KUALA LUMPUR: National mixed doubles shuttler, Lai Pei Jing is hoping that a month’s preparation with her partner Tan Kian Meng will aid them in making an impact at the Asia Badminton Championships in Wuhan, China beginning tomorrow (Wednesday).
According to the Kuantan born player, even though they face an uphill task when they take on China’s He Jiting-Du Yue, they are determined to put on their best showing in order to advance to the second round.
"We are hoping to do our best and are not thinking of anything else. It has almost been a month since we have focused completely in training to face this championship and we hope that it pays off,” she said when contacted earlier today (Tuesday).
The last time Kian Meng-Pei Jing took part in an international championship was last month at the All England, where they were eliminated in the first round itself after falling to Indonesians Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in straight games, 21-18, 21-11.
Last week at the Malaysia International Challenge, Pei Jing who partnered Hoo Pang Ron, went down fighting in the second round to the crack Malaysian-Indonesian pairing of Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub-Devi Tika Permatasari, 21-17, 26-24, 22-20.
"All is much better now especially my partnership with Kian Meng, it’s just that what worries us is that we can’t replicate our rich vein of form when competing in championships. Championships and training are two very different playing fields.
"So, all has to be sown once competition begins and from there we will be able to measure the level of our game and how good our preparations were,” said Pei Jing.
However, the 25-year-old player does not want to look back, but instead put on their best showing and at the same time improve on their game.
"I very much want to improve on my performance, and not just focus on improving our ranking,” she said as she and Kian Meng are ranked World No 11.
Also featuring at the Asia Badminton Championship are Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, the sixth seeds, who will face Lee Yang-Hsu Ya Ching in the first round.
At the same championships last year, Kian Meng-Pei Jing managed to advance to the quarter-finals, while the country’s top mixed doubles of Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying crashed out in the first round.