KUALA LUMPUR: Despite only being represented by two mixed doubles pairs, BA of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Wong Choong Hann wants Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie to give their best at the ongoing BWF World Tour Finals.
This is because Choong Hann believes that the Level One tournament is the best platform for the two pairs to gauge themselves ahead of the new year.
"The tournament may not be as significant because it's already the end of the year but nevertheless, it is still a high level tournament. You have the best players and pairs who have been consistent all year.
"I hope our pairs will use this opportunity to gauge themselves, their skills and standards, and see how they match up against some of the world's best.
"Doing well will not only boost their confidence but it will also set the tone for them ahead of the Olympic qualifying period that starts in May," said Choong Hann on Wednesday.
National No 1 Peng Soon-Liu Ying made the cut for the tournament in Guangzhou as the fourth best pair on the World Tour rankings, while Soon Huat-Shevon scraped through as the seventh best.
Only the top eight players and pairs qualified for the competition at the end of the BWF World Tour season.
On Wednesday, Peng Soon-Liu Ying were involved in a late Group B match against China's Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping, while Soon Huat-Shevon took on World No 7 Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand in Group A.
Only the top two pairs from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
Other pairs in Group A include World No 1 Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong and England's Marcus Ellis-Lauren Smith, while Japan's Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino and Indonesia's Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja complete Group B.