential sponsors, and hopefully we can announce the good news later this month,” added Goh.
Goh/Tan will face Taiwan’s Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han on Sunday.
The mixed doubles action saw Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying overcame Hong Kong pair Tang Chun Man/Ng Tsz Tau 21-16, 21-15.
“I do not think there is a big difference whether we are playing for BAM or as a professional pair because in the end we all want to win,” said Chan.
“We have stronger desire for victory after turning professional, after all, we need rely on ourselves to produce good results if we would like to continue playing as professional players.”
“Whatever it is, this is a good start for us this season, and we want to do our best to win the title,” said Chan Peng Soon.
Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying will meet Thailand’s second-seeded Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the final. Chan/Goh held a 3-0 career meeting advantage against the Thai pair prior to Sunday’s final.
